Multilayer electronic component

Abstract

The multilayer electronic component includes a laminate in which internal electrodes and dielectric layers are alternately laminated, a base electrode, and an external electrode. The internal electrodes include a first internal electrode and a second internal electrode. The base electrode includes a first base electrode and a second base electrode. The external electrode includes a first external electrode and a second external electrode. Each of the first base electrode and the second base electrode contains a plurality of sintered bodies made of dielectric particles. At least a part of the plurality of sintered bodies is located at the interface between each base electrode and the laminate.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a multilayer electronic component.

Background Art

[0002] A multilayer ceramic capacitor, which is an example of a multilayer electronic component, includes a laminate in which a plurality of internal electrodes and a plurality of dielectric layers are alternately laminated, and external electrodes located on the surface of the laminate. By forming the external electrodes with plating layers, the thickness of the external electrodes can be reduced, so that the multilayer ceramic capacitor can be miniaturized without reducing the capacitance.

[0003] When the external electrodes are formed of plating layers, a technique is known in which a base electrode serving as a base for the external electrodes is provided on the surface of the laminate in order to enhance the adhesion between the external electrodes and the laminate (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

[0005] The multilayer electronic component of the present disclosure includes a laminate, a plurality of base electrodes, and a plurality of external electrodes. The laminate has a plurality of internal electrodes and a plurality of dielectric layers that are alternately laminated, and has a first surface and a second surface that face each other in the lamination direction. The plurality of base electrodes include a first base electrode located on the first surface. Each of the plurality of external electrodes is connected to any one of the plurality of internal electrodes and any one of the plurality of base electrodes. When a cross section along the lamination direction is viewed, the first base electrode includes a plurality of sintered bodies made of dielectric particles, and at least a part of the plurality of sintered bodies is located at the interface between the first base electrode and the laminate.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0006]

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Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0007] Hereinafter, embodiments of the multilayer electronic component of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. Hereinafter, a multilayer ceramic capacitor, which is an example of the multilayer electronic component, will be described. However, the multilayer electronic component of the present disclosure is not limited to the multilayer ceramic capacitor, and can be applied to various multilayer electronic components such as multilayer piezoelectric elements, multilayer thermistor elements, multilayer chip coils, and ceramic multilayer substrates. The drawings used in the following description are schematic, and the dimensional ratios on the drawings do not necessarily match the actual ones. In this specification, in some drawings, for convenience, a rectangular coordinate system xyz is defined. The x-axis direction is also referred to as the length direction. The y-axis direction is also referred to as the width direction. The z-axis direction is also referred to as the height direction or the stacking direction. Hereinafter, with the positive side of the z-axis direction being the upper side, terms such as the upper side and the lower side may be used.

[0008] Regarding the embodiments described relatively later, the description will focus on the differences from the embodiments described relatively earlier. Regarding matters not particularly mentioned, the description of the embodiments described earlier may be incorporated or analogized from the description of the embodiments described earlier. Also, the description of any embodiment may be applied to other embodiments as long as there are no contradictions.

[0009] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a multilayer ceramic capacitor according to the first embodiment, FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the body component of the multilayer ceramic capacitor of FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along the cutting plane line III-III of FIG. 1. FIG. 4 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing an enlarged main part of the multilayer ceramic capacitor of FIG. 3, FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining the configuration of the interface between the base electrode and the laminate, and FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining the distribution of the agglomerated sintered body in the base electrode. FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing a multilayer ceramic capacitor according to the second embodiment, FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing the body component of the multilayer ceramic capacitor of FIG. 7, and FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view taken along the cutting plane line IX-IX of FIG. 7. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of an electron micrograph of the cross section of the base electrode, FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of an elemental mapping image showing the distribution of Ba element in the cross section of the base electrode, and FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an example of a binarized elemental mapping image obtained by binarizing the elemental mapping image of FIG. 11. In FIGS. 2 and 8, for ease of illustration, hatching is applied to the base electrode and the ends of the internal electrodes exposed on the surface of the laminate. FIGS. 4 to 6 are diagrams for explaining the multilayer ceramic capacitor according to the first embodiment, but are also diagrams for explaining the multilayer ceramic capacitor according to the second embodiment. In FIG. 5, for ease of illustration, the agglomerated sintered bodies not located at the interface between the base electrode and the laminate when looking at the cross section of the base electrode are omitted from the illustration.

[0010] As shown in FIG. 1, the multilayer ceramic capacitor 10 according to the first embodiment includes a body component 1 and a plurality of external electrodes 4. As shown in FIG. 2, the body component 1 includes a laminate 2 and a plurality of base electrodes 3. The multilayer ceramic capacitor 10 may be a thin multilayer ceramic capacitor. For example, the dimension T in the height direction (z-axis direction) of the multilayer ceramic capacitor 10 may be smaller than the dimension L in the length direction (x-axis direction) and the dimension W in the width direction (y-axis direction).

[0011] The laminate 2 is formed by alternately laminating a plurality of internal electrodes 5 and a plurality of dielectric layers 6. As shown in FIG. 2, the laminate 2 may be substantially rectangular parallelepiped. The laminate 2 has a first surface 7a and a second surface 7b that face each other in the lamination direction (z-axis direction) of the plurality of internal electrodes 5 and the plurality of dielectric layers 6. The laminate 2 has a first end face 8a and a second end face 8b that face each other in the length direction (x-axis direction) orthogonal to the lamination direction, and a first side face 9a and a second side face 9b that face each other in the width direction (y-axis direction) orthogonal to the lamination direction and the length direction. Hereinafter, the first surface 7a and the second surface 7b may be collectively referred to as the main surfaces 7a, 7b, the first end face 8a and the second end face 8b may be collectively referred to as the end faces 8a, 8b, and the first side face 9a and the second side face 9b may be collectively referred to as the side faces 9a, 9b. The main surfaces 7a, 7b may be perpendicular to the lamination direction. The end faces 8a, 8b may be perpendicular to the length direction. The side faces 9a, 9b may be perpendicular to the width direction.

[0012] The dielectric layer 6 is made of a ceramic material mainly composed of, for example, BaTiO3 (barium titanate), CaTiO3 (calcium titanate), SrTiO3 (strontium titanate), BaZrO3 (barium zirconate), CaZrO3 (calcium zirconate), etc. The ceramic material may contain a glass component. The glass component may be, for example, a SiO2 (silicon oxide)-BaO (barium oxide)-CaO (calcium oxide)-based glass component. The dielectric layer 6 may have a thickness of, for example, about 0.1 to 1 μm.

[0013] As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the plurality of internal electrodes 5 include a plurality of first internal electrodes 5a and a plurality of second internal electrodes 5b. The end of the first internal electrode 5a is exposed on the first end face 8a. The end of the second internal electrode 5b is exposed on the second end face 8b. The first internal electrode 5a and the second internal electrode 5b have different polarities. In other words, when the first internal electrode 5a has a first polarity, the second internal electrode 5b has a second polarity different from the first polarity.

[0014] The internal electrode 5 is made of a conductive material mainly composed of, for example, Ni (nickel), Cu (copper), Sn (tin), etc. The conductive material may contain, for example, ceramic materials such as BaTiO3, CaTiO3, SrTiO3, BaZrO3, CaZrO3, etc. The internal electrode 5 may have a thickness of about 0.1 to 1 μm, for example.

[0015] As shown in FIG. 3, the laminate 2 may be configured to include a capacitance forming portion 2a and cover portions 2b and 2c. The capacitance forming portion 2a is formed by alternately laminating a plurality of internal electrodes 5 and a plurality of dielectric layers 6 to form capacitance. The cover portions 2b and 2c are respectively located at both ends of the capacitance forming portion 2a in the lamination direction. The cover portions 2b and 2c may be composed of one or more dielectric layers and do not necessarily form capacitance.

[0016] Although not shown, the cover portions 2b and 2c may have a configuration including two or more dielectric layers and one or more (less than the number of dielectric layers) dummy layers located therebetween. Each dummy layer may include a plurality of dummy electrodes. The plurality of dummy electrodes of each dummy layer may overlap the plurality of base electrodes 3 in a plan view. In other words, the plurality of dummy electrodes may be the same number as the plurality of base electrodes 3 or a different number. The plurality of dummy electrodes may be located at substantially the same position as the plurality of base electrodes 3 or at different positions. Also, the plurality of dummy electrodes may be provided in substantially the same shape (including dimensions) as the plurality of base electrodes 3 or in different shapes (including dimensions). The plurality of dummy electrodes may be exposed to the outside from any of the end faces 8a and 8b and side faces 9a and 9b of the laminate 2. The plurality of external electrodes 4 may be connected to the exposed portions. The plurality of dummy electrodes do not necessarily form capacitance. The material (components) and microstructure of the plurality of dummy electrodes may be the same as those of the base electrode 3, the same as those of the internal electrode 5, or different from both. For the sake of convenience, there may be an expression as if the cover portions 2b and 2c are composed only of dielectric layers, ignoring the presence or absence of dummy layers.

[0017] The cover portions 2b, 2c (their dielectric layers) are made of a ceramic material mainly composed of, for example, BaTiO3, CaTiO3, SrTiO3, BaZrO3, CaZrO3, etc. The ceramic material may contain a glass component. The glass component may be, for example, a SiO2-BaO-CaO based glass component. The cover portions 2b, 2c may be made of the same ceramic material as the ceramic material constituting the dielectric layer 6.

[0018] The plurality of base electrodes 3 include a first base electrode 3a and a second base electrode 3b. The first base electrode 3a is located near the first end face 8a on the first surface 7a. The second base electrode 3b is located near the second end face 8b on the first surface 7a. The plurality of base electrodes 3 are not located on the end faces 8a, 8b. In other words, the plurality of base electrodes 3 are not directly joined to the plurality of internal electrodes 5. The plurality of base electrodes 3 may be electrically connected to the plurality of internal electrodes 5.

[0019] As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the first base electrode 3a and the second base electrode 3b are separated from each other. The first base electrode 3a and the second base electrode 3b may be substantially rectangular. The dimension in the length direction (x-axis direction) of the first base electrode 3a may be about 10 to 30% of the dimension in the length direction of the laminate 2. The same applies to the second base electrode 3b. The edge of the first base electrode 3a on the first end face 8a side may substantially coincide with the edge of the first surface 7a on the first end face 8a side in plan view. The edge of the second base electrode 3b on the second end face 8b side may substantially coincide with the edge of the first surface 7a on the second end face 8b side in plan view.

