Chip type electronic components

Abstract

The present invention provides a chip-type electronic component, comprising: a chip-type component body, having: an opposing first main surface and a second main surface serving as a mounting surface; and first and second side surfaces and first and second end surfaces connecting the first and second main surfaces and respectively opposing each other; at least two external electrodes; and at least two spacers, electrically connected to each external electrode and at least a portion thereof being arranged along the mounting surface, each external electrode being formed on a first and second end surface and being formed to extend from each end surface to each portion of the first and second main surfaces and each portion of the first and second side surfaces, each spacer being arranged along the mounting surface and having a portion in contact with each external electrode and a portion in contact with the main surface, and on the mounting surface, the spacer having a given thickness-direction dimension measured in a direction perpendicular to the mounting surface, and containing an intermetallic compound comprising at least one metal selected from Cu and Ni and Sn.

Description

[0001] This application is a divisional application. The original application is a PCT application with an international application date of November 30, 2017 and an international application number of PCT / JP2017 / 043063, which entered the national stage on May 28, 2019. The national application number is 201780073510.3, and the name of the invention is “Chip-type electronic components”. Technical Field

[0002] The present invention relates to a chip type electronic component, and more particularly to an improvement of a terminal portion of a chip type electronic component. Background Art

[0003] In a multilayer ceramic capacitor, which is an example of a chip-type electronic component, when a voltage is applied between external electrodes, dielectric polarization occurs at portions of internal electrodes where adjacent internal electrodes face each other. Electrostatic capacitance caused by this dielectric polarization can be extracted through the external electrodes.

[0004] The dielectric that contributes to the formation of the electrostatic capacitance based on the opposing internal electrodes as described above causes electric field induced strain according to the applied voltage. When the multilayer ceramic capacitor is surface mounted on a substrate, the multilayer ceramic capacitor deforms the substrate due to the electric field induced strain, and a sound called "buzzing" is generated according to the frequency of the deformation. Moreover, if the "buzzing" becomes louder, it will cause noise problems.

[0005] For example, it is described in the specification of U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2016 / 0093441 (Patent Document 1) and International Publication No. 2015 / 098990 (Patent Document 2): In order to suppress the above-mentioned "buzzing", a spacer (referred to as a "metal frame" in Patent Document 1 and a "joining member" in Patent Document 2) is provided so as to cover a portion of each pair of external electrodes of a chip-type electronic component such as a stacked ceramic capacitor. These spacers are provided at least on the surface of the mounting substrate side of the component body in the chip-type electronic component. Therefore, the chip-type electronic component is mounted on the mounting substrate via the spacer.

[0006] Prior Art Literature

[0007] Patent Literature

[0008] Patent Document 1: U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2016 / 0093441

[0009] Patent Document 2: International Publication No. 2015 / 098990 Summary of the invention

[0010] Problems to be solved by the invention

[0011] Patent Document 1 states that the spacer is made of a conductive material such as a conductive metal, a conductive resin, or a circuit substrate coated with a metal, etc. In addition, the spacer is made of a preformed block, and in order to set the spacer, Patent Document 1 states that the block to be the spacer is arranged at a given position of the chip-type electronic component.

[0012] However, for example, for a small chip-type electronic component with a plane size of 1.1 to 2.0 mm × 0.6 to 0.9 mm, it is not easy to assemble the above-mentioned block in a desired position and orientation. When the block is to be arranged at a given position in the chip-type electronic component, it is conceivable that the block will often shift to an undesirable position relative to the chip-type electronic component, or rotate to an undesirable orientation.

[0013] Furthermore, when the spacer is made of a conductive resin, it is conceivable that it cannot withstand the temperature during soldering, for example.

[0014] On the other hand, lead-free solder (Sn-Ag-Cu) is exemplified as a material of the spacer concerned in the present invention in Patent Document 2. Patent Document 2 states that when the spacer is formed using lead-free solder, the solder paste is printed on a given portion of a chip-type electronic component, and a reflow process is performed at the melting temperature of the solder, followed by cooling.

[0015] According to the method described in Patent Document 2, in the process of printing solder paste, the solder paste will not be shifted to an undesired position or rotated to an undesired direction, and it is relatively easy to apply the solder paste to a predetermined portion of the chip-type electronic component in a desired form.

