Hermetic feedthrough assembly for ceramic body

1. A method of forming a feedthrough assembly, comprising the steps of:

providing a green ceramic body;

forming a through hole in the green ceramic body having a first diameter;

inserting a corrosion-resistance solid wire through the hole, the wire comprising a material selected from the group consisting of platinum, palladium, rhodium, iridium, osmium and alloys of platinum, palladium, rhodium, iridium, and osmium and the wire having a second diameter;

firing the green ceramic body to sinter the green ceramic body; and

the first and second diameters being selected such that cracking of the sintered ceramic body adjacent the wire as a result of dimensional changes of the green ceramic body during firing is avoided and a substantially hermetic seal is formed between the sintered ceramic body and the wire, wherein the green ceramic body has a thickness of at least 0.050 inches thick.

2. The method of claim 1 and further comprising the step of forming an electrode on a first end of the wire.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the electrode is substantially coplanar with a surface of the sintered ceramic body.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the hermetic seal is a diffusion bond between the metal wire and the sintered ceramic body.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the wire has a diameter of less than about 0.020 inches.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the sintered ceramic body comprises compounds selected from the group consisting of oxides, carbides, borides, nitrides and silicides of aluminum, zirconium, beryllium, silicon, titanium, yttrium, hafnium, magnesium, and zinc.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the sintered ceramic body has a thickness of less than about 0.10 inches.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the wire has a diameter of less than about 0.020 inches and the sintered ceramic body has a thickness of less than about 0.10 inches.

9. The method of claim 1 and further comprising the step of forming a contact pad on a second end of the wire.

10. A method of forming a feedthrough assembly in a ceramic body, comprising the steps of:

providing a green ceramic body that surrounds corrosion-resistance solid wire extending through the green ceramic body, the wire comprising a material selected from the group consisting of platinum, palladium, rhodium, iridium, osmium and alloys of platinum, palladium, rhodium, iridium, and osmium; and

firing the green ceramic body to sinter the green ceramic body;

whereby cracking of the sintered ceramic body adjacent the wire as a result of dimensional changes of the green ceramic body during firing is avoided and a substantially hermetic seal is formed between the sintered ceramic body and the wire, wherein the green ceramic body has a thickness of at least 0.050 inches thick.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein a hole with a first diameter is formed in the green ceramic body before the wire having a second diameter is inserted through the hole, and further wherein the first diameter is less than or equal to the second diameter.

12. The method of claim 10 wherein a hole with a first diameter is formed in the green ceramic body before the wire having a second diameter is inserted through the hole, and further wherein the first diameter is greater than the second diameter.

13. The method of claim 10 wherein the ceramic body comprises compounds selected from the group consisting of oxides, carbides, borides, nitrides and silicides of aluminum, zirconium, beryllium, silicon, titanium, yttrium, hafnium, magnesium, and zinc.

14. The method of claim 10 wherein the green ceramic body has no pre-formed hole and the wire is inserted through the green ceramic body.

15. The method of claim 10 wherein the green ceramic body is formed around the wire by pressing the green ceramic body in a mold.