Micro-cellular capacitor for use in implantable medical devices

Abstract From the Canadian patent

A capacitor optimized for use in an implantable medical device such as an implantable defibrillator is disclosed. In its simplest form the capacitor comprises a thin, planar dielectric sheet that has an array of cells open to one or both sides. Metallization is applied to the surface of the cells such that the walls of adjacent cells form a capacitor with the wall that separates the cells serving as the dielectric. The metallization pattern that forms the electrical connection to the cells may be patterned to limit the allowable current flow to each individual cell, thereby providing a fuse in the case of local dielectric failure.