Abstract: The present invention relates, generally, to a component containing a composite of at least two layers that are connected to each other, in which the first layer comprises a hole and the second layer has a thickness in the range of 1 to 50 ?m. The first and second layers each contain at least one metal and compositions of the first and second layers are different. Further objects of the present invention include a method for producing a component containing at least two layers that are connected to each other and have the aforementioned features, a method for producing a component containing at least three layers that are connected to each other and have the aforementioned features, as well as a component that is obtained by one of the aforementioned methods and a device containing at least one of the aforementioned components for use in a living body.

Abstract: One aspect relates to a method for producing a layered structure, comprising at least the following steps: Providing a substrate, applying a first liquid onto at least part of the substrate, drying the first liquid forming a first layer, applying a second liquid onto at least part of the first layer, drying the second liquid forming a second layer, whereby either the substrate and the second layer are electrically conductive and the first layer is insulating or whereby the substrate and the second layer are insulating and the first layer is electrically conductive. One aspect relates to a layered structure that can be obtained according to the method specified above.

Abstract: A stimulation electrode is produced having a porous film layer and being partially coated with an insulating parylene (polyparaxylylene) film, whose insulating film has a dielectric breakdown voltage of greater than 100 V. Parylene is deposited on the entire surface of a porous film coating and then partially removed again by plasma. After the partial removal of the parylene, this porous film still has a capacitance of greater than 15 mF/cm2 in a physiological NaCl solution at a frequency of 0.1 Hz. For the stimulation electrode, the transition from the insulating film to the porous film is formed so that the film thickness of the parylene film decreases continuously. In this way, a stimulation electrode having a porous film layer and being partially coated with an insulating parylene film is provided, whose electrode on the non-insulating parylene film-coated surface has a capacitance of greater than 15 mF/cm2 in a physiological NaCl solution at a frequency of 0.

Abstract: A stimulation electrode is provided having an electrically conducting electrode base member which is partially covered with an electrically insulating ceramic layer. The ceramic layer is formed of an oxide and/or an oxynitride of at least one metal of the group of titanium, niobium, tantalum, zirconium, aluminum and silicon. Various methods are provided for production of the stimulation electrode, including methods in which the ceramic layer is formed in situ by a thermal, chemical or electrochemical oxidation or oxynitridation process. The stimulation electrode may be used as a cardiac pacemaker electrode, a neuro-stimulation electrode, or another human implant.

Abstract: A stimulation electrode is provided having an electrically conducting electrode base member which is partially covered with an electrically insulating ceramic layer. The ceramic layer is formed of an oxide and/or an oxynitride of at least one metal of the group of titanium, niobium. tantalum, zirconium, aluminum and silicon. Various methods are provided for production of the stimulation electrode, including methods in which the ceramic layer is formed in situ by a thermal, chemical or electrochemical oxidation or oxynitridation process. The stimulation electrode may be used as a cardiac pacemaker electrode, a neuro-stimulation electrode, or another human implant.

Abstract: A stimulation electrode is provided having an electrically conducting electrode base member which is partially covered with an electrically insulating ceramic layer. The ceramic layer is formed of an oxide and/or an oxynitride of at least one metal of the group of titanium, niobium. tantalum, zirconium, aluminum and silicon. Various methods are provided for production of the stimulation electrode, including methods in which the ceramic layer is formed in situ by a thermal, chemical or electrochemical oxidation or oxynitridation process. The stimulation electrode may be used as a cardiac pacemaker electrode, a neuro-stimulation electrode, or another human implant.

Abstract: The present invention provides improved cathodes and industrialized methods for producing such cathodes using an industrial dosing valve-based electrode coating fluid emitting technique. The family of cathodes according to the present invention can be produced so that they inhabit a pre-existing metallic surface such as an inner surface of a titanium casing adjacent but insulated from direct electrical communication from an anode. Foil-type valve metal anodes as well as porous valve metal anodes formed from metallic powders may be used in conjunction with the cathodes of the present invention.

Abstract: A stimulation electrode is produced having a porous film layer and being partially coated with an insulating parylene (polyparaxylylene) film, whose insulating film has a dielectric breakdown voltage of greater than 100 V. Parylene is deposited on the entire surface of a porous film coating and then partially removed again by plasma. After the partial removal of the parylene, this porous film still has a capacitance of greater than 15 mF/cm2 in a physiological NaCl solution at a frequency of 0.1 Hz. For the stimulation electrode, the transition from the insulating film to the porous film is formed so that the film thickness of the parylene film decreases continuously. In this way, a stimulation electrode having a porous film layer and being partially coated with an insulating parylene film is provided, whose electrode on the non-insulating parylene film-coated surface has a capacitance of greater than 15 mF/cm2 in a physiological NaCl solution at a frequency of 0.

