Implantable Medical Device Having a Conformal Coating and Method for Manufacture

Abstract

An implantable electrical medical device and method for manufacturing the same are provided. The method includes forming a conductive substrate, placing the conductive substrate in a deposition chamber; and forming a conformal coating over the conductive substrate using atomic layer deposition. In various embodiments, the conformal coating is a conductive coating and in other embodiments the conformal coating is a dielectric coating.

1 . A method for manufacturing an implantable electrical medical device, comprising:
 forming a conductive substrate;   placing the substrate in a deposition chamber; and   forming a first conformal coating over at least a portion of the substrate using atomic layer deposition.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the conductive substrate comprises an electrode base. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the conductive substrate comprises a housing of the medical device. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 2  wherein forming the substrate comprises forming a surface area enhanced electrode base. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 2  further comprising assembling the electrode base along one of an elongated lead body and a housing of the implantable medical device. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the substrate comprises one of tungsten, a tungsten alloy, stainless steel, and a stainless steel alloy. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the first conformal coating is a conductive coating being more chemically stable than the substrate and comprising one of: a carbide, a carbonitride, and a nitride. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1  further comprising forming a high surface area, low-polarization coating over the conformal coating. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the conformal coating is a dielectric coating comprising a metal oxide. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 9  wherein the conductive substrate is an electrode base and further comprising electrically coupling the electrode base to a conductor, the conductor being electrically coupled to a second electrode used for one of sensing electrical body signals and delivering electrical stimulation pulses. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 9  further comprising forming a second conformal coating over a second portion of the conductive substrate using atomic layer deposition, the second conformal coating being a conductive coating. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 1  wherein forming the conformal coating comprises forming a patterned coating, wherein forming the patterned coating comprises one of selective deposition of the conformal coating and selective decomposing of the conformal coating.