[0020] The underlying electrode 3 is made of a conductive material mainly composed of, for example, Ni, Cu, Sn, etc. The conductive material may include, for example, ceramic materials such as BaTiO3, CaTiO3, SrTiO3, BaZrO3, CaZrO3, etc. In this case, it becomes easy to enhance the adhesion between the underlying electrode 3 and the laminate 2. The ceramic material may include Si (silicon), Mg (magnesium), Mn (manganese), etc. as a sintering aid. The underlying electrode 3 may be thicker than one internal electrode 5. The underlying electrode 3 may have a thickness of, for example, about 1 to 5 μm.

[0021] The underlying electrode 3 may include a third underlying electrode 3c and a fourth underlying electrode 3d. The third underlying electrode 3c is located closer to the first end face 8a on the second face 7b. The fourth underlying electrode 3d is located closer to the second end face 8b on the second face 7b. The third underlying electrode 3c may have the same configuration as the first underlying electrode 3a except that it is located on the second face 7b. The fourth underlying electrode 3d may have the same configuration as the second underlying electrode 3b except that it is located on the second face 7b.

[0022] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the plurality of external electrodes 4 include a first external electrode 4a and a second external electrode 4b.

[0023] The first external electrode 4a is located from the first end face 8a over at least the first face 7a and is connected to the plurality of first internal electrodes 5a and the first underlying electrode 3a. The first external electrode 4a may cover the first underlying electrode 3a.

[0024] The first external electrode 4a may be located from the first end face 8a over the first face 7a and the second face 7b and is connected to the plurality of first internal electrodes 5a, the first underlying electrode 3a, and the third underlying electrode 3c. The first external electrode 4a may cover the first underlying electrode 3a and the third underlying electrode 3c. The first external electrode 4a may be located from the first end face 8a over the first face 7a, the second face 7b, the first side face 9a, and the second side face 9b.

[0025] The second external electrode 4b is located from the second end face 8b over at least the first face 7a and is connected to a plurality of second internal electrodes 5b and the second base electrode 3b. The second external electrode 4b may cover the second base electrode 3b.

[0026] The second external electrode 4b may be located from the second end face 8b over the first face 7a and the second face 7b and may be connected to a plurality of second internal electrodes 5b, the second base electrode 3b, and the fourth base electrode 3d. The second external electrode 4b may cover the second base electrode 3b and the fourth base electrode 3d. The second external electrode 4b may be located from the second end face 8b over the first face 7a, the second face 7b, the first side face 9a, and the second side face 9b.

[0027] The external electrode 4 may be a plating layer. In this case, the thickness of the external electrode 4 can be reduced. As a result, the multilayer ceramic capacitor 10 can be miniaturized without reducing the capacitance of the multilayer ceramic capacitor 10. The thickness of the external electrode 4 may be, for example, about 5 to 20 μm. The external electrode 4 can be formed using a plating method such as electroless plating or electrolytic plating. The external electrode 4 may be composed of a conductive material mainly containing Cu, Ni, Sn, or the like.

[0028] As shown in FIG. 3, the external electrode 4 may be composed of a single plating layer. The external electrode 4 may also be composed of a plurality of plating layers. For example, the external electrode 4 may be composed of a first plating layer connected to the base electrode 3 and the internal electrode 5 and a second plating layer covering the first plating layer, or may be composed of a first plating layer connected to the base electrode 3 and the internal electrode 5, a second plating layer covering the first plating layer, and a third plating layer covering the second plating layer. There may also be a plating layer covering the third plating layer.

[0029] In the multilayer ceramic capacitor 10 of the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4, the base electrode 3 includes a plurality of agglomerated sintered bodies A made of dielectric particles. The agglomerated sintered body A is formed by sintering of dielectric particles in the conductive metal while being agglomerated during the sintering process. The agglomerated sintered body A may be a sintered body in which dielectric particles in the conductive metal are agglomerated and become a continuous body during the sintering process. Further, the agglomerated sintered body A may be a sintered body in which dielectric particles are agglomerated and sintered while partially remaining in the form of primary particles. The agglomerated sintered body A is an example of the sintered body included in the base electrode 3. Different from the description of the embodiment, the sintered body included in the base electrode 3 may not be the agglomerated sintered body A, and it may not be possible to determine whether or not it is the agglomerated sintered body A. The dielectric particles may be ceramic particles made of a ceramic material constituting a part of the base electrode 3.

[0030] At least a part of the plurality of agglomerated sintered bodies A (hereinafter, also referred to as an interfacial agglomerated sintered body) is located at the interface B between the base electrode 3 and the laminate 2 as shown in FIG. 4. The interfacial agglomerated sintered body is agglomerated including a plurality of sites P at the interface B between the base electrode 3 and the laminate 2. A part of the interfacial agglomerated sintered body is located at the site P and is crosslinked with the laminate 2, that is, the ceramic sintered body constituting the laminate 2. In FIG. 4, although the agglomerated sintered body A not located at the interface B is shown, a part of such an agglomerated sintered body A (interfacial agglomerated sintered body) forms a network while a part of it is located at the interface B.

[0031] The size etc. of the network formed by three-dimensionally connecting at least a part of the plurality of agglomerated sintered bodies A in a cross section as shown in FIG. 4 is arbitrary. For example, one network may extend over the entire base electrode 3, or a plurality of networks may be dispersed in the base electrode 3. In at least one of the one or more networks, the maximum length in the z-axis direction may be 50% or more, 80% or more, or 100% with respect to the thickness of the base electrode 3. And / or, in the above one network, the maximum length in the x-axis direction may be 10% or more, 30% or more, 50% or more, 80% or more, or 100% with respect to the length of the base electrode 3 in the x-axis direction (the same applies to the y-axis direction).

[0032] The ceramic particles in the base electrode 3 before firing are uniformly dispersed in the conductive metal. However, during the firing process, first, sintering accompanied by the melting of the conductive metal proceeds. Therefore, among the fluctuations in the distribution of the melting center, they are pushed and uneven distribution progresses. When it approaches the firing temperature of the active layer, sintering starts in the dielectric ceramic of the active layer containing the sintering aid and it becomes an integral ceramic body. However, the dielectric ceramic particles of the base electrode 3 that contain almost no sintering aid or only a trace amount thereof do not undergo sintering like the active layer. Sintering starts from the contact points between the partially sintered and aggregated particles, but the aggregated particles cannot completely become a sintered body and the form of the primary particles (raw material powder) of the dielectric ceramic particles remains after firing. In other words, when a certain amount of sintering aid for the dielectric ceramic particles is contained in the base electrode 3, sintering proceeds and the form of the primary particles (raw material powder) of the dielectric ceramic particles does not remain. Therefore, the strong bonding effect between the base electrode 3 and the ceramic laminate through the agglomerated sintered body A of the present disclosure cannot be obtained. For example, the ratio of the amount of sintering aid to the amount of dielectric ceramic in the base electrode 3 may be zero or 1 / 10 or less of the blending ratio of the active layer, or may be 1 / 5 or less.

[0033] Also, by reducing the particle diameter of the dielectric ceramic particles of the base electrode 3, the surface energy of the particles can be increased so that sintering occurs between the particle surfaces. For example, the particle diameter of the dielectric ceramic particles contained in the base electrode 3 may be smaller than the particle diameter of the ceramic particles of the active layer. For example, the particle diameter of the dielectric ceramic particles contained in the base electrode 3 may be 1 / 3 or less of the particle diameter of the ceramic particles of the active layer.

[0034] Since the laminated ceramic capacitor 10 has the base electrode 3 and the laminate 2 crosslinked through a plurality of sites P (interface agglomerated sintered body), the adhesion between the base electrode 3 and the laminate 2 can be improved. As a result, peeling is less likely to occur between the base electrode 3 and the laminate 2, and a decrease in the reliability and electrical characteristics of the laminated ceramic capacitor 10 can be reduced.

[0035] The multilayer ceramic capacitor 10 may be configured such that when viewed in a cross section along the stacking direction, a plurality of portions P occupy 15% or more of the length of the interface B. In other words, as shown in FIG. 5, when the length of the interface B is XB and the lengths of a plurality (for example, n) of portions P are X1, X2, …, Xn, the ratio of the sum of the lengths of the plurality of portions P to the length XB of the interface B (hereinafter, also referred to as “length ratio R P ”) may be 15% or more. That is, the plurality of portions P may satisfy the inequality X1 + X2 + … + Xn ≥ 0.15 × XB. In this case, the ratio of the area of the plurality of portions P to the area of the interface B can be increased, and the adhesion between the base electrode 3 and the stacked body 2 can be further improved. As a result, peeling between the base electrode 3 and the stacked body 2 is less likely to occur, and a decrease in the reliability and electrical characteristics of the multilayer ceramic capacitor 10 can be further reduced. Note that FIG. 5 shows an example in which the cross section along the stacking direction is a zx cross section along the stacking direction and the length direction, but is not limited thereto. The cross section along the stacking direction may be a yz cross section along the stacking direction and the width direction, or other cross sections.

[0036] The multilayer ceramic capacitor 10 may be configured such that when viewed in a cross section along the stacking direction, a plurality of agglomerated sintered bodies A occupy 21% or more and 44% or less of the cross-sectional area of the base electrode 3. When the ratio of the area of the plurality of agglomerated sintered bodies A to the cross-sectional area of the base electrode 3 (hereinafter, also referred to as “area ratio R A ”) is 21% or more, peeling between the base electrode 3 and the stacked body 2 is likely to be reduced. Also, when the area ratio R A is 44% or less, it is easy to improve the conductivity of the base electrode 3, and as a result, it is easy to form the external electrode 4 which is a plating layer. As a result, a decrease in the reliability and electrical characteristics of the thin multilayer ceramic capacitor 10 can be reduced.

[0037] The area ratio R A can be measured by performing quantitative analysis of the cross section of the base electrode 3 by wavelength dispersive X-ray analysis (WDX). The area ratio R AIt may be the area ratio measured by analyzing the entire area of the cross-section of the base electrode 3, or may be the average value of a plurality of area ratios measured by analyzing a plurality of partial areas of the cross-section of the base electrode 3. The plurality of partial areas may be, for example, 5 or more partial areas.

[0038] Area ratio R A Regarding the direction orthogonal to the cross-section of the base electrode 3, it may be the value in one cross-section at a specific position (for example, a representative position such as the central position) of the base electrode 3, or may be the average value in a plurality (for example, 3 or more or 5 or more) of cross-sections obtained by equally dividing the base electrode 3. Regarding the latter, when it is difficult to equally divide one base electrode 3, measurements may be performed on a plurality of cross-sections corresponding to the plurality of cross-sections obtained by the above equal division in a plurality of multilayer ceramic capacitors 10 having the same configuration, and the average value may be obtained. It should be noted that the fact that such a cross-section of a specific position may be referred to or a plurality of cross-sections may be referred to and the average value may be obtained is the same for other properties or index values.