[0016] However, as will be made clear by the experimental examples described later, according to the inventors of the present application, even if a lead-free solder composed of Sn-Ag-Cu is used to form a spacer, it is impossible or extremely difficult to obtain a spacer of an appropriate shape. This is because the metal components contained in the solder paste melt during the reflow process and the shape of the solder paste when printed cannot be maintained. More specifically, sometimes the solder wets and spreads along the external electrode and cannot maintain the thickness when printed, or conversely, sometimes the solder is repelled on the external electrode and bulges into a ball, or the solder moves on the external electrode and causes positional displacement.

[0017] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a chip-type electronic component in which a spacer having sufficient heat resistance can be easily arranged in a desired form.

[0018] Technical solutions to solve problems

[0019] The present invention is directed to a chip-type electronic component, comprising: a chip-type component body having a mounting surface facing a mounting substrate side; at least two external electrodes provided on an outer surface of the component body; and at least two spacers electrically connected to each of the external electrodes and at least partially provided along the mounting surface of the component body, the component body being in a rectangular parallelepiped shape and having: a first main surface and a second main surface facing each other; and a first side surface and a second side surface and a first end surface and a second end surface connecting the first main surface and the second main surface and facing each other, the mounting surface being provided by the second main surface, each of the external electrodes being formed on the first end surface and the second end surface and being formed so as to extend from each of the end surfaces to each of a portion of the first main surface and the second main surface and each of a portion of the first side surface and the second side surface, each of the spacers being provided along the main surface serving as the mounting surface and having a portion in contact with each of the external electrodes and a portion in contact with the main surface, and on the mounting surface, the spacers having a given thickness-direction dimension measured in a direction perpendicular to the mounting surface and containing an intermetallic compound containing at least one metal selected from Cu and Ni and Sn.

[0020] The spacer mainly composed of the intermetallic compound having the above-mentioned composition is obtained by applying a paste containing at least one selected from Cu and Ni and Sn to the component body in a desired form and heating the paste. In this case, the form applied to the paste can be basically maintained in the spacer after curing.

[0021] In the present invention, the intermetallic compound is preferably an intermetallic compound generated by the reaction of Sn and Cu-Ni alloy. Such an intermetallic compound has the advantages of a fast reaction speed and little change in shape when generating the intermetallic compound.

[0022] The chip-type electronic component of the present invention is preferably a laminated ceramic capacitor having the above-mentioned structure. As described above, when the present invention is directed to a laminated ceramic capacitor, the spacer has the effect of reducing "buzzing", which is a problem often caused in laminated ceramic capacitors.

[0023] In order to more reliably exhibit the effect of reducing the “buzzing” in the above-mentioned multilayer ceramic capacitor, the dimension in the thickness direction of each spacer is preferably 10 μm or more.

[0024] In the present invention, preferably, the spacer further contains a single substance of Sn metal in addition to the intermetallic compound. The Sn metal in the spacer achieves good solderability in the spacer when mounting the chip-type electronic component on a mounting substrate.

[0025] In the present invention, it is preferred that the outermost layer of at least the portion exposed from the spacer in the external electrode is a layer containing Sn. This structure means that, before the spacer is provided, a layer containing Sn is also present in the region of the external electrode in contact with the spacer. This Sn contributes to the smooth generation of intermetallic compounds in the spacer.

[0026] Effects of the Invention

[0027] According to the present invention, the spacer is mainly composed of an intermetallic compound including at least one high melting point metal selected from Cu and Ni and Sn as a low melting point metal, so that a chip-type electronic component with the following spacer can be obtained, which has a melting point that does not melt even at the temperature during welding and can be easily configured in a desired form. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0028] Figure 1 The 3D image is a front view showing the chip-type electronic component 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention in a mounted state, and elements on the mounting substrate 2 side are shown in cross-sectional views.

[0029] Figure 2 yes Figure 1 A bottom view of a chip-type electronic component 1 is shown.

[0030] Figure 3 It is along Figure 2 2 is a cross-sectional view of the chip-type electronic component 1 taken along line III-III.

[0031] Figure 4 The figures show a chip-type electronic component 21 according to a second embodiment of the present invention in a mounted state, (A) is a front view, and (B) is a top view.

