Greatbatch Ltd.

Wilson Greatbatch Technologies, Inc.

Greatbach Ltd.

Jason T Hahl

Barry C Muffoletto

Anthony C Perez

Yanming Liu

Christina Scheuer

J Michael Druding

William C Thiebolt

Neal N Nesselbeck

Donald F Kaiser

Edward J Gloss

David Goad

Ken Talamine

Keith W Seitz

Eric Stemen

Kenneth B Talamine

William B Elliott

Laurie O'Connor

Joseph E Spaulding

Douglas P Eberhard

Rodney E Stringham

Todd C Sutay

Troy P Lindke

Mark T Muffoletto

Eric Ziarniak

Donald Monroe

Doug Eberhard

Glenn A Dumais

Eric Ziarniac

Chris Ziarniac

Don Monroe

Wendy J Baumler

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 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

Tantalum powders produced using a tantalum fiber precursor are described. The tantalum fiber precursor is chopped or cut into short lengths having a uniform fiber thickness and favorable aspect ratio. The chopped fibers are formed into a primary powder having a controlled size and shape, narrow/tight particle size distribution, and low impurity level. The primary powder is then agglomerated into an agglomerated powder displaying suitable flowability and pressability such that pellets with good structural integrity and uniform pellet porosity are manufacturable. The pellet is sintered and anodized to a desired formation voltage. The thusly created capacitor anode has a dual morphology or dual porosity provided by a primary porosity of the individual tantalum fibers making up the primary powder and a larger secondary porosity formed between the primary powders agglomerated into the agglomerated powder.

High voltage tantalum anode and method of manufacture

Tantalum powders produced using a tantalum fiber precursor are described. The tantalum fiber precursor is chopped or cut into short lengths having a uniform fiber thickness and favorable aspect ratio. The chopped fibers are formed into a primary powder having a controlled size and shape, narrow/tight particle size distribution, and low impurity level. The primary powder is then agglomerated into an agglomerated powder displaying suitable flowability and pressability such that pellets with good structural integrity and unifrom pellet porosity are manufacturable. The pellet is sintered and anodized to a desired formation voltage. The thusly created capacitor anode has a dual morphology or dual porosity provided by a primary porosity of the individual tantalum fibers making up the primary powder and a larger secondary porosity formed between the primary powders agglomerated into the agglomerated powder.

Method for manufacturing a high voltage tantalum anode

A capacitor having at least two side-by-side anodes with a cathode current collector disposed between the anodes and housed inside a casing is described. Cathode active material is supported on the opposed major faces of the current collector and the current collector/cathode active material subassembly is housed in a first separator envelope. The first separator envelope is positioned between the side-by-side anodes and this electrode assembly is then contained in a second separator envelope. The two anodes can be connected in parallel inside or outside casing, or they can be unconnected to each other. There is also cathode active material supported on inner surfaces of the casing in a face-to-face alignment with an adjacent one of the anodes. That way, the second separator envelope also prevents direct physical contact between the anode pellets and the cathode active material supported on the casing sidewalls.

High voltage capacitor having a dual tantalum anode/cathode current collector electrode assembly housed in a dual separator envelope design

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

An electrolytic capacitor comprising an anode comprised of cryogenically milled anode material is described. The cryogenic milling process prepares the active anode material for anode fabrication. The capacitor further comprises a casing of first and second casing members secured to each other to provide an enclosure. A feedthrough electrically insulated from the casing and from the casing and extending there from through a glass-to-metal seal, at least one anode electrically connected 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.

Cryogenic grinding of tantalum for use in capacitor manufacture

A method and apparatus for anodizing a porous valve metal pellet in a flowing liquid electrolyte is described. The apparatus comprises an insulative container comprised of a lower region, a central region including a cavity for holding the pellet, an upper region, and a continuous passageway extending through the lower, central, and upper regions. Lower and upper screens serving as lower and upper electrodes are disposed in the passageway in the lower and upper container regions, respectively. During anodizing, the electrolyte flows through the lower container region including the lower screen, the porous pellet and then the upper container region including the upper screen. The lower and upper screens are at an opposite electrical polarity as the pellet so that a dielectric oxide is formed on the exposed valve metal including interior portions of the pellet that are exposed to the flowing electrolyte.

Valve metal anode pellets for capacitors formed using forced convection of liquid electrolyte during anodization

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

Method of forming valve metal anode pellets for capacitors using forced convection of liquid electrolyte during anodization

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East Aurora, NY, United States of America

Jason T Hahl