[0039] As shown in FIG. 4, the interfacial agglomerated sintered body may be protrusion-shaped extending from the portion P when looking at the cross-section along the stacking direction of the base electrode 3. In this case, by setting the length ratio R P to 15% or more, it becomes easier to set the area ratio R A to 21% or more and 44% or less. Note that the protrusion shape means a shape in which the lower side (portion P side) close to the laminate 2 is wide and the upper side (outer electrode 4 side) separated from the laminate 2 is narrow. When looking at the cross-section along the stacking direction, the interfacial agglomerated sintered body may have a shape in which the width in the direction along the interface B gradually narrows in the direction away from the laminate 2, such as a substantially triangular shape with the portion P as one side. By having a substantially triangular shape, the base electrode 3 is firmly fixed to the surface of the ceramic body. When looking at the cross-section along the stacking direction, the interfacial agglomerated sintered body may have an irregular shape such as a jagged shape or a saw blade shape for the periphery excluding the portion P. The height of the interfacial agglomerated sintered body from the interface B may be, for example, 2 μm or less.

[0040] The underlying electrode 3 may not substantially contain a glass component. Not substantially containing a glass component means intentionally not including a glass component. Although details will be described later, the manufacturing method of the multilayer ceramic capacitor 10 includes a step of firing a precursor body of the element body 1 that becomes the element body 1. The precursor body of the element body 1 includes a precursor body of the laminate 2 that becomes the laminate 2 and a precursor body of the underlying electrode 3 that becomes the underlying electrode 3. The precursor body of the laminate 2 is composed of a conductive paste and a ceramic green sheet. The precursor body of the underlying electrode 3 is composed of a conductive paste, and the conductive paste contains a ceramic material that becomes the agglomerated sintered body A. By not including a glass component in the precursor body of the underlying electrode 3, an underlying electrode 3 that does not substantially contain a glass component can be formed. The ceramic material that becomes the agglomerated sintered body A may be the same material with a smaller particle size than the main component constituting the element body 1. When the ceramic material that becomes the agglomerated sintered body A is the same material with a smaller particle size than the main component constituting the element body, even if the precursor body of the underlying electrode 3 does not contain a glass component, when firing the precursor body of the element body 1, the ceramic material contained in the precursor body of the underlying electrode 3 is likely to agglomerate and sinter in a solid state, so that an agglomerated sintered body A having an amorphous shape is likely to be formed.

[0041] The ceramic green sheet constituting the precursor body of the laminate 2 may contain a glass component. In this case, when firing the precursor body of the element body 1, a part of the glass component contained in the ceramic green sheet flows into the precursor body of the underlying electrode 3, and the aggregation of the ceramic material in the vicinity of the interface between the precursor body of the underlying electrode 3 and the precursor body of the laminate 2 is promoted. Therefore, an agglomerated sintered body A having a wide lower side close to the laminate 2 and a narrow upper side separated from the laminate 2 in a protruding shape is likely to be formed. If the precursor body of the underlying electrode 3 is intentionally made not to contain a glass component, the aggregation and sintering of the ceramic material are reduced at locations other than the vicinity of the interface with the precursor body of the laminate 2, so that the above-mentioned substantially triangular protrusion is more likely to be formed.

[0042] As shown in FIG. 6, when the cross-section of the multilayer ceramic capacitor 10 along the stacking direction of the base electrode 3 is divided in the stacking direction into a first region 131 close to the stacked body 2 and a second region 132 separated from the stacked body 2, a plurality of aggregated sintered bodies A (the plurality of aggregated sintered bodies A appearing in the cross-section) may be present in the second region 132 more than in the first region 131. In this case, the length ratio R P is set to 15% or more, and it becomes easy to set the overall average area ratio R A to 21% or more and 44% or less. The first region 131 and the second region 132 may be regions obtained by equally dividing the base electrode 3 in the stacking direction. The aggregated sintered body A straddling the first region 131 and the second region 132 may be present in a region where more than 50% of the area is located. Regarding the number of the aggregated sintered bodies A, when the second region 132 has more than the first region 131, regarding the total area of the aggregated sintered bodies A, the first region 131 may be larger than the second region 132, or the second region 132 may be larger than the first region 131.

[0043] Next, the multilayer ceramic capacitor according to the second embodiment of the present disclosure will be described. The multilayer ceramic capacitor 10A of the present embodiment includes a body component 11 and a plurality of external electrodes 14, as shown in FIG. 7. The body component 11 includes a stacked body 12 and a plurality of base electrodes 13, as shown in FIG. 8. The multilayer ceramic capacitor 10A may be a thin multilayer ceramic capacitor. For example, the dimension T in the height direction (z-axis direction) of the multilayer ceramic capacitor 10A may be smaller than the dimension L in the length direction (x-axis direction) and the dimension W in the width direction (y-axis direction).

[0044] The laminate 12 is formed by alternately laminating a plurality of internal electrodes 15 and a plurality of dielectric layers 16. As shown in FIG. 8, the laminate 12 may be substantially rectangular parallelepiped. The laminate 12 has a first surface 17a and a second surface 17b that face each other in the lamination direction (z-axis direction) of the plurality of internal electrodes 15 and the plurality of dielectric layers 16. The laminate 12 has a first side surface 18a and a second side surface 18b that face each other in the length direction (x-axis direction) orthogonal to the lamination direction, and a third side surface 18c and a fourth side surface 18d that face each other in the width direction (y-axis direction) orthogonal to the lamination direction and the length direction. Hereinafter, the first surface 17a and the second surface 17b may be collectively referred to as the main surfaces 17a, 17b, and the first side surface 18a, the second side surface 18b, the third side surface 18c, and the fourth side surface 18d may be collectively referred to as the side surfaces 18a to 18d. The main surfaces 17a, 17b may be perpendicular to the lamination direction. The first side surface 18a and the second side surface 18b may be perpendicular to the length direction. The third side surface 18c and the fourth side surface 18d may be perpendicular to the width direction.

[0045] As shown in FIG. 8, the laminate 12 has a first corner 19a extending from the first side surface 18a to the third side surface 18c, a second corner 19b extending from the second side surface 18b to the fourth side surface 18d, a third corner 19c extending from the first side surface 18a to the fourth side surface 18d, and a fourth corner 19d extending from the second side surface 18b to the third side surface 18c. Hereinafter, the first corner 19a, the second corner 19b, the third corner 19c, and the fourth corner 19d may be collectively referred to as the corners 19a to 19d.

[0046] The dielectric layer 16 is made of a ceramic material mainly composed of, for example, BaTiO3, CaTiO3, SrTiO3, BaZrO3, CaZrO3, etc. The ceramic material may contain a glass component. The glass component may be, for example, a SiO2-BaO-CaO-based glass component. The dielectric layer 16 may have a thickness of, for example, about 0.1 to 1 μm.

[0047] As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the plurality of internal electrodes 15 include a plurality of first internal electrodes 15a and a plurality of second internal electrodes 15b. The end portions of the first internal electrodes 15a are exposed at the first corner portions 19a and the second corner portions 19b. The end portions of the second internal electrodes 15b are exposed at the third corner portions 19c and the fourth corner portions 19d. The first internal electrodes 15a and the second internal electrodes 15b have different polarities. In other words, when the first internal electrodes 15a have a first polarity, the second internal electrodes 15b have a second polarity different from the first polarity.

[0048] The internal electrodes 15 are made of a metal material mainly composed of, for example, Ni, Cu, Sn, etc. The internal electrodes 15 may contain a ceramic material such as BaTiO3, CaTiO3, SrTiO3, BaZrO3, CaZrO3, etc. The internal electrodes 15 may have a thickness of about 0.1 to 1 μm, for example.

[0049] As shown in FIG. 9, the laminate 12 may be configured to include a capacitance forming portion 12a and cover portions 12b and 12c. The capacitance forming portion 12a is formed by alternately laminating a plurality of internal electrodes 15 and a plurality of dielectric layers 16 to form a capacitance. The cover portions 12b and 12c are respectively located at both ends of the capacitance forming portion 12a in the lamination direction. The cover portions 12b and 12c are made of one or more dielectric layers and do not necessarily form a capacitance.

[0050] The cover portions 12b and 12c (their dielectric layers) are made of a ceramic material mainly composed of, for example, BaTiO3, CaTiO3, SrTiO3, BaZrO3, CaZrO3, etc. The ceramic material may contain a glass component. The glass component may be, for example, a SiO2 - BaO - CaO - based glass component. The cover portions 12b and 12c may be made of the same ceramic material as the ceramic material constituting the dielectric layer 16.

[0051] The plurality of base electrodes 13 include a first base electrode 13a, a second base electrode 13b, a third base electrode 13c, and a fourth base electrode 13d.

[0052] The first underlying electrode 13a is located near the first corner 19a on the first surface 17a. In plan view, the first underlying electrode 13a may be substantially rectangular. In plan view, the corner near the first corner 19a of the first underlying electrode 13a may overlap with the first corner 19a.

[0053] The second underlying electrode 13b is located near the second corner 19b on the first surface 17a. In plan view, the second underlying electrode 13b may be substantially rectangular. In plan view, the corner near the second corner 19b of the second underlying electrode 13b may overlap with the second corner 19b.

[0054] The third underlying electrode 13c is located near the third corner 19c on the first surface 17a. In plan view, the third underlying electrode 13c may be substantially rectangular. In plan view, the corner near the third corner 19c of the third underlying electrode 13c may overlap with the third corner 19c.

[0055] The fourth underlying electrode 13d is located near the fourth corner 19d on the first surface 17a. In plan view, the fourth underlying electrode 13d may be substantially rectangular. In plan view, the corner near the fourth corner 19d of the fourth underlying electrode 13d may overlap with the fourth corner 19d.

[0056] The shape of the first underlying electrode 13a is not limited to being substantially rectangular, and may be substantially fan-shaped (substantially a quarter circle) or substantially a right triangle. In plan view, the center of the substantially fan-shaped (substantially a quarter circle) first underlying electrode 13a may overlap with the first corner 19a, or the right vertex of the substantially right triangle may overlap with the first corner 19a. The same applies to the second underlying electrode 13b, the third underlying electrode 13c, and the fourth underlying electrode 13d.

[0057] The underlying electrode 13 is made of a conductive material mainly composed of, for example, Ni, Cu, Sn, etc. The conductive material may contain ceramic materials such as BaTiO3, CaTiO3, SrTiO3, BaZrO3, CaZrO3, etc. In this case, it becomes easy to enhance the adhesion between the underlying electrode 13 and the laminate 12. The ceramic material may contain Si, Mg, Mn, etc. The underlying electrode 13 may be thicker than one internal electrode 15. The underlying electrode 13 may have a thickness of, for example, about 1 to 5 μm.