[0032] Figure 5 This is a diagram schematically showing an apparatus for measuring the sound pressure level of noise generated by “buzzing” of chip-type electronic component 1 constituting a multilayer ceramic capacitor.

[0033] Figure 6 It is shown that the Figure 5 A graph showing the relationship between the sound pressure level measured by the device shown and the thickness of the spacer.

[0034] Figure 7 It is a top view showing the appearance of the chip-type electronic component 41 involved in the embodiment and the comparative example produced in Experimental Example 2, showing the state in which a thick film 46 of metal material paste that should serve as a spacer is formed on the external electrodes 43 and 44 of the chip-type electronic component 41.

[0035] Figure 8 It is shown that the composition according to the embodiment is formed Figure 7FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a state of a metal material thick film 47 after a reflow process in the case of a metal material paste thick film 46 .

[0036] Fig. 9 1 is a diagram showing the state of the metal material thick film 47 after the reflow process in the case where the metal material thick film 47 is formed according to the composition of the comparative example. Figure 7 The metal material paste thick film 46 shown is a case where the external electrodes 43 and 44 are formed by a sintered layer of a conductive paste containing Cu as a conductive component, a Ni plated layer on the sintered layer, and a Sn plated layer on the Ni plated layer.

[0037] Fig.10 1 is a diagram showing the state of the metal material thick film 47 after the reflow process in the case where the metal material thick film 47 is formed according to the composition of the comparative example. Figure 7 In the case of the metal material paste thick film 46 shown, the external electrodes 43 and 44 are formed only by a baked layer of a conductive paste containing Cu as a conductive component.

[0038] Fig.11 1 is a diagram showing the state of the metal material thick film 47 after the reflow process in the case where the metal material thick film 47 is formed according to the composition of the comparative example. Figure 7 In the case of the metal material paste thick film 46 shown, the external electrodes 43 and 44 are formed only by a baked layer of a conductive paste containing Cu as a conductive component, but barrel polishing is further performed.

[0039] Description of Reference Numerals

[0040] 1, 21: chip-type electronic components;

[0041] 2: Install the substrate;

[0042] 3: Component body;

[0043] 5, 6: main surface (6: mounting surface);

[0044] 7, 8: side view;

[0045] 9, 10: end face;

[0046] 14, 15: external electrodes;

[0047] 16, 17: Spacers. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0048] Reference Figures 1 to 3 Hereinafter, a chip-type electronic component 1 according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described. In this embodiment, the chip-type electronic component 1 is a multilayer ceramic capacitor.

[0049] The chip-type electronic component 1 includes a chip-type component body 3. The component body 3 is in the shape of a rectangular parallelepiped, and has: a first main surface 5 and a second main surface 6 facing each other; a first side surface 7 and a second side surface 8 connecting the first main surface 5 and the second main surface 6 and facing each other, and a first end surface 9 and a second end surface 10. The rectangular parallelepiped component body 3 usually forms R chamfers at the edge line and corners.

[0050] like Figure 3 As shown, the component body 3 includes a plurality of stacked ceramic layers 11 and a plurality of internal electrodes 12 and 13 formed along interfaces between the plurality of ceramic layers 11. The ceramic layers 11 are made of dielectric ceramics. The internal electrodes 12 and 13 contain Ni as a conductive component, for example.

[0051] The internal electrodes 12 and 13 are formed so that their end edges are exposed at either the end faces 9 and 10 of the component body 3, and the first internal electrode 12 exposed at the first end face 9 of the component body 3 and the second internal electrode 13 exposed at the second end face 10 are alternately arranged inside the component body 3 so as to obtain electrostatic capacitance through the ceramic layer 11.

[0052] In order to derive the above-mentioned electrostatic capacitance, a first external electrode 14 electrically connected to the first internal electrode 12 and a second external electrode 15 electrically connected to the second internal electrode 13 are respectively formed on the first end face 9 and the second end face 10 of the component body 3. The external electrodes 14 and 15 are formed by, for example, sintering a conductive paste having Cu as a conductive component, and Ni plating and Sn plating are sequentially performed thereon as needed.

[0053] The first external electrode 14 and the second external electrode 15 are each formed not only on the first end face 9 and the second end face 10 of the component body 3, but also extended to each part of the first main face 5 and the second main face 6 adjacent to the end faces 9 and 10 respectively and each part of the first side face 7 and the second side face 8.

