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Terminal pins that include a refractory metal forming a full perimeter weld connected to a terminal block including a dissimilar metal incorporated into feedthrough filter capacitor assemblies are discussed. The feedthrough filter capacitor assemblies are particularly useful for incorporation into i

Terminal pins that include a refractory metal forming a full perimeter weld connected to a terminal block including a dissimilar metal incorporated into feedthrough filter capacitor assemblies are discussed. The feedthrough filter capacitor assemblies are particularly useful for incorporation into implantable medical devices such as cardiac pacemakers, cardioverter defibrillators, and the like, to decouple and shield internal electronic components of the medical device from undesirable electromagnetic interference (EMI) signals.

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1. A feedthrough assembly, which comprises: a) an insulator of electrically non-conductive material having a first height defined by an insulator sidewall having an outer insulator surface extending from a first insulator end to a second insulator end, wherein the insulator has at least one terminal

1. A feedthrough assembly, which comprises: a) an insulator of electrically non-conductive material having a first height defined by an insulator sidewall having an outer insulator surface extending from a first insulator end to a second insulator end, wherein the insulator has at least one terminal pin bore extending there through to the first and second insulator ends;b) a terminal pin comprising a first metal received in the terminal pin bore, the terminal pin having a terminal pin sidewall extending from a first terminal pin portion having a first terminal pin end to a second terminal, pin end, wherein the opposed first and second terminal pin ends are spaced from the respective first and second insulator ends;c) a ferrule of an electrically conductive material comprising a ferrule opening defined by a surrounding ferrule sidewall having an inner ferrule surface, wherein the insulator is supported in the ferrule opening;d) a terminal block of a second metal and comprising a terminal block sidewall extending to opposed first and second terminal block ends, the terminal block having at least one terminal block bore extending there through to the first and second terminal block ends, wherein the first terminal pin portion extends through the terminal block bore with the first terminal pin end spaced above the first end of the terminal block and the second end of the terminal block facing the insulator;e) a first braze material extending from a first metallization contacting the terminal pin bore to the first metal of the terminal pin thereby hermetically sealing the terminal pin to the insulator;f) a second braze material extending from a second metallization contacting the outer insulator surface to the inner ferrule surface to thereby hermetically seal the insulator to the ferrule; anda weld connecting the first portion of the terminal pin to the first end of the terminal block. 2. The feedthrough assembly of claim 1 wherein the first metal of the terminal pin comprises a refractory metal. 3. The feedthrough assembly of claim 1 wherein the first metal of the terminal pin is selected from the group consisting of niobium, molybdenum, tantalum, tungsten, rhenium, titanium, vanadium, zirconium, hafnium, osmium, iridium, and alloys thereof. 4. The feedthrough assembly of claim 1 wherein the second metal of the terminal block is selected from the group consisting of nickel, titanium, gold, silver, platinum, palladium, stainless steel, MP35N, and alloys thereof. 5. The feedthrough assembly of claim 1 wherein the weld is a laser weld formed between a full perimeter of the terminal pin and the terminal block. 6. The feedthrough assembly of claim 5 wherein the laser weld is characterized as having been formed by a laser at a welding energy of from about 1.0 joule (J) to about 5.0 joules (J). 7. The feedthrough assembly of claim 5 wherein the laser weld is characterized as having been formed by a laser at a welding pulse frequency of from about 10 hertz (Hz) to about 30 hertz (Hz). 8. The feedthrough assembly of claim 5 wherein the laser weld is characterized as having been formed by a laser at a welding pulse width of from about 1.0 milliseconds (msec) to about 5.0 milliseconds (msec). 9. The feedthrough assembly of claim 5 wherein the laser weld is characterized as having been formed by a laser beam focused about a center region of the first end of the terminal pin. 10. The feedthrough assembly of claim 1 wherein the weld comprises from about 65 to about 95 weight percent of the first metal of the terminal pin and from about 5 to about 35 weight percent of the second metal of the terminal block. 11. The feedthrough assembly of claim 1 wherein the weld is characterized by a boundary layer that delineates the first and second metals of the respective terminal pin and terminal block. 12. The feedthrough assembly of claim 1 further comprising a protective cap having a second height defined by a protective cap sidewall extending from a first protective cap end to a second protective cap end, wherein the protective cap is positioned between the second end of the terminal block and the first end of the insulator with the terminal pin residing in a protective cap throughbore extending to the first and second protective cap ends. 13. The feedthrough assembly of claim 12 wherein the protective cap is composed of a biocompatible polymeric material. 