[0058] The underlying electrode 13 may include a fifth underlying electrode 13e, a sixth underlying electrode 13f, a seventh underlying electrode 13g, and an eighth underlying electrode 13h. The fifth underlying electrode 13e is located near the first corner portion 19a on the second surface 7b. The sixth underlying electrode 13f is located near the second corner portion 19b on the second surface 7b. The seventh underlying electrode 13g is located near the third corner portion 19c on the second surface 7b. The eighth underlying electrode 13h is located near the fourth corner portion 19d on the second surface 7b. The fifth underlying electrode 13e and the sixth underlying electrode 13f may each have the same configuration as the first underlying electrode 13a and the second underlying electrode 13b, except that they are located on the second surface 7b. The seventh underlying electrode 13g and the eighth underlying electrode 13h may each have the same configuration as the third underlying electrode 13c and the fourth underlying electrode 13d, except that they are located on the second surface 7b. The plurality of underlying electrodes 13 are not located on the side surfaces 18a to 18d. In other words, the plurality of underlying electrodes 13 are not directly joined to the plurality of internal electrodes 15. The plurality of underlying electrodes 13 may be electrically connected to the plurality of internal electrodes 15.

[0059] The plurality of external electrodes 14 include a first external electrode 14a, a second external electrode 14b, a third external electrode 14c, and a fourth external electrode 14d.

[0060] The first external electrode 14a is located from the first corner portion 19a over at least the first surface 17a and is connected to a plurality of first internal electrodes 15a and the first base electrode 13a. The first external electrode 14a may be located from the first corner portion 19a over the first surface 17a and the second surface 17b and is connected to a plurality of first internal electrodes 15a, the first base electrode 13a, and the fifth base electrode 13e.

[0061] The second external electrode 14b is located from the second corner portion 19b over at least the first surface 17a and is connected to a plurality of first internal electrodes 15a and the second base electrode 13b. The second external electrode 14b may be located from the second corner portion 19b over the first surface 17a and the second surface 17b and is connected to a plurality of first internal electrodes 15a, the second base electrode 13b, and the sixth base electrode 13f.

[0062] The third external electrode 14c is located from the third corner portion 19c over at least the first surface 17a and is connected to a plurality of second internal electrodes 15b and the third base electrode 13c. The third external electrode 14c may be located from the third corner portion 19c over the first surface 17a and the second surface 17b and is connected to a plurality of second internal electrodes 15b, the third base electrode 13c, and the seventh base electrode 13g.

[0063] The fourth external electrode 14d is located from the fourth corner portion 19d over at least the first surface 17a and is connected to a plurality of second internal electrodes 15b and the fourth base electrode 13d. The fourth external electrode 14d may be located from the fourth corner portion 19d over the first surface 17a and the second surface 17b and is connected to a plurality of second internal electrodes 15b, the fourth base electrode 13d, and the eighth base electrode 13h.

[0064] The external electrode 14 may be a plating layer. In this case, the thickness of the external electrode 14 can be reduced. As a result, the multilayer ceramic capacitor 10A can be miniaturized without reducing the capacitance of the multilayer ceramic capacitor 10A. The thickness of the external electrode 14 may be, for example, about 5 to 20 μm. The external electrode 14 can be formed using a plating method such as electroless plating or electrolytic plating. The external electrode 14 may be composed of a metal material mainly containing Cu, Ni, Sn, etc.

[0065] As shown in FIG. 9, the external electrode 14 may be composed of a single plating layer. The external electrode 14 may also be composed of a plurality of plating layers. For example, the external electrode 14 may be composed of a first plating layer connected to the base electrode 13 and the internal electrode 15 and a second plating layer covering the first plating layer, or may be composed of a first plating layer connected to the base electrode 13 and the internal electrode 15, a second plating layer covering the first plating layer, and a third plating layer covering the second plating layer.

[0066] In the multilayer ceramic capacitor 10A of the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4, the base electrode 13 contains a plurality of agglomerated sintered bodies A. The agglomerated sintered body A is formed by agglomeration of dielectric particles. The dielectric particles may be ceramic particles made of a ceramic material that constitutes a part of the base electrode 13.

[0067] At least a part of the plurality of agglomerated sintered bodies A (hereinafter also referred to as interfacial agglomerated sintered bodies) is located at the interface B between the base electrode 13 and the laminate 12 as shown in FIG. 4. The interfacial agglomerated sintered body is agglomerated including a plurality of sites P at the interface B between the base electrode 13 and the laminate 12. A part of the interfacial agglomerated sintered body is located at the site P and is cross-linked with the laminate 12, that is, an agglomerated sintered body of ceramic particles constituting the laminate 12. In FIG. 4, an agglomerated sintered body A not located at the interface B is shown, but a part of such an agglomerated sintered body A (interfacial agglomerated sintered body) forms a network while a part of it is located at the interface B.

[0068] In the multilayer ceramic capacitor 10A, since the base electrode 13 and the laminate 12 are cross-linked via a plurality of sites P (interface agglomerated sintered bodies), the adhesion between the base electrode 13 and the laminate 12 can be improved. As a result, peeling between the base electrode 13 and the laminate 12 is less likely to occur, and a decrease in the reliability and electrical characteristics of the multilayer ceramic capacitor 10A can be reduced.

[0069] When the multilayer ceramic capacitor 10A is viewed in a cross-section along the stacking direction, the plurality of sites P may be configured to occupy 15% or more of the length of the interface B. In other words, as shown in FIG. 5, for the multilayer ceramic capacitor 10A, when the length of the interface B is XB and the lengths of a plurality (for example, n) of sites P are X1, X2, …, Xn, the length ratio R P of the sum of the lengths of the plurality of sites P in the length of the interface B may be 15% or more. That is, the plurality of sites P may satisfy the inequality X1 + X2 + … + Xn ≥ 0.15 × XB. The effect in this case is the same as that of the first embodiment. Note that FIG. 5 shows an example in which the cross-section along the stacking direction is a zx cross-section along the stacking direction and the length direction, but is not limited thereto. The cross-section along the stacking direction may be a yz cross-section along the stacking direction and the width direction, or other cross-sections.

[0070] When the multilayer ceramic capacitor 10A is viewed in a cross-section along the stacking direction, the plurality of agglomerated sintered bodies A may be configured to occupy 21% or more and 44% or less of the cross-sectional area of the base electrode 13. The effect in this case is the same as that of the first embodiment. The method for measuring the ratio of the area of the plurality of agglomerated sintered bodies A in the cross-sectional area of the base electrode 13 (area ratio R A ) is also the same as that of the first embodiment.

[0071] As shown in FIG. 4, the interface agglomerated sintered body may be protrusion-shaped extending from the site P when viewed in a cross-section along the stacking direction of the base electrode 13. The description of the effect of the protrusion shape, the meaning of the protrusion shape, and specific aspects (such as triangular shape, jagged shape, and height of 2 μm, etc.) in the description of the first embodiment may be incorporated into the second embodiment.

[0072] The underlying electrode 13 may not substantially contain a glass component, similar to the underlying electrode 3 of the first embodiment. In the method for manufacturing the multilayer ceramic capacitor 10A, the ceramic green sheet constituting the multilayer body 12 precursor may contain a glass component, similar to the multilayer body 2 precursor of the first embodiment.

[0073] As shown in FIG. 6, when the cross-section along the stacking direction of the underlying electrode 13 of the multilayer ceramic capacitor 10A is divided in the stacking direction into a first region 131 close to the multilayer body 12 and a second region 132 separated from the multilayer body 12, the multilayer ceramic capacitor 10A may be configured such that a plurality of aggregated sintered bodies A (the plurality of aggregated sintered bodies A appearing in the cross-section) are present in the second region 132 more than in the first region 131. The effects in this case are the same as those in the first embodiment.

[0074] Next, the method for measuring the area ratio R of the aggregated sintered body A and the length ratio R of a plurality of sites P in the multilayer ceramic capacitors 10 and 10A will be described. Hereinafter, the multilayer ceramic capacitor 10A will be described as an example, but the same applies to the multilayer ceramic capacitor 10. Further, in the following description, it is assumed that the multilayer body 12 is made of a ceramic material mainly composed of BaTiO3, the underlying electrode 13 is made of a conductive material mainly composed of Ni and containing BaTiO3, and the external electrode 14 is made of a conductive material mainly composed of Cu. A and the length ratio R of a plurality of sites P P will be described.

[0075] First, the multilayer ceramic capacitor 10A is polished along the length direction (x-axis direction) to expose a cross-section as shown in FIG. 9 (hereinafter also referred to as an "exposed cross-section"). Subsequently, using a SEM-EDS (scanning electron microscope - energy dispersive analysis) apparatus, an electron micrograph of the exposed cross-section (hereinafter also referred to as a "SEM image") is taken, and an elemental mapping image of each element in the exposed cross-section (hereinafter also referred to as an "EDS image") is obtained. As the SEM-EDS apparatus, JSM-IT500HR manufactured by JEOL Ltd. can be used. When taking the SEM image, the acceleration voltage was set to 15 kV and the magnification was set to 20,000 times. Also, when obtaining the EDS image, the resolution was set to 2048 pixels × 1536 pixels.

[0076] FIG. 10 shows an example of the SEM image of the X part in FIG. 9, and FIG. 11 shows an example of the EDS image of the Ba element in the X part in FIG. 9. Also, FIG. 12 shows a binarized EDS image obtained by binarizing the EDS image in FIG. 11. The threshold value for binarizing the EDS image may be set as appropriate. When the EDS image is a 256-level grayscale image, the threshold value may be, for example, about 15 to 25, or may be about 20. When binarizing the EDS image, commercially available image processing software may be used. In FIGS. 10 to 12, the dashed line indicates the interface B between the base electrode 13 and the laminate 12, and the one-dot chain line in FIGS. 10 to 12 indicates the interface B' between the base electrode 13 and the external electrode 14. The interface B can be determined based on the EDS images of the elements (Ba and Ti) constituting the laminate 12 and the EDS images of the elements (Ni, Ba, and Ti) constituting the base electrode 13. The interface B' can be determined based on the EDS images of the elements (Ni, Ba, and Ti) constituting the base electrode 13 and the EDS image of the element (Cu) constituting the external electrode 14. In FIG. 12, the region between the interface B and the interface B' corresponds to the cross-section of the base electrode 13. The white region in the cross-section of the base electrode 13 is a region where Ba exists, and this region can be regarded as a region where the agglomerated sintered body A exists. Also, the black region in the cross-section of the base electrode 13 is a region where Ba does not substantially exist, and this region can be regarded as a region where the agglomerated sintered body A does not exist.

[0077] As shown in FIG. 12, the agglomerated sintered body A aggregated including the part P at the interface B has a protruding shape. Further, the agglomerated sintered body A exists more in the region closer to the external electrode 14 than in the region closer to the laminate 12 in the base electrode 13.

