Medical Lead Connector Glass Braze Hermetic Seal
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing implantable active medical devices face challenges with high manufacturing costs and increased interconnects due to complex and expensive processes required for hermetic feedthroughs, which also result in larger device sizes and increased part counts.
Innovation Solution
The use of electrically insulating glass braze material to join conducting contact rings with ceramic insulating rings, forming a hermetic bond and reducing manufacturing temperatures, thereby eliminating the need for gold or metal brazing and allowing closer contact spacing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional hermetic feedthroughs with ferrules, glass seals, and capacitors are used, then hermetic sealing and EMI shielding are achieved, but manufacturing cost increases and device size increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple separate components (contact ring, capacitor, and seal) into an integrated structure where the glass braze material serves both as the hermetic seal and as the capacitor dielectric, with the contact ring serving as one capacitor electrode. This merging eliminates the need for separate ferrules, discrete capacitors, and multiple interconnects, thereby reducing part count while maintaining hermetic sealing and EMI shielding functions.
Solution Approach 2:
The glass braze material performs multiple functions simultaneously: it provides hermetic sealing between the contact ring and housing, serves as the capacitor dielectric, and provides electrical insulation. The contact ring serves dual purposes as both an electrical contact and a capacitor electrode. This multi-functionality reduces the overall number of components needed in the assembly.
2Reliability
If conventional hermetic feedthroughs with multiple interconnects are used, then hermetic sealing is achieved, but manufacturing cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the sealing function and capacitor function into a single glass braze layer, eliminating the need for separate sealing compounds and discrete capacitor components. This reduction in part count directly reduces manufacturing complexity and cost, while the glass braze process itself is a established, reliable sealing method.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts and eliminates unnecessary intermediate components such as ferrules and discrete capacitor assemblies from the conventional feedthrough design. By taking out these redundant elements and integrating their functions into fewer components, the manufacturing process is simplified and cost is reduced while maintaining the essential hermetic sealing function.
3Reliability
If contact rings are spaced far apart with ceramic insulators, then electrical insulation is achieved, but device size increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the electrical insulation function with the hermetic sealing function by using the glass braze material to serve as both the seal and the insulating dielectric. This integration allows contact rings to be positioned closer together than in conventional designs where separate insulator components would be required, thereby reducing device volume while maintaining adequate electrical insulation.
Solution Approach 2:
The glass braze material acts as a composite structure providing both mechanical sealing and electrical insulation properties in a single material layer. This composite approach allows for compact spacing of conductive elements while maintaining the necessary electrical isolation, reducing the overall device size compared to designs using separate ceramic insulators.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach reduces manufacturing temperatures, minimizes device size, and decreases the number of parts and connections, leading to cost-effective and compact hermetic lead connectors with improved electromagnetic interference shielding.
Implementation Method 1
The electrically insulating glass material can form a hermetic bond with the electrically conducting contact portions of the hermetic lead connectors
Data Source
AI summary
A medical device lead connector includes two or more electrically conducting contact rings spaced apart by electrically insulating ceramic ring. An electrically insulating glass material fixes the two or more electrically conducting contact rings to the insulating ceramic ring in axial alignment.