Feedthrough

A feedthrough is a conductor used to carry a signal through an enclosure or printed circuit board. Like any conductor, it has a small amount of capacitance. A "feedthrough capacitor" has a guaranteed minimum value of shunt capacitance built in it and is used for bypass purposes in ultra-high-frequency applications. Feedthroughs can be divided into power and instrumentation categories. Power feedthroughs are used to carry either high current or high voltage. Instrumentation feedthroughs are used to carry electrical signals (including thermocouples) which are normally low current or voltage. Another special type is what is commonly known as RF-feedthrough, specifically designed to carry very high frequency RF or microwave electrical signals.