[0078] Length ratio R P Based on the binarized EDS image of the entire exposed cross-section, the length XB of the interface B and the length of each part P along the interface B are measured, and the sum (X1 + X2 + … + Xn) of the lengths of the plurality of parts P along the interface B is divided by the length XB to measure it.

[0079] Area ratio R A A plurality of partial regions are extracted from the binarized EDS image of the entire exposed cross-section, and for each partial region, the ratio r of the area of the region where the agglomerated sintered body A exists to the area of the partial region A is calculated, and the average value of the ratios r of the plurality of partial regions A is measured by calculating. As the plurality of partial regions, about 3 to 10 partial regions may be extracted from the binarized EDS image of the exposed cross-section, or about 5 partial regions may be extracted.

[0080] Next, a method for manufacturing the multilayer ceramic capacitor 10A will be described. FIG. 13 is a perspective view for explaining the manufacturing process of the mother laminate, FIG. 14 is a perspective view showing the mother laminate, and FIG. 15 is a perspective view showing the precursor of the element part obtained by cutting the mother laminate. In FIGS. 13 to 15, for ease of illustration, hatching is applied to the internal electrode pattern, the base electrode pattern, the end of the internal electrode pattern exposed on the surface of the mother laminate, and the end of the internal electrode pattern exposed on the surface of the element part.

[0081] The manufacturing method of the multilayer ceramic capacitor 10A includes a first step, a second step, and a third step.

[0082] (First step) The first step is to produce a mother laminate for forming the precursor of the base body component 11. In the first step, first, raw material powder mainly composed of BaTiO3 is prepared, an organic vehicle and a sintering aid are mixed into the raw material powder, and a ceramic slurry is prepared. The organic vehicle used for preparing the ceramic slurry may be, for example, a resin such as a butyral resin dissolved in a solvent obtained by mixing ethyl alcohol and toluene. The sintering aid may be, for example, a glass component of the SiO2-BaO-CaO system. Subsequently, using the prepared ceramic slurry, a ceramic green sheet 21 that will become the dielectric layer 16 is formed on a carrier film by a sheet forming method such as a die coater method, a doctor blade method, or a gravure coater method.

[0083] Also, an organic vehicle is mixed into a powder mainly composed of Ni to prepare a conductive paste for the internal electrode 15. The organic vehicle used for preparing the conductive paste may be, for example, a resin such as ethyl cellulose dissolved in a solvent obtained by mixing a dihydroterpineol-based solvent and butyl cellosolve. A dispersant such as oleic acid or polyethylene glycol may be added to the conductive paste.

[0084] Furthermore, an organic vehicle and ceramic powder are mixed into a powder mainly composed of Ni to adjust a conductive paste for the base electrode 13. The ceramic powder may be a powder mainly composed of BaTiO3. A sintering aid may be added to the conductive paste for the base electrode 13. The sintering aid may be, for example, Si, Mg, Mn, etc.

[0085] The BaTiO3 powder used for the conductive paste for the base electrode 13 may have a smaller average particle size than the BaTiO3 powder used for the ceramic slurry. For example, the average particle size of the BaTiO3 powder used for the conductive paste for the base electrode 13 may be 2 / 3 or less, 1 / 2 or less, or 1 / 3 or less with respect to the average particle size of the BaTiO3 powder used for the ceramic slurry. In this case, the ceramic particles (BaTiO3 particles) contained in the conductive paste for the base electrode 13 are more likely to sinter, and it is easier to form the agglomerated sintered body A.

[0086] Since grain growth occurs during firing, the above-mentioned size relationship of the powder is not necessarily maintained after firing. Of course, the above-mentioned size relationship may be maintained. That is, the average particle diameter of the dielectric particles included in the agglomerated sintered body A may be smaller than the dielectric particles included in the dielectric layer 16. Further, the former may be 2 / 3 or less, 1 / 2 or less, or 1 / 3 or less with respect to the latter.

[0087] The conductive paste for the base electrode 13 may have a weight ratio of BaTiO3 to Ni of 15% or more and 35% or less. When the weight ratio is 15% or more, the agglomerated sintered body A is likely to be formed, and peeling between the base electrode 13 and the laminate 12 is likely to be reduced. Further, when the weight ratio is 15% or more, the mismatch between the firing behavior of the base electrode 13 precursor and the firing behavior of the laminate 12 precursor is likely to be small during firing of the green body component 11 precursor, and peeling between the base electrode 13 and the laminate 12 is likely to be reduced. When the weight ratio is 35% or less, the conductivity of the base electrode 13 is likely to be improved, and the external electrode 14 is likely to be formed.

[0088] Subsequently, a ceramic green sheet 21 on which an internal electrode pattern to be the internal electrode 15 is printed is produced using a conductive paste for the internal electrode 15. Further, a ceramic green sheet 21 on which a base electrode pattern to be the base electrode 13 is printed is produced using a conductive paste for the base electrode 13. The internal electrode pattern and the base electrode pattern can be printed by a printing method such as a screen printing method or a gravure printing method. Hereinafter, the ceramic green sheet 21 on which the internal electrode pattern is printed may be referred to as an internal electrode sheet 22, and the ceramic green sheet 21 on which the base electrode pattern is printed may be referred to as a base electrode sheet 23.

[0089] When manufacturing the base electrode sheet 23, the base electrode pattern may have a two-layer structure, and the amount of sintering aid added to the layer that will be located on the laminate 12 side may be made larger than the amount of sintering aid added to the layer that will be located on the external electrode 14 side. In this case, aggregation of ceramic particles (i.e., formation of the aggregated sintered body A) in the region of the base electrode 13 precursor closer to the laminate 12 precursor can be promoted, and the length ratio R P can be easily made 15% or more.

[0090] Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 13, a temporary laminate is manufactured by laminating a predetermined number of internal electrode sheets 22 on the base electrode sheet 23 and further laminating the base electrode sheet 23. When manufacturing the temporary laminate, a predetermined number of internal electrode sheets 22 may be laminated while being shifted by half of the width dimension of the internal electrode pattern along the width direction (y-axis direction). In this case, the first internal electrode 15a and the second internal electrode 15b can be formed using the internal electrode sheets 22 printed with the same internal electrode pattern. Also, one or more ceramic green sheets 21 may be disposed between the base electrode sheet 23 and the internal electrode sheet 22. In this case, the risk of short circuit between internal electrodes 15 having different polarities can be reduced.

[0091] Subsequently, the temporary laminate is pressed in the lamination direction to manufacture a mother laminate 24 as shown in FIG. 14. Pressing of the temporary laminate can be performed using, for example, a hydrostatic press device. Note that the manufacture of the temporary laminate and the mother laminate 24 may be performed on the support sheet S as shown in FIGS. 13 and 14. The support sheet S may be an adhesive release sheet capable of adhesion and release, such as a weakly adhesive sheet or a foamed release sheet. Note that the mother laminate 24 is composed of a plurality of precursor body parts 11, and the precursor body part 11 has substantially the same structure as the body part 11. In the following description, the terms and reference numerals used for the body part 11 may also be used for the precursor body part 11.

[0092] (Second step) The second step is the step of manufacturing the base body component 11. First, the mother laminate 24 is cut along the lattice-shaped cutting planned lines 25 to manufacture a plurality of base body component 11 precursors as shown in FIG. 15. The cutting of the mother laminate 24 can be performed using, for example, a guillotine cutter, a dicing saw device, or the like.

[0093] Subsequently, the base body component 11 precursor is fired. The firing temperature may be appropriately set according to the ceramic material contained in the ceramic green sheet, the metal material contained in the conductive paste, etc., but may be, for example, about 1100 to 1250 °C. Note that a degreasing treatment may be performed on the base body component 11 precursor before firing. The degreasing treatment may be performed in an air atmosphere, an inert gas atmosphere, or a reducing atmosphere. The degreasing treatment may be performed under atmospheric pressure or under reduced pressure. Further, a re-oxidation treatment may be performed on the base body component 11 precursor after firing.

[0094] Subsequently, the base body component 11 precursor is put into a rotating pot containing abrasive and barrel-polished. Thereby, burrs on the surface of the base body component 11 precursor can be removed, the corners can be rounded, and the ends of the internal electrodes 15 can be sufficiently exposed at the corners 19a to 19d of the laminate 12. As a result, a base body component 11 as shown in FIG. 8 can be manufactured.

[0095] Note that when manufacturing the mother laminate 24, the base electrode sheets 23 located in the uppermost layer and the lowermost layer of the temporary laminate (see FIG. 13) may be omitted, and a mother laminate composed of a plurality of laminate 12 precursors (that is, having no base electrode 13 precursor) may be manufactured. In this case, after printing the base electrode 13 precursor on the mother laminate, the mother laminate may be cut to manufacture the base body component 11 precursor. Alternatively, the base electrode 13 precursor may be printed on the laminate 12 precursor obtained by cutting the mother laminate to manufacture the base body component 1 precursor. The base electrode 13 precursor can be printed using a printing method such as a screen printing method or a gravure printing method.

[0096] (Third step) The third step is a step of forming the external electrodes 14 on the base body component 11. In the third step, for example, plating methods such as electroless plating method and electrolytic plating method are used to form the external electrodes 14 made of a conductive material mainly composed of Cu, Ni, Sn, etc. at predetermined locations on the base body component 11. The external electrodes 14 may be formed of a single plating layer or a plurality of plating layers. When the external electrodes 14 are formed of a first plating layer, a second plating layer, and a third plating layer, the first plating layer may be a Cu plating layer, the second plating layer may be a Ni plating layer, and the third plating layer may be a Sn plating layer.

[0097] In the above manner, the multilayer ceramic capacitor 10A can be manufactured. Note that the multilayer ceramic capacitor 10 can be manufactured by a manufacturing method similar to the above manufacturing method by changing the internal electrode pattern of the internal electrode sheet 22 and the base electrode pattern of the base electrode sheet 23.

[0098] As described above, the embodiments of the present disclosure have been described in detail. However, the present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various changes and improvements can be made without departing from the gist of the present disclosure.

[0099] The multilayer electronic component of the present disclosure may be, for example, the multilayer ceramic capacitor of the third embodiment shown in FIGS. 16 to 19, or the multilayer ceramic capacitor of the fourth embodiment shown in FIGS. 20 to 23. Hereinafter, the multilayer ceramic capacitors of the third embodiment and the fourth embodiment will be described.