14. The feedthrough assembly of claim 12 wherein the terminal block is positioned in a slot formed within a surface at the first end of the protective cap. 15. The feedthrough assembly of claim 1 wherein the first end of the terminal pin resides from about 0.02 millimeters to about 0.2 millimeters above a top surface of the terminal block at the first terminal block end. 16. A feedthrough assembly, which comprises: a) an insulator of electrically non-conductive material having a first height defined by an insulator sidewall having an outer insulator surface extending from a first insulator end to a second insulator end, wherein the insulator has at least one terminal pin bore extending there through to the first and second insulator ends;b) a terminal pin comprising a first metal received in the terminal pin bore, the terminal pin having a terminal pin sidewall extending from a first terminal pin portion having a first terminal pin end to an second terminal pin end, wherein the opposed first and second terminal pin ends are spaced from the respective first and second insulator ends;c) a ferrule of an electrically conductive material comprising a ferrule opening defined by a surrounding ferrule sidewall having an inner ferrule surface, wherein the insulator is supported in the ferrule opening;d) a terminal block of a second metal and comprising a terminal block sidewall extending to opposed first and second terminal block ends, the terminal block having at least one terminal block bore extending there through to the first and second terminal block ends, wherein the first terminal pin portion resides in the terminal block bore with the first terminal pin end recessed below the first end of the terminal block and the second end of the terminal block facing the insulator;e) a first braze material extending from a first metallization contacting the terminal pin bore to the first metal of the terminal pin to thereby hermetically seal the terminal pin to the insulator;f) a second braze material extending from a second metallization contacting the outer insulator surface to the inner ferrule surface to thereby hermetically seal the insulator to the ferrule; andg) a weld connecting the first end of the terminal pin to the first end of the terminal block, wherein the weld is characterized as having been formed by a laser beam focused about a center region of the first end of the terminal pin. 17. The feedthrough assembly of claim 16 further comprising a protective cap having a second height defined by a protective cap sidewall extending from a first protective cap end to a second protective cap end, wherein the protective cap is positioned between the second end of the terminal block and the first end of the insulator with the terminal pin residing in a protective cap throughbore extending to the first and second protective cap ends, and wherein the terminal block is positioned in a slot formed within a surface at the first end of the protective cap. 18. A feedthrough assembly, which comprises: a) an insulator of electrically non-conductive material having a first height defined by an insulator sidewall having an outer insulator surface extending from a first insulator end to a second insulator end, wherein the insulator has at least one terminal pin bore extending there through to the first and second insulator ends;b) a terminal pin comprising niobium received in the terminal pin bore, the terminal pin having a terminal pin sidewall extending from a first terminal pin portion having a first terminal pin end to a second terminal pin end, wherein the opposed first and second terminal pin ends are spaced from the respective first and second insulator ends;c) a ferrule of an electrically conductive material comprising a ferrule opening defined by a surrounding ferrule sidewall having an inner ferrule surface, wherein the insulator is supported in the ferrule opening;d) a terminal block comprising nickel and having a terminal block sidewall extending to opposed first and second terminal block ends, the terminal block having at least one terminal block bore extending there through to the first and second terminal block ends, wherein the first terminal pin portion extends through the terminal block bore with the first terminal pin end spaced above the first end of the terminal block and the second end of the terminal block, facing the insulator;e) a first braze material extending from a first metallization contacting the terminal pin bore to the terminal pin thereby hermetically sealing the niobium terminal pin to the insulator;f) a second braze material extending from a second metallization contacting the outer insulator surface to the inner ferrule surface to thereby hermetically seal the insulator to the ferrule; andg) a weld connecting the first portion of the niobium terminal pin to the first end of the nickel terminal block. 19. The feedthrough assembly of claim 18 wherein the weld is a laser weld characterized as having been formed by a laser at least one of a welding energy of from about 1.0 joule (J) to about 5.0 joules (J), a welding pulse frequency of from about 10 hertz (Hz) to about 30 hertz (Hz), and a welding pulse width of from about 1.0 milliseconds (msec) to about 5.0 milliseconds (msec). 20. The feedthrough assembly of claim 18 wherein the weld is characterized as having been formed by a laser beam focused about a center region of the first end of the terminal pin. 21. The feedthrough assembly of claim 18 wherein the weld comprises from about 65 to about 95 weight percent of the niobium of the terminal pin and from about 5 to about 35 weight percent of the nickel of the terminal block. 22. The feedthrough assembly of claim 18 wherein the weld is characterized by a boundary layer that delineates the niobium and nickel of the respective terminal pin and terminal block. 23. The feedthrough assembly of claim 18 further comprising a protective cap having a second height defined by a protective cap sidewall extending from a first protective cap end to a second protective cap end, wherein the protective cap is positioned between the second end of the terminal block and the first end of the insulator with the terminal pin residing in a protective cap throughbore extending to the first and second protective cap ends. 24. The feedthrough assembly of claim 23 wherein the protective cap is composed of a biocompatible polymeric material. 25. The feedthrough assembly of claim 23 wherein the terminal block is positioned in a slot formed within a surface at the first end of the protective cap. 26. The feedthrough assembly of claim 18 wherein the first end of the terminal, pin resides from about 0.02 millimeters to about 0.2 millimeters above a top surface of the terminal block at the first terminal block end.