Patent ID: 7871662

Claim:
A method for producing a stimulation electrode comprising an electrically conducting electrode base member partially covered with an electrically insulating ceramic layer, wherein the ceramic layer ( 3 , 3 a , 3 b , 3 c , 3 d , 3 e , 3 f , 3 g ) is formed of an oxide and/or an oxynitride of at least one metal selected from the group consisting of titanium, niobium, tantalum, zirconium, aluminum, and silicon, and wherein the electrode base member ( 2 , 2 a , 2 b , 2 c , 2 d , 2 e , 2 f , 2 g ) is further at least partially coated with an electrically conducting layer ( 4 b , 4 c , 4 d , 4 e , 4 f , 4 g ) comprising at least one material selected from the group consisting of titanium nitride, niobium nitride, tantalum nitride, zirconium nitride, aluminum nitride, silicon nitride, vanadium nitride, iridium oxide, and an alloy of platinum and iridium, wherein the iridium portion of the alloy is ≧21 wt. % and the platinum portion of the alloy is about 100 ppm, wherein the ceramic layer ( 3 , 3 a , 3 b , 3 c , 3 d , 3 e , 3 f , 3 g ) is formed by depositing a metallic layer comprising at least one metal selected from the group consisting of titanium, niobium, tantalum, zirconium, aluminum, and silicon, and the deposited metallic layer is subsequently subjected to a thermal oxidation, electrochemical oxidation, chemical oxidation, or oxynitridation process.