[0100] FIG. 16 is a perspective view showing a multilayer ceramic capacitor according to the third embodiment, FIG. 17 is a perspective view showing a body component of the multilayer ceramic capacitor of FIG. 16, FIG. 18 is a view showing an example of a cross section taken along the cutting plane line XVIII-XVIII of FIG. 16, and FIG. 19 is a view showing an example of a cross section taken along the cutting plane line XIX-XIX of FIG. 16. FIG. 20 is a perspective view showing a multilayer ceramic capacitor according to the fourth embodiment, FIG. 21 is a perspective view showing a body component of the multilayer ceramic capacitor of FIG. 20, FIG. 22 is a view showing an example of a cross section taken along the cutting plane line XXII-XXII of FIG. 20, and FIG. 23 is a view showing an example of a cross section taken along the cutting plane line XXIII-XXIII of FIG. 20.

[0101] As shown in FIG. 16, the multilayer ceramic capacitor 10B according to the third embodiment includes a body component 26 and a plurality of external electrodes 29. As shown in FIG. 17, the body component 26 includes a laminate 27 and a plurality of base electrodes 28. The multilayer ceramic capacitor 10B may be a thin-type multilayer ceramic capacitor in which the dimension T in the height direction (z-axis direction) is smaller than the dimension L in the length direction (x-axis direction) and the dimension W in the width direction (y-axis direction).

[0102] The laminate 27 is formed by alternately laminating a plurality of internal electrodes 30 and a plurality of dielectric layers 31. The laminate 27 may be substantially rectangular parallelepiped. The laminate 27 has a first surface 32a and a second surface 32b that face each other in the lamination direction, a first end surface 33a and a second end surface 33b that face each other in the length direction, and a first side surface 34a and a second side surface 34b that face each other in the width direction.

[0103] The dielectric layer 31 is made of a ceramic material mainly composed of, for example, BaTiO3, CaTiO3, SrTiO3, BaZrO3, CaZrO3, etc. The ceramic material may contain a glass component. The glass component may be, for example, a SiO2-BaO-CaO-based glass component. The dielectric layer 31 may have a thickness of about 0.1 to 1 μm, for example.

[0104] As shown in FIGS. 17 to 19, the plurality of internal electrodes 30 include a plurality of first internal electrodes 30a and a plurality of second internal electrodes 30b. The end portions of the first internal electrodes 30a are exposed at the first end face 33a and the second end face 33b. The end portions of the second internal electrodes 30b are exposed at the first side face 34a and the second side face 34b. The first internal electrodes 30a and the second internal electrodes 30b have different polarities from each other.

[0105] The internal electrode 30 is made of a metal material mainly composed of, for example, Ni, Cu, Sn, etc. The internal electrode 15 may contain a ceramic material such as BaTiO3, CaTiO3, SrTiO3, BaZrO3, CaZrO3, etc. The internal electrode 30 may have a thickness of about 0.1 to 1.0 μm, for example.

[0106] As shown in FIGS. 18 and 19, the laminate 27 may include a capacitance forming portion 27a and cover portions 27b and 27c. The capacitance forming portion 27a is formed by alternately laminating a plurality of internal electrodes 30 and a plurality of dielectric layers 31 to form a capacitance. The cover portions 27b and 27c are respectively located at both ends of the capacitance forming portion 27a in the lamination direction. The cover portions 27b and 27c may be composed of one or more dielectric layers and do not necessarily form a capacitance.

[0107] The cover portions 27b and 27c (their dielectric layers) are made of a ceramic material mainly composed of, for example, BaTiO3, CaTiO3, SrTiO3, BaZrO3, CaZrO3, etc. The cover portions 27b and 27c may be made of the same ceramic material as the ceramic material constituting the dielectric layer 31.

[0108] The plurality of base electrodes 28 includes a first base electrode 28a, a second base electrode 28b, a third base electrode 28c, and a fourth base electrode 28d. The first base electrode 28a is located near the first end face 33a on the first surface 32a, and the second base electrode 28b is located near the second end face 33b on the first surface 32a. The third base electrode 28c is located near the first side face 34a on the first surface 32a, and the fourth base electrode 28d is located near the second side face 34b on the first surface 32a. The third base electrode 28c and the fourth base electrode 28d may be located at the central portion of the first surface 32a in the length direction. The third base electrode 28c and the fourth base electrode 28d may be, for example, substantially semicircular, substantially rectangular, substantially triangular, etc. in plan view.

[0109] The base electrode 28 may include a fifth base electrode 28e, a sixth base electrode 28f, a seventh base electrode 28g, and an eighth base electrode 28h. The fifth base electrode 28e is located near the first end face 33a on the second surface 32b, and the sixth base electrode 28f is located near the second end face 33b on the second surface 32b. The seventh base electrode 28g is located near the first side face 34a on the second surface 32b, and the eighth base electrode 28h is located near the second side face 34b on the second surface 32b. The fifth base electrode 28e to the eighth base electrode 28h may each have the same configuration as the first base electrode 28a to the fourth base electrode 28d, except that they are located on the second surface 32b.

[0110] The base electrode 28 is made of a conductive material mainly composed of, for example, Ni, Cu, Sn, etc. The conductive material may include a ceramic material such as BaTiO3, CaTiO3, SrTiO3, BaZrO3, CaZrO3, etc. In this case, it becomes easy to enhance the adhesion between the base electrode 28 and the laminate 27. The ceramic material may include Si, Mg, Mn, etc. The base electrode 28 may be thicker than one internal electrode 30. The base electrode 28 may have a thickness of, for example, about 1 to 5 μm.

[0111] As shown in FIG. 16, the plurality of external electrodes 29 include a first external electrode 29a, a second external electrode 29b, a third external electrode 29c, and a fourth external electrode 29d.

[0112] The first external electrode 29a is located from the first end face 33a over at least the first surface 32a and is connected to the plurality of first internal electrodes 30a and the first base electrode 28a. The first external electrode 29a may cover the first base electrode 28a. The first external electrode 29a may be located from the first end face 33a over the first surface 32a and the second surface 32b and may be connected to the plurality of first internal electrodes 30a, the first base electrode 28a, and the fifth base electrode 28e. The first external electrode 29a may cover the first base electrode 28a and the fifth base electrode 28e. The first external electrode 29a may be located from the first end face 33a over the first surface 32a, the second surface 32b, the first side face 34a, and the second side face 34b.

[0113] The second external electrode 29b is located from the second end face 33b over at least the first surface 32a and is connected to the plurality of second internal electrodes 30b and the second base electrode 28b. The second external electrode 29b may cover the second base electrode 28b. The second external electrode 29b may be located from the second end face 33b over the first surface 32a and the second surface 32b and may be connected to the plurality of second internal electrodes 30b, the second base electrode 28b, and the sixth base electrode 28f. The second external electrode 29b may cover the second base electrode 28b and the sixth base electrode 28f. The second external electrode 29b may be located from the second end face 33b over the first surface 32a, the second surface 32b, the first side face 34a, and the second side face 34b.

[0114] The third external electrode 29c is located from the first side surface 34a over at least the first surface 32a and is connected to a plurality of second internal electrodes 30b and the third base electrode 28c. The third external electrode 29c may cover the third base electrode 28c. The third external electrode 29c is located from the first side surface 34a over the first surface 32a and the second surface 32b and may be connected to a plurality of second internal electrodes 30b, the third base electrode 28c, and the seventh base electrode 28g. The third external electrode 29c may cover the third base electrode 28c and the seventh base electrode 28g.

[0115] The fourth external electrode 29d is located from the second side surface 34b over at least the first surface 32a and is connected to a plurality of second internal electrodes 30b and the fourth base electrode 28d. The fourth external electrode 29d may cover the fourth base electrode 28d. The fourth external electrode 29d is located from the second side surface 34b over the first surface 32a and the second surface 32b and may be connected to a plurality of second internal electrodes 30b, the fourth base electrode 28d, and the eighth base electrode 28h. The fourth external electrode 29d may cover the fourth base electrode 28d and the eighth base electrode 28h.

[0116] The external electrode 29 may be a plating layer. The external electrode 29 may be composed of two or more plating layers. The external electrode 29 may be composed of a first layer connected to the base electrode 28 and the internal electrode 30 and a second layer covering the first layer. The external electrode 29 may also be composed of a first layer connected to the base electrode 28 and the internal electrode 30, a second layer covering the first layer, and a third layer covering the second layer.

[0117] Next, the multilayer ceramic capacitor of the fourth embodiment will be described. In the following description, for the components having the same configuration as those of the multilayer ceramic capacitor of the third embodiment, the same terms and the same reference numerals are used, and the detailed description thereof is omitted.

[0118] As shown in FIG. 20, the multilayer ceramic capacitor 10C according to the fourth embodiment includes a body component 26 and a plurality of external electrodes 29. As shown in FIG. 21, the body component 26 includes a laminate 27 and a plurality of base electrodes 28. The multilayer ceramic capacitor 10C may be a thin multilayer ceramic capacitor in which the dimension T in the height direction (z-axis direction) is smaller than the dimension L in the length direction (x-axis direction) and the dimension W in the width direction (y-axis direction).

[0119] As shown in FIGS. 21 to 23, the laminate 27 is formed by alternately laminating a plurality of internal electrodes 30 and a plurality of dielectric layers 31. The laminate 27 may be substantially rectangular parallelepiped. The laminate 27 has a first surface 32a and a second surface 32b that face each other in the stacking direction, a first end face 33a and a second end face 33b that face each other in the length direction, and a first side face 34a and a second side face 34b that face each other in the width direction.

[0120] As shown in FIGS. 21 to 23, the plurality of internal electrodes 30 include a plurality of first internal electrodes 30a and a plurality of second internal electrodes 30b.

[0121] A plurality of ends of the first internal electrode 30a are exposed on the first side face 34a, and a plurality of ends are exposed on the second side face 34b. A plurality of ends of the second internal electrode 30b are exposed on the first side face 34a, and a plurality of ends are exposed on the second side face 34b. On the first side face 34a, the plurality of portions where the first internal electrode 30a is exposed and the plurality of portions where the second internal electrode 30b is exposed have different positions in the length direction. On the second side face 34b, the plurality of portions where the first internal electrode 30a is exposed and the plurality of portions where the second internal electrode 30b is exposed have different positions in the length direction. The first internal electrode 30a and the second internal electrode 30b have different polarities.

[0122] As shown in FIGS. 22 and 23, the laminate 27 may be configured to include a capacitance forming portion 27a and cover portions 27b and 27c. The capacitance forming portion 27a is formed by alternately laminating a plurality of internal electrodes 30 and a plurality of dielectric layers 31 to form capacitance. The cover portions 27b and 27c are respectively located at both ends of the capacitance forming portion 27a in the lamination direction. The cover portions 27b and 27c may be formed of one or more dielectric layers and do not necessarily form capacitance.