[0054] In the chip type electronic component 1, as Figure 1 As shown, the second main surface 6 is a mounting surface facing the mounting substrate 2. Therefore, in the following description, the reference numeral "6" is used for both the "second main surface" and the "mounting surface".

[0055] The first spacer 16 and the second spacer 17 that are the characteristics of the present invention are provided along the mounting surface 6. In this embodiment, the spacers 16 and 17 are provided within the range of the mounting surface 6, but the spacers 16 and 17 may extend to other surfaces of the component body 3.

[0056] The spacers 16 and 17 are mainly composed of an intermetallic compound containing at least one high melting point metal selected from Cu and Ni and Sn as a low melting point metal. The intermetallic compound is particularly preferably an intermetallic compound generated by the reaction of Sn and a Cu-Ni alloy. Such an intermetallic compound has the advantages of a fast reaction speed and little change in shape when the intermetallic compound is generated. In addition, as a high melting point metal constituting the intermetallic compound, Ag may be further included.

[0057] like Figure 1 As shown in FIG. 1 , on the mounting surface 6, the spacers 16 and 17 have a given thickness dimension T measured in a direction perpendicular to the mounting surface 6. In order to more reliably exert the effect of reducing the "buzzing" described later, the thickness dimension T of each of the spacers 16 and 17 is preferably 10 μm or more. In addition, the first spacer 16 and the second spacer 17 are electrically connected to the first external electrode 14 and the second external electrode 15, respectively. More specifically, as in Figure 2 As is clearly shown, the first spacer 16 and the second spacer 17 each have a portion in contact with the first external electrode 14 and the second external electrode 15 and a portion in contact with the mounting surface 6 .

[0058] like Figure 1 As shown, the mounting substrate 2 has a first conductive land 18 and a second conductive land 19 corresponding to the first external electrode 14 and the second external electrode 15. When the chip-type electronic component 1 is mounted on the mounting substrate 2, the first spacer 16 and the second spacer 17 are electrically connected and mechanically joined to the first conductive land 18 and the second conductive land 19 respectively via the solder 20. At this time, the solder 20 forms solder fillets along the side surfaces of the spacers 16 and 17.

[0059] Preferably, in addition to the aforementioned intermetallic compound, the spacers 16 and 17 further include a simple Sn metal. The Sn metal in the spacers 16 and 17 is used to achieve good solderability when the chip-type electronic component 1 is mounted on the mounting substrate 2. In order to obtain a state in which the spacers 16 and 17 include a simple Sn metal, for example, it is sufficient to contain an excess of Sn in the metal material used to generate the intermetallic compound. A portion of the excess Sn is used for the generation of the intermetallic compound and remains in the spacers 16 and 17 as a simple Sn metal.

[0060] In order to achieve good solderability, after forming the spacers 16 and 17 , Sn plating may be applied to the entire spacers 16 and 17 and the portions of the external electrodes 14 and 15 exposed from the spacers 16 and 17 .

[0061] As described above, if Ni plating and Sn plating are sequentially performed on the external electrodes 14 and 15, the outermost layers of the external electrodes 14 and 15 become layers containing Sn at least before the spacers 16 and 17 are formed. In this case, when the spacers 16 and 17 are formed, each part of the spacers 16 and 17 is in contact with the layer containing Sn. The Sn in the layer containing Sn contributes to the smooth generation of intermetallic compounds in the spacers 16 and 17. Therefore, the Sn in the outermost layers of the external electrodes 14 and 15 remains in the region exposed from the spacers 16 and 17 even after the spacers 16 and 17 are formed, but does not necessarily remain in the region in contact with the spacers 16 and 17 after the spacers 16 and 17 are formed.

[0062] In the mounted state of the chip type electronic component 1, the solder 20 may extend beyond the spacers 16 and 17 to reach the external electrodes 14 and 15, or may extend beyond the spacers 16 and 17 to reach the external electrodes 14 and 15. Figure 1 As shown, the solder 20 does not reach the external electrodes 14 and 15. However, in order to reduce "buzzing" described later, it is preferable that the solder 20 does not reach the external electrodes 14 and 15.

