Capacitor assembly and associated method

Abstract

A capacitor assembly for use in, and a method of assembling, a filtered feedthrough. The capacitor includes an insulative member fixedly attached to its bottom portion to inhibit high voltage arcing. The termination material present on the inner and outer diameters of the capacitor is absent from a portion of the capacitor proximate the bottom portion, e.g., at the insulative member.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A capacitor assembly for use in a filtered feedthrough for an implantable medical device, comprising:
 a capacitor having a top portion, a bottom portion, an outer diameter portion and an inner diameter portion, wherein the inner diameter portion defines at least one aperture extending from the top portion to the bottom portion, the capacitor including a plurality of conductive plates;   an outer diameter termination material applied to the outer diameter portion of the capacitor, the outer diameter termination material electrically coupling a first subset of the plurality of conductive plates, the outer diameter termination material being absent from an outer diameter lower portion of the outer diameter portion adjacent the bottom portion of the capacitor; and   an inner diameter termination material applied to the inner diameter portion of the capacitor, the inner diameter termination material electrically coupling a second subset of the plurality of conductive plates, the inner diameter termination material being absent from an inner diameter lower portion of the inner diameter portion adjacent the bottom portion of the capacitor.   
     
     
         2 . The capacitor assembly of claim  9 , wherein the inner diameter lower portion comprises a tapered inner diameter portion.