Greatbatch Ltd.

Wilson Greatbatch Technologies, Inc.

Anthony C Perez

Barry C Muffoletto

Jason T Hahl

Christina Scheuer

J Michael Druding

Keith W Seitz

Kenneth B Talamine

Laurie O'Connor

Ken Talamine

Eric Stemen

Yanming Liu

William B Elliott

Joseph E Spaulding

Rodney E Stringham

Edward J Gloss

Troy P Lindke

Mark T Muffoletto

Eric Ziarniak

Doug Eberhard

Donald Monroe

Shawn Patterson

Steven Schmidt

Kent Hughes

Don Monroe

Chris Ziarniac

Eric Ziarniac

Laurie M O'CONNOR

Chris Ziarniak

A wet tantalum electrolytic capacitor containing a cathode, fluidic working electrolyte, and anode formed from an anodically oxidized sintered porous tantalum pellet is described. The pellet is formed from a pressed tantalum powder. The tantalum powder is formed by reacting a tantalum oxide compound, for example, tantalum pentoxide, with a reducing agent that contains a metal having an oxidation state of 2 or more, for example, magnesium. The resulting tantalum powder is nodular or angular and has a specific charge that ranges from about 9,000 μF*V/g to about 11,000 μF*V/g. Using this powder, wet tantalum electrolytic capacitors have breakdown voltages that ranges from about 340 volts to about 450 volts. This makes the electrolytic capacitors ideal for use in an implantable medical device.

Electrolytic capacitor having an anode formed from a tantalum powder with a relatively low specific charge

A capacitor having an anode of a pressed powder pellet is described. The pressed powder anode pellet has a contoured trough that extends inwardly into the height of the pellet from a peripheral edge of the pellet. A shaped anode wire has an embedded portion residing inside the pellet and an outwardly extending portion that is connected to the terminal pin of a feedthrough. The feedthrough is nested in the contoured trough. In order to prevent a crack from rendering the anode inoperable, the embedded portion of the anode wire is shaped to bridge the lateral extent of the contoured trough. Should a crack develop in the anode, the crack will intersect the embedded portion of the anode wire. As an embedded bridging wire structure, the crack in the anode pellet will not cause the shaped anode wire to break. Instead, the shaped anode wire provides electrical continuity from one side of the crack to the other so that the capacitor remains functional.

Electrolytic capacitor having a shaped anode wire that prevents failure due to a cracked anode

A wet tantalum electrolytic capacitor containing a cathode, fluidic working electrolyte, and anode formed from an anodically oxidized sintered porous tantalum pellet is provided. The pellet is formed from a pressed tantalum powder. The tantalum powder is formed by reacting a tantalum oxide compound, for example, tantalum pentoxide, with a reducing agent that contains a metal having an oxidation state of 2 or more, for example, magnesium. The resulting tantalum powder is nodular or angular and has a specific charge that ranges from about 11,000 &#x3bc;F*V/g to about 14,000 &#x3bc;F*V/g. Using this powder, wet tantalum electrolytic capacitors have breakdown voltages that ranges from about 250 volts to about 400 volts. This makes the electrolytic capacitors ideal for use in an implantable medical device.

Electrolytic capacitor having a tantalum anode

A capacitor for powering an implantable medical device is described. The capacitor includes a casing having contoured surfaces to more closely conform to body contours. This means that the anode housed in the casing must also have a contoured shape substantially matching that of the casing. Accordingly, the anode is comprised of a pressed pellet having a surrounding peripheral edge extending to spaced-apart first and second major face walls. An anode lead wire comprises an embedded portion extending into the anode pellet. First and second channel-shaped recesses aligned with each other extend into the anode pellet from the first and second major face walls to intersect with the embedded lead wire portion. The first and second channel-shaped recesses also extend to opposed locations at the surrounding peripheral edge of the anode pellet. The anode pellet is bent at the aligned first and second channel-shaped recesses to provide a right anode pellet portion electrically connected to a left anode pellet portion by the embedded lead wire portion. The thusly contoured anode pellet has an anatomical shape that matches that of the contoured casing to provide an implantable capacitor that is volumetrically efficient.

Segmented conformal anode for a capacitor

A nickel termination-pad that has been clad-bonded to a titanium base layer electrically contacted to a casing to thereby serve as a surface for a device manufacturer to connect electronic circuit to the capacitor is described. The clad connection of the nickel termination-pad to the titanium base layer is both robust and provides good electrical conductivity between the dissimilar metals.

