Patent ID: 7747321

Claim:
An implantable medical device for delivering a therapy, the device comprising: a hermetically-sealed housing enclosing an electronic component; a header coupled to the housing, the header adapted for receiving a terminal pin of a therapy lead; and a feedthrough coupled to the housing, the feedthrough comprising: a generally annular ferrule adapted to mate with an opening in the housing; an insulating material disposed within and coupled to the ferrule; and a coated conductor extending through the insulating material, the coated conductor including an inner core made substantially from tantalum, tantalum-tungsten alloy, niobium or niobium-zirconium alloy and an electrically conductive oxide-resistant coating made substantially of gold, platinum, iridium, palladium, rhodium, ruthenium, titanium or alloys thereof, the electrically conductive oxide-resistant coating being applied via cladding and having a thickness of at least 2.0 microns, wherein the coated conductor is configured to operatively couple the terminal pin of the therapy lead to the electronic component; and a layer of braze material coupling the coated conductor to the insulating material.