Method of fabricating high density hermetic electrical feedthroughs using insulated wire bundles

Abstract

A method of fabricating electrical feedthroughs coats of a plurality of electrically conductive wires with an electrically insulating material and bundles the coated wires together in a substantially parallel arrangement. The bundled coated wires are secured to each other by joining the electrically insulating material of adjacent wires together to form a monolithic block which is then cut transverse to the wires to produce a block section having opposing first and second sides with a plurality of electrically conductive feedthroughs extending between them.

We claim: 
     
         1 . A method of fabricating hermetic electrical feedthroughs, comprising:
 coating each of a plurality of electrically conductive wires with an electrically insulating material;   inserting the coated wires through a ring-like structure to bundle the coated wires together in a substantially parallel arrangement;   fixedly joining the electrically insulating material of adjacent wires together and to the ring-like structure to form a gapless hermetic monolithic block; and   cutting the monolithic block transverse to the wires to produce a block section having opposing first and second sides with a plurality of electrically conductive feedthroughs extending therebetween.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 ,
 wherein the electrically conductive wires are a bio-compatible metal.   
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 ,
 wherein the electrically insulating material is selected from the group consisting of glass, polymer, ceramic, and other dielectric materials.   
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 ,
 wherein the electrically insulating material is a bio-compatible material.   
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 ,
 wherein the bundled coated wires are fixedly joined as an ordered array having a geometrically repeating cross-sectional pattern.   
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 5 ,
 further comprising forming a first electrically conductive contact pad on the first side of the block section to contact a first end of at least one of the wires, and a second electrically conductive contact pad on the second side of the block section to contact an opposite second end of the same wire(s).   
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 ,
 wherein the bundled coated wires are fixedly joined as a randomly-ordered array not having a geometrically repeating cross-sectional pattern.   
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 7 ,
 further comprising forming a first electrically conductive contact pad on the first side of the block section to contact a first end of at least two of the wires, and a second electrically conductive contact pad on the second side of the block section to contact an opposite second end of the same wires.   
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1 ,
 wherein the electrically insulating material of adjacent wires are fixedly joined together and to the ring-like structure by being heated at elevated temperatures.   
     
     
         10 . A hermetic electrical feedthrough, comprising:
 a hermetic substrate block having opposing first and second sides, a ring-like structure connecting between the first and second sides, and a plurality of electrically insulating material-coated electrically conductive wires extending through the ring-like structure from and between the first and second sides, wherein the electrically insulating material of the electrically conductive wires are fixedly joined together and to the ring-like structure in a substantially parallel arrangement without any gaps therebetween.   
     
     
         11 . The hermetic electrical feedthrough of  claim 10 ,
 wherein the electrically conductive wires are a bio-compatible metal.   
     
     
         12 . The hermetic electrical feedthrough of  claim 10 ,
 wherein the electrically insulating material is selected from the group consisting of glass, polymer, ceramic, and other dielectric materials.   
     
     
         13 . The hermetic electrical feedthrough of  claim 10 ,
 wherein the electrically insulating material is a bio-compatible material.   
     
     
         14 . The hermetic electrical feedthrough of  claim 10 ,
 wherein the electrically conductive wires are arranged in an ordered array having a geometrically repeating cross-sectional pattern.   
     
     
         15 . The hermetic electrical feedthrough of  claim 14 ,
 further comprising a first electrically conductive contact pad on the first side of the hermetic substrate block contacting a first end of at least one of the wires, and a second electrically conductive contact pad on the second side of the substrate block contacting an opposite second end of the same wire(s).   
     
     
         16 . The hermetic electrical feedthrough of  claim 10 ,
 wherein the electrically conductive wires are arranged in a randomly-ordered array not having a geometrically repeating cross-sectional pattern.   
     
     
         17 . The hermetic electrical feedthrough of  claim 16 ,
 further comprising a first electrically conductive contact pad on the first side of the substrate block contacting a first end of at least two of the wires, and a second electrically conductive contact pad on the second side of the substrate block contacting an opposite second end of the same wires.