Titanium clad nickel termination-pad welded to a titanium tab for a capacitor

A wet tantalum capacitor of either a single anode design or of multiple anode configurations having cathode active material supported on the casing and sealed in its own separator material is described. The separator 'covers' the cathode active material and is adhered directly to the casing. For a multiple anode design, an inner cathode foil positioned between opposed anode pellets is sealed in its own separator bag. Preferably, a polymeric restraining device prevents the anode from contacting the casing. The completed anode/cathode electrode assembly is sealed in the casing, which is filled with electrolyte thru a port. The fill port is hermetically sealed to complete the capacitor.

High voltage tantalum capacitor with improved cathode/separator design and method of manufacture

A capacitor is described. A casing for the capacitor comprises a container having a face wall joined to a surrounding sidewall extending to a annular edge defining an open end of the container. An inwardly extending protrusion is located intermediate the face wall and the annular edge at the container open end. A partition plate is supported on the protrusion to thereby provide a first capacitor enclosure bounded by the face wall, the surrounding sidewall and the partition plate. A cover plate is secured to the annular edge to close the open end of the container and provide a second capacitor enclosure bounded by the partition plate, the surrounding sidewall and the cover plate. An anode, for example of tantalum, and a cathode active material, for example of ruthenium oxide, reside in capacitive association with each other inside each of the first and second capacitor enclosures. A working electrolyte is also contained in the capacitor enclosures. Finally, leads extend from each anode through insulative seals structures supported by the casing for making electrical connection to the capacitor.

Capacitor having multiple anodes housed in a swaged casing

A capacitor is described. The capacitor comprises a first casing member having a first face wall extending to a first surrounding sidewall in turn extending to a first annular edge defining a first open end. A second casing member has a second face wall extending to a second surrounding sidewall in turn extending to a second annular edge defining a second open end. The second casing member is supported on the first annular edge to thereby close the first open end of the first casing member and provide a first capacitor enclosure comprising the first and second casing members in a stacked relationship. A cover is secured to the second annular edge to close the second casing member and provide a second capacitor enclosure. An anode, for example of tantalum, and a cathode active material, for example of ruthenium oxide, reside in capacitive association with each other inside each of the first and second capacitor enclosures. A working electrolyte is also contained in the capacitor enclosures. Finally, leads extend from each anode through insulative seals structures supported by the casing members for making electrical connection to the capacitor.

Capacitor having multiple anodes housed in a stacked casing

An anode assembly for a capacitor is described. The anode assembly comprises a first anode including a first conductive lead disposed in a first groove in a junction bar, a second anode including a second conductive lead disposed in a second groove in the junction bar, and an anode terminal lead disposed in a third groove in the junction bar. The capacitor including the anode assembly is further comprised of a cathode comprising a conductive substrate supporting a cathode active material facing the first and second anodes, and a separator positioned there between to prevent the first and second anodes and the cathode from contacting each other. The anode assembly, the cathode, and the separator are sealed inside of a casing, and the casing is filled with a working electrolyte.

Interconnections for multiple capacitor anode leads

A capacitor comprising a cylindrical casing sidewall extending to closed first and second end walls and an anode assembly housed therein including a first, second and third anodes is described. Each anode comprises an anode sidewall extending to first and second anode end walls and a conductive lead extending therefrom. The anodes are in a side-by-side relationship within the casing with their respective sidewalls parallel to each other. The cathode of the capacitor may include a first conductive substrate supporting a cathode active material. The conductive substrate is wrapped around the anodes, and the cathode active material is disposed on the substrate at locations such that the respective sidewalls of the anodes are opposed by cathode active material. A separator is positioned between the side-by-side anodes and the cathode. The open volume within the casing is filled with an electrolyte, and the casing is hermetically sealed.

Electrolytic capacitors with multiple anodes and anode lead configurations thereof

A capacitor is described. The capacitor includes a casing of first and second casing members secured to each other to provide an enclosure, a feedthrough electrically insulated from the casing and extending there from through a glass-to-metal seal, first and second anodes electrically connected to each other within the casing, a cathode, and an electrolyte. The cathode is of a cathode active material deposited on planar faces of the first and second casing members. There is also a cathode current collector disposed intermediate the first and second anodes. The cathode current collector supports cathode active material on both of its major faces and includes a tab that is directly electrically connected to a ferrule of the glass-to-metal seal. That way, the casing is the negative terminal for the cathode and a feedthrough pin extending through the glass-to-metal seal is the positive terminal for the anode of the capacitor.

Electrically connecting multiple cathodes in a case negative multi-anode capacitor

A capacitor having a cylindrical shape or configuration so that it is capable of being inserted directly into the vasculature of a patient is described. A typical diameter for the present capacitor is about 6 mm. A capacitor of this size would occupy about 9% of the total cross-sectional area of the inferior vena cava prior to the crossover to the heart, where the typical diameter of the vein is about 20 mm. The crossover section has a diameter of about 11 mm to about 12 mm.

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Wheatfield, NY, United States of America

Anthony C Perez