Patent · US Expired

Chip capacitors and chip capacitor electromagnetic interference filters

US5973906A · kind A · utility

255Cited by
27References
19Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateMar 17, 1998
Grant dateOct 26, 1999
Priority date
Expiry dateMar 17, 2018

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
  • CPC primaryH03H1/0007
  • WIPO fieldElectrical machinery, apparatus, energy
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

An electromagnetic interference (EMI) filter capacitor assembly is provided for shielding and decoupling a conductive terminal pin or lead of the type used, for example, in an implantable medical device against passage of external interference signals. The EMI filter is constructed of relatively inexpensive ceramic chip capacitors which replace relatively expensive feedthrough capacitors as found in the prior art. The chip capacitors are mounted directly onto a hermetic feedthrough terminal in groups of two or more which vary in physical size, dielectric material and capacitance value so that they self-resonate at different frequencies. This "staggering" of resonant frequencies and direct installation at the hermetic terminal provides the EMI filter with sufficient broadband frequency attenuation. In one preferred form, multiple chip capacitor groupings are mounted onto a common base structure, with each capacitor grouping associated with a respective terminal pin. In another preferred form, a non-conductive substrate is provided with metalized circuit traces to better accommodate the mounting of the chip capacitors. Additionally, novel chip capacitor geometry/termination-metalliza…

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.