[0123] The plurality of base electrodes 28 include a first base electrode 28a, a second base electrode 28b, a third base electrode 28c, a fourth base electrode 28d, a fifth base electrode 28e, a sixth base electrode 28f, a seventh base electrode 28g, and an eighth base electrode 28h. The first to fourth base electrodes 28a to 28d are located closer to the first side surface 34a on the first surface 32a. The fifth to eighth base electrodes 28e to 28h are located closer to the second side surface 34b on the first surface 32a.

[0124] The base electrode 28 may include a ninth base electrode to a sixteenth base electrode. The ninth to twelfth base electrodes are located closer to the first side surface 34a on the second surface 32b. The thirteenth to sixteenth base electrodes are located closer to the second side surface 34b on the second surface 32b. The ninth to twelfth base electrodes may each have the same configuration as the first to fourth base electrodes 28a to 28d, except that they are located on the second surface 32b. The thirteenth to sixteenth base electrodes may each have the same configuration as the fifth to eighth base electrodes 28e to 28h, except that they are located on the second surface 32b.

[0125] As shown in FIG. 20, the plurality of external electrodes 29 include a first external electrode 29a, a second external electrode 29b, a third external electrode 29c, a fourth external electrode 29d, a fifth external electrode 29e, a sixth external electrode 29f, a seventh external electrode 29g, and an eighth external electrode 29h.

[0126] The first external electrode 29a and the third external electrode 29c are located from the first side surface 34a over at least the first surface 32a and are connected to a plurality of second internal electrodes 30b. The first external electrode 29a and the third external electrode 29c are respectively connected to the first base electrode 28a and the third base electrode 28c. The first external electrode 29a and the third external electrode 29c may respectively cover the first base electrode 28a and the third base electrode 28c. The first external electrode 29a is located from the first side surface 34a over the first surface 32a and the second surface 32b and may be connected to the first base electrode 28a and the ninth base electrode. The first external electrode 29a may cover the first base electrode 28a and the ninth base electrode. The third external electrode 29c is located from the first side surface 34a over the first surface 32a and the second surface 32b and may be connected to the third base electrode 28c and the eleventh base electrode. The third external electrode 29c may cover the third base electrode 28c and the eleventh base electrode.

[0127] The second external electrode 29b and the fourth external electrode 29d are located from the first side surface 34a over at least the first surface 32a and are connected to a plurality of first internal electrodes 30a. The second external electrode 29b and the fourth external electrode 29d are respectively connected to the second base electrode 28b and the fourth base electrode 28d. The second external electrode 29b and the fourth external electrode 29d may respectively cover the second base electrode 28b and the fourth base electrode 28d. The second external electrode 29b is located from the first side surface 34a over the first surface 32a and the second surface 32b and may be connected to the second base electrode 28b and the tenth base electrode. The second external electrode 29b may cover the second base electrode 28b and the tenth base electrode. The fourth external electrode 29d is located from the first side surface 34a over the first surface 32a and the second surface 32b and may be connected to the fourth base electrode 28d and the twelfth base electrode. The fourth external electrode 29d may cover the fourth base electrode 28d and the twelfth base electrode.

[0128] The sixth external electrode 29f and the eighth external electrode 29h are located from the second side surface 34b over at least the first surface 32a and are connected to a plurality of second internal electrodes 30b. The sixth external electrode 29f and the eighth external electrode 29h are respectively connected to a sixth base electrode 28f and an eighth base electrode 28h. The sixth external electrode 29f and the eighth external electrode 29h may respectively cover the sixth base electrode 28f and the eighth base electrode 28h. The sixth external electrode 29f is located from the second side surface 34b over the first surface 32a and the second surface 32b and may be connected to the sixth base electrode 28f and the fourteenth base electrode. The sixth external electrode 29f may cover the sixth base electrode 28f and the fourteenth base electrode. The eighth external electrode 29h is located from the second side surface 34b over the first surface 32a and the second surface 32b and may be connected to the eighth base electrode 28h and the sixteenth base electrode. The eighth external electrode 29h may cover the eighth base electrode 28h and the sixteenth base electrode.

[0129] The fifth external electrode 29e and the seventh external electrode 29g are located from the second side surface 34b over at least the first surface 32a and are connected to a plurality of first internal electrodes 30a. The fifth external electrode 29e and the seventh external electrode 29g are respectively connected to a fifth base electrode 28e and a seventh base electrode 28g. The fifth external electrode 29e and the seventh external electrode 29g may respectively cover the fifth base electrode 28e and the seventh base electrode 28g. The fifth external electrode 29e is located from the second side surface 34b over the first surface 32a and the second surface 32b and may be connected to the fifth base electrode 28e and the thirteenth base electrode. The fifth external electrode 29e may cover the fifth base electrode 28e and the thirteenth base electrode. The seventh external electrode 29g is located from the second side surface 34b over the first surface 32a and the second surface 32b and may be connected to the seventh base electrode 28g and the fifteenth base electrode. The seventh external electrode 29g may cover the seventh base electrode 28g and the fifteenth base electrode.

[0130] Hereinafter, the structure of the base electrode 28 of the multilayer ceramic capacitors 10B and 10C will be described. Regarding the agglomerated sintered body A and the like of the multilayer ceramic capacitors 10 and 10A, as long as there are no contradictions, it may be applied to the multilayer ceramic capacitors 10B and 10C. For the sake of caution, it will be briefly described below.

[0131] In the multilayer ceramic capacitors 10B and 10C, similar to the multilayer ceramic capacitors 10 and 10A shown in FIG. 4, the base electrode 28 includes a plurality of agglomerated sintered bodies A. At least a part of the plurality of agglomerated sintered bodies A (hereinafter also referred to as interface agglomerated sintered bodies) is located at the interface B between the base electrode 28 and the laminate 27. The interface agglomerated sintered body is agglomerated including the portion P at the interface B between the base electrode 28 and the laminate 27. A part of the interface agglomerated sintered body is located at the portion P and is cross-linked with the ceramic sintered body constituting the laminate 27.

[0132] When viewing the cross-section along the stacking direction, the multilayer ceramic capacitors 10B and 10C may have a configuration in which a plurality of portions P occupy 15% or more of the length of the interface B, similar to the multilayer ceramic capacitors 10 and 10A shown in FIG. 5.

[0133] When viewing the cross-section along the stacking direction, the multilayer ceramic capacitors 10B and 10C may have a configuration in which a plurality of agglomerated sintered bodies A occupy 21% or more and 44% or less of the cross-sectional area of the base electrode 28.

[0134] Similar to the interface agglomerated sintered body of the multilayer ceramic capacitors 10 and 10A (see FIG. 4), the interface agglomerated sintered body may be protrusive extending from the portion P when viewing the cross-section along the stacking direction of the base electrode 28.

[0135] The base electrode 28 may not substantially contain a glass component.

[0136] The ceramic green sheet constituting the laminate 27 precursor may contain a glass component.

[0137] The multilayer ceramic capacitors 10B and 10C may be configured such that when a cross-section along the stacking direction of the base electrode 28 is divided into a first region close to the stacked body 27 and a second region separated from the stacked body 27 in the stacking direction, a plurality of aggregated sintered bodies A (the plurality of aggregated sintered bodies A appearing in the cross-section) are present more in the second region than in the first region, similar to the multilayer ceramic capacitors 10 and 10A shown in FIG. 6.

[0138] Although not particularly shown, other embodiments will be described. For convenience, in the following description, reference numerals of any of the first to fourth embodiments may be used. The following description may be applied to embodiments other than the embodiments referred to by the reference numerals as long as there is no contradiction.

[0139] The base electrode 13 may be embedded in the stacked body 12 (more specifically, the cover portions 12b and 12c) while exposing the upper surface or the lower surface to the outside of the stacked body 12. In other words, the base electrode 13 may be recessed with respect to the cover portions 12b and 12c. From another perspective, the first surface 17a and the second surface 17b of the stacked body 12 do not have to be planar and may be recessed at the position of the base electrode 13. For convenience, attention is paid to the base electrode 13 on the upper surface side of the stacked body 12. The upper surface of the embedded base electrode 13 may be flush with or located above the non-arrangement region of the base electrode 13 in the first surface 17a.

[0140] Note that even when the base electrode 13 is embedded as described above, the base electrode 13 is still located on the first surface 17a or the second surface 17b. In other words, in the stacked body 12, the bottom surface of the recess in which the base electrode 13 is arranged is a part of the first surface 17a or the second surface 17b.

[0141] The method for manufacturing the embedded base electrode 13 as described above is arbitrary. For example, taking the upper surface side as an example, the cover portion 12b is manufactured using two layers of ceramic green sheets. The base electrode 13 precursor is printed on the lower layer of the ceramic green sheet. A notch where the base electrode 13 is located is formed in the upper layer of the ceramic green sheet. Thereby, the embedded base electrode 13 is manufactured. And / or, the base electrode 13 precursor may be sunk into the ceramic green sheet by pressing.

[0142] The capacitor may have an exterior resin covering the entire structure exemplified in FIG. 1 and the like, and lead wires connected to the external electrodes and extending from the exterior resin. From another perspective, the capacitor may not be a surface mount type but a through-hole mount type.

[0143] The two types of internal electrodes connected to different external electrodes may not be laminated one by one alternately, but may be laminated two by two alternately. In this case, for example, the thickness of the dielectric layer between the internal electrodes connected to the same external electrode and facing each other may be made thinner than the thickness of the dielectric layer between the internal electrodes connected to different external electrodes and facing each other. As can be understood from this, the plurality of dielectric layers may not have the same shape and size as each other.

[0144] Also, the two types of internal electrodes connected to different external electrodes may not face each other. For example, two types of internal electrodes connected to different external electrodes are provided in the same layer, and internal electrodes facing the above two types of internal electrodes are provided, thereby constituting a circuit in which two parallel plate capacitors are connected in series. Also, a circuit in which three or more parallel plate capacitors are connected in series may be constituted.

[0145] In the first embodiment, the internal electrode 5 is within the width (y direction) of the dielectric layer 6, and thus does not expose from the side surfaces 9a, 9b of the laminate 2. However, the configuration for preventing the internal electrode 5 from being exposed may be realized by stacking a dielectric layer on the side surfaces 9a, 9b. From another perspective, the body component 1 does not necessarily have an overall laminated structure.

[0146] The present disclosure can be implemented in the following aspects (1) to (9).

[0147] (1) A laminate including a plurality of internal electrodes and a plurality of dielectric layers alternately laminated, having a first surface and a second surface facing each other in the lamination direction, a first end surface and a second end surface facing each other in the length direction orthogonal to the lamination direction, and a first side surface and a second side surface facing each other in the width direction orthogonal to the lamination direction and the length direction, a plurality of base electrodes including a first base electrode and a second base electrode located on the first surface, and a plurality of external electrodes, wherein the plurality of internal electrodes include a plurality of first internal electrodes exposed at the first end surface and a plurality of second internal electrodes exposed at the second end surface, the plurality of external electrodes include a first external electrode located from the first end surface at least over the first surface and connected to the plurality of first internal electrodes and the first base electrode, and a second external electrode located from the second end surface at least over the first surface and connected to the plurality of second internal electrodes and the second base electrode, wherein the first external electrode and the second external electrode each include a plurality of aggregated sintered bodies in which dielectric particles are aggregated, and at least a part of the plurality of aggregated sintered bodies is located at the interface between each base electrode and the laminate, a laminated electronic component.