Abstract: An electrode for medical applications is provided with a PtIr coating which is at least partly porous. The coating contains more than 20% iridium by weight and at least 100 ppm Pt. The coated areas of the electrode exhibit an electrochemical capacitance of more than 5 mF/cm2 in physiological saline solution at 37° C. and a measurement frequency of 100 mHz. A sputter process is suitable for this purpose, in which a porous platinum-iridium layer is deposited on the electrode by simultaneously sputtering at least one iridium target and at least one platinum target.

Abstract: A stimulation electrode is provided having an electrically conducting electrode base member which is partially covered with an electrically insulating ceramic layer. The ceramic layer is formed of an oxide and/or an oxynitride of at least one metal of the group of titanium, niobium. tantalum, zirconium, aluminum and silicon. Various methods are provided for production of the stimulation electrode, including methods in which the ceramic layer is formed in situ by a thermal, chemical or electrochemical oxidation or oxynitridation process. The stimulation electrode may be used as a cardiac pacemaker electrode, a neuro-stimulation electrode, or another human implant.

Abstract: A stimulation electrode is provided having an electrically conducting electrode base member which is partially covered with an electrically insulating ceramic layer. The ceramic layer is formed of an oxide and/or an oxynitride of at least one metal of the group of titanium, niobium. tantalum, zirconium, aluminum and silicon. Various methods are provided for production of the stimulation electrode, including methods in which the ceramic layer is formed in situ by a thermal, chemical or electrochemical oxidation or oxynitridation process. The stimulation electrode may be used as a cardiac pacemaker electrode, a neuro-stimulation electrode, or another human implant.

Abstract: An electrode for medical applications is provided with a PtIr coating which is at least partly porous. The coating contains more than 20% iridium by weight and at least 100 ppm Pt. The coated areas of the electrode exhibit an electrochemical capacitance of more than 5 mF/cm2 in physiological saline solution at 37° C. and a measurement frequency of 100 mHz. A sputter process is suitable for this purpose, in which a porous platinum-iridium layer is deposited on the electrode by simultaneously sputtering at least one iridium target and at least one platinum target.

Abstract: A magnetron sputtering source with a target having a surface to be sputtered, has a magnet arrangement for generating on the surface a magnetron magnetic field pattern, so as to generate on the surface to be sputtered an outer erosion profile along a substantially circular locus and an inner erosion profile within the outer erosion profile. The surface consists of a material with at least two elements of different weight and the magnet arrangement is adapted to form the inner erosion profile three-dimensionally cup-shaped.

Abstract: The present invention provides improved cathodes and industrialized methods for producing such cathodes using an industrial dosing valve-based electrode coating fluid emitting technique. The family of cathodes according to the present invention can be produced so that they inhabit a pre-existing metallic surface such as an inner surface of a titanium casing adjacent but insulated from direct electrical communication from an anode. Foil-type valve metal anodes as well as porous valve metal anodes formed from metallic powders may be used in conjunction with the cathodes of the present invention.

Abstract: A stimulation electrode is provided having an electrically conducting electrode base member which is partially covered with an electrically insulating ceramic layer. The ceramic layer is formed of an oxide and/or an oxynitride of at least one metal of the group of titanium, niobium. tantalum, zirconium, aluminum and silicon. Various methods are provided for production of the stimulation electrode, including methods in which the ceramic layer is formed in situ by a thermal, chemical or electrochemical oxidation or oxynitridation process. The stimulation electrode may be used as a cardiac pacemaker electrode, a neuro-stimulation electrode, or another human implant.

Abstract: An apparatus with a magnetron sputtering-coating chamber, source, target and substrate holder, includes a magnet arrangement for generating on a surface of the target, at least two tunnel-shaped magnetron magnetic fields in the form of closed loops that are substantially concentrically to, and spaced from each other. The surface consisting of a material with at least two elements of different weight. The distance between the substrate and target surface, the substrate radius, loci of erosion patterns in the surface and the radius and placement of the loops are all related to each other.

Abstract: A target of an alloy of metals having different specific weights is used in a method for producing substrates that are coated with a layer comprising the same two metals by magnetron sputtering of the target. When sputtering such a target material, the metals of the alloy will sputter off with different sputtering characteristics with regard to a static angle &agr; at which the sputtered off material leaves the target. For this reason, at the substrate to be sputter-coated, there occurs a demixing effect of these metals which will be deposited with a varying local ratio of the metals, that differs form the ratio of the metals in the alloy of the target. To counter-act this demixing phenomenon, the location of an electron trap formed by the magnetron field of the sputter source at the target with respect to the location of the substrate, is selected.

Abstract: A target of an alloy of metals having different specific weights is used in a method for producing substrates that are coated with a layer comprising the same two metals by magnetron sputtering of the target. When sputtering such a target material, the metals of the alloy will sputter off with different sputtering characteristics with regard to a static angle a at which the sputtered off material leaves the target. For this reason, at the substrate to be sputter-coated, there occurs a demixing effect of these metals which will be deposited with a varying local ratio of the metals, that differs form the ratio of the metals in the alloy of the target. To counter-act this demixing phenomenon, the location of an electron trap formed by the magnetron field of the sputter source at the target with respect to the location of the substrate, is selected.