[0148] (2) A laminate in which a plurality of internal electrodes and a plurality of dielectric layers are alternately laminated, having a first surface and a second surface facing each other in the lamination direction, a first side surface and a second side surface facing each other in the length direction orthogonal to the lamination direction, and a third side surface and a fourth side surface facing each other in the width direction orthogonal to the lamination direction and the length direction, A plurality of base electrodes including a first base electrode, a second base electrode, a third base electrode, and a fourth base electrode located on the first surface, A plurality of external electrodes, The plurality of internal electrodes, A plurality of first internal electrodes exposed at a first corner from the first side surface to the third side surface and a second corner from the second side surface to the fourth side surface, A plurality of second internal electrodes exposed at a third corner from the first side surface to the fourth side surface and a fourth corner from the second side surface to the third side surface, The plurality of external electrodes, A first external electrode located at least over the first surface from the first corner and connected to the plurality of first internal electrodes and the first base electrode, A second external electrode located at least over the first surface from the second corner and connected to the plurality of first internal electrodes and the second base electrode, A third external electrode located at least over the first surface from the third corner and connected to the plurality of second internal electrodes and the third base electrode, A fourth external electrode located at least over the first surface from the fourth corner and connected to the plurality of second internal electrodes and the fourth base electrode, The first base electrode, the second base electrode, the third base electrode, and the fourth base electrode each include a plurality of aggregated sintered bodies in which dielectric particles are aggregated, and at least a part of the plurality of aggregated sintered bodies is located at an interface between each base electrode and the laminate, which is a laminated electronic component.

[0149] (3) At least a part of the plurality of aggregated sintered bodies is aggregated and sintered by including a plurality of sites at the interface, The stacked electronic component according to (1) or (2) above, wherein when looking at a cross-section along the stacking direction of each of the base electrodes, the plurality of portions occupy 15% or more of the length of the interface.

[0150] (4) The stacked electronic component according to any one of (1) to (3) above, wherein when looking at a cross-section along the stacking direction of each of the base electrodes, the plurality of agglomerated sintered bodies occupy 21% or more and 44% or less of the cross-sectional area of each of the base electrodes.

[0151] (5) At least a part of the plurality of agglomerated sintered bodies is agglomerated and sintered including a plurality of portions at the interface, The stacked electronic component according to any one of (1) to (4) above, wherein at least a part of the plurality of agglomerated sintered bodies is protrusion-shaped extending from each of the plurality of portions.

[0152] (6) The stacked electronic component according to any one of (1) to (5) above, wherein the plurality of base electrodes are not directly joined to the plurality of internal electrodes.

[0153] (7) The stacked electronic component according to any one of (1) to (6) above, wherein the plurality of base electrodes do not contain a glass component.

[0154] (8) The stacked electronic component according to any one of (1) to (7) above, wherein when the cross-section along the stacking direction of the plurality of base electrodes is equally divided into two regions in the stacking direction, the plurality of agglomerated sintered bodies are more present in the region separated from the stacked body than in the region close to the stacked body.

[0155] (9) The stacked electronic component according to any one of (1) to (8) above, wherein the dimension in the stacking direction is smaller than the dimension in the length direction and smaller than the dimension in the width direction.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0156] 10…Multilayer electronic component (multilayer ceramic capacitor), 1…Element body component, 2…Multilayer body, 2a…Capacitance forming part, 2b, 2c…Cover parts, 3…Base electrode, 3a…First base electrode, 3b…Second base electrode, 3c…Fourth base electrode, 3c…Third base electrode, 3d…Fourth base electrode, 31…First region, 32…Second region, 4…External electrode, 4a…First external electrode, 4b…Second external electrode, 5…Internal electrode, 5a…First internal electrode, 5b…Second internal electrode, 6…Dielectric layer, 7a…First surface, 7b…Second surface, 8a…First end face, 8b…Second end face, 9a…First side face, 9b…Second side face, 10A…Multilayer electronic component (multilayer ceramic capacitor), 11…Element body component, 12…Multilayer body, 12a…Capacitance forming part, 12b, 12c…Cover parts, 13…Base electrode, 13a…First base electrode, 13b…Second base electrode, 13c…Third base electrode, 13d…Fourth base electrode, 13e…Fifth base electrode, 13f…Sixth base electrode, 13g…Seventh base electrode, 13h…Eighth base electrode, 131…First region, 132…Second region, 14…External electrode, 14a…First external electrode, 14b…Second external electrode, 14c…Third external electrode, 14d…Fourth external electrode, 15…Internal electrode, 15a…First internal electrode, 15b…Second internal electrode, 16…Dielectric layer, 17a…First surface, 17b…Second surface, 18a…First side face, 18b…Second side face, 18c…Third side face, 18d…Fourth side face, 19a…First corner, 19b…Second corner, 19c…Third corner, 19d…Fourth corner, 21…Ceramic green sheet, 22…Internal electrode sheet, 23…Base electrode sheet, 24…Mother multilayer body, 25…Cutting planned line, 26…Element body component, 27…Multilayer body, 27a…Capacitance forming part, 27b, 27c…Cover parts, 28…Base electrode, 28a…First base electrode, 28b…Second base electrode, 28c…Third base electrode, 28d…Fourth base electrode, 28e…Fifth base electrode, 28f…Sixth base electrode, 28g…Seventh base electrode, 28h…Eighth base electrode, 29…External electrode, 29a…First external electrode, 29b…Second external electrode, 29c…Third external electrode, 29d…Fourth external electrode, 29e…Fifth external electrode, 29f…Sixth external electrode, 29g…Seventh external electrode, 29h…Eighth external electrode, 30…Internal electrode, 30a…First internal electrode, 30b…Second internal electrode, 31…Dielectric layer, 32a…First surface, 32b…Second surface, 33a…First end face, 33b…Second end face, 34a…First side face, 34b…Second side face, S…Support sheet, A…Agglomerated sintered body, B, B’…Interfaces, P…Part

Claims

1. A laminate having multiple internal electrodes and multiple dielectric layers stacked alternately, and having a first surface and a second surface facing each other in the stacking direction, A plurality of base electrodes, including a first base electrode located on the first surface, Each includes a plurality of external electrodes connected to one of the plurality of internal electrodes and one of the plurality of base electrodes, When viewed in cross-section along the lamination direction, the first base electrode includes a plurality of sintered bodies made of dielectric particles, and at least a portion of the plurality of sintered bodies are located at the interface between the first base electrode and the laminate. Stacked electronic components.

2. Each of the plurality of sintered bodies comprises at least a portion of the interface, When the cross-section of the first substrate electrode is viewed along the lamination direction, the plurality of portions occupy 15% or more of the length of the interface. The stacked electronic component according to claim 1.

3. When the cross-section of the first base electrode is viewed along the lamination direction, the plurality of sintered bodies occupy 21% to 44% of the cross-sectional area of ​​the first base electrode. The stacked electronic component according to claim 1.

4. Each of the plurality of sintered bodies comprises at least a portion of the interface, At least a portion of the plurality of sintered bodies is a projection extending from each of the plurality of parts. The stacked electronic component according to claim 1.

5. The first base electrode is not directly bonded to the plurality of internal electrodes. The stacked electronic component according to claim 1.

6. The first base electrode does not contain glass components. The stacked electronic component according to claim 1.

7. When the cross-section of the first base electrode along the lamination direction is divided into two regions in the lamination direction, the plurality of sintered bodies are present in greater numbers in the region further away from the lamination than in the region closer to the lamination. The stacked electronic component according to claim 1.

8. At least a portion of the plurality of sintered bodies in a cross-section along the stacking direction are connected to each other in three dimensions to form a network. The stacked electronic component according to claim 1.

9. The average particle size of the dielectric particles contained in the sintered body is smaller than the average particle size of the dielectric particles contained in the dielectric layer. The stacked electronic component according to claim 1.

10. The stacked electronic component according to claim 1, wherein the dimension in the stacking direction is smaller than the dimension in the length direction and smaller than the dimension in the width direction.

11. The laminate has a first side surface and a second side surface that face each other in the length direction perpendicular to the stacking direction, and a third side surface and a fourth side surface that face each other in the width direction perpendicular to the stacking direction and the length direction. The plurality of base electrodes include a second base electrode, a third base electrode, and a fourth base electrode located on the first surface. The aforementioned plurality of internal electrodes are Multiple first internal electrodes exposed at the first corner portion extending from the first side to the third side, and at the second corner portion extending from the second side to the fourth side, It has a plurality of second internal electrodes exposed in the third corner portion extending from the first side to the fourth side portion, and in the fourth corner portion extending from the second side to the third side portion, The aforementioned multiple external electrodes are A first external electrode is located extending from the first corner portion across at least the first surface and connected to the plurality of first internal electrodes and the first base electrode, A second external electrode is located extending from the second corner portion across at least the first surface and is connected to the plurality of first internal electrodes and the second base electrode, A third external electrode is located extending from the third corner portion across at least the first surface and is connected to the plurality of second internal electrodes and the third base electrode, It has a fourth external electrode that extends from the fourth corner and across at least the first surface, and is connected to the plurality of second internal electrodes and the fourth base electrode, The second, third, and fourth base electrodes each include a plurality of sintered bodies when viewed in cross-section along the lamination direction, and at least a portion of the plurality of sintered bodies are located at the interface between each base electrode and the laminate. The stacked electronic component according to claim 1.

12. The laminate has a first end face and a second end face that face each other in the length direction perpendicular to the stacking direction, and a first side face and a second side face that face each other in the width direction perpendicular to the stacking direction and the length direction. The plurality of base electrodes include a second base electrode located on the first surface. The plurality of internal electrodes comprises a plurality of first internal electrodes exposed on the first end face and a plurality of second internal electrodes exposed on the second end face. The aforementioned multiple external electrodes are A first external electrode is located from the first end face, extending at least across the first surface, and connected to the plurality of first internal electrodes and the first base electrode, It has a second external electrode that extends from the second end face to at least the first face and is connected to the plurality of second internal electrodes and the second base electrode, The second base electrode, when viewed in cross-section along the lamination direction, includes a plurality of sintered bodies, and at least a portion of the plurality of sintered bodies is located at the interface between the second base electrode and the laminate. The stacked electronic component according to claim 1.

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