[0063] As described above, if it is important to prevent the solder 20 from reaching the external electrodes 14 and 15, it is preferred that a layer containing Sn having high wettability to the solder 20 is not formed in the outermost layer of the portions of the external electrodes 14 and 15 exposed from the spacers 16 and 17. As can be seen from this, the external electrodes 14 and 15 may be plated with Ni only instead of Sn, or may be made into Cu sintered electrodes only.

[0064] Next, a preferred method for forming the spacers 16 and 17 will be described.

[0065] (1) The component body 3 on which the external electrodes 14 and 15 are formed is prepared.

[0066] (2) On the other hand, a metal material paste containing at least one high melting point metal selected from Cu and Ni and Sn as a low melting point metal is prepared as a material of the spacers 16 and 17 .

[0067] (3) In addition, a retaining plate such as an alumina plate is prepared to which the metal material paste does not bond under reflow conditions.

[0068] (4) A metal material paste is applied to the holding plate in a desired pattern by screen printing or dispensing, thereby forming a thick film of the metal material paste.

[0069] (5) The component body 3 prepared in (1) is mounted on the retaining plate in a posture where the mounting surface 6 faces the retaining plate. At this time, the external electrodes 14 and 15 of the component body 3 and the metal material paste thick film composed of the metal material paste are aligned, and the metal material paste thick film is attached to the component body 3 so as to cover each part of the external electrodes 14 and 15.

[0070] (6) A reflow process is performed in the state of (5). Thus, the metal in the metal material paste generates an intermetallic compound, and the metal material paste is solidified to form the spacers 16 and 17 in a state of being bonded to the component body 3 and the external electrodes 14 and 15 .

[0071] (7) The component body 3 together with the spacers 16 and 17 are separated from the holding plate.

[0072] As described above, the chip-type electronic component 1 including the spacers 16 and 17 is obtained.

[0073] Next, refer to Figure 4 A chip-type electronic component 21 according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. Figure 4 In Figures 1 to 3 The same reference numerals are used to designate corresponding elements in the drawings, and repeated descriptions are omitted.

[0074] The chip-type electronic component 21 is characterized in that the thickness direction dimension T of the spacers 16 and 17 is large compared to the aforementioned chip-type electronic component 1. Therefore, it is possible to mount another electronic component 22 between the chip-type electronic component 21 and the mounting substrate 2. The other electronic component 22 is, for example, a chip-type electronic component, whose external electrodes 23 and 24 are electrically connected and mechanically joined to the conductive lands 25 and 26 on the mounting substrate 2 via solder 27.

[0075] The so-called three-dimensional mounting as described above can contribute to the reduction of the mounting area.

[0076] [Experimental Example 1]

[0077] Next, Experimental Example 1 conducted to confirm the effect of reducing the “buzzing” achieved by the chip-type electronic component 1 constituting the multilayer ceramic capacitor according to the first embodiment will be described.

[0078] exist Figure 5 A device for measuring the sound pressure level of noise generated by “buzzing” of chip-type electronic component 1 constituting a multilayer ceramic capacitor is shown.

[0079] Reference Figure 5, the mounting substrate 2 on which the chip-type electronic component 1 is mounted is arranged in the anechoic chamber 28. On the other hand, the sound collecting microphone 29 is configured to be opposite to the mounting substrate 2. Then, an AC voltage having a frequency of 3kHz and a voltage of 1Vpp, for example, is applied to the chip-type electronic component 1 constituting the stacked ceramic capacitor. As a result, the chip-type electronic component 1 causes the mounting substrate 2 to deform at the above-mentioned frequency, generating a noise called "buzzing". The noise is collected by the sound collecting microphone 29, and the output of the sound collecting microphone 29 is input to the FFT (Fast Fourier Transform) analyzer 31 via the sound collecting meter 30, and the sound pressure level is analyzed there.

[0080] The sound pressure levels of the noises obtained as above are shown in Table 1 and Figure 6 Table 1 and Figure 6 The data shown are data on a laminated ceramic capacitor having a component body with a dimension of 1.12 mm in the long side direction, 0.63 mm in the width direction, and 0.63 mm in the height direction. As a metal material paste for forming a spacer, a metal material paste containing 31.5 wt% of Cu-10 wt% Ni powder with a D50 of 5 μm, 58.5 wt% of a solder powder composed of Sn-3 wt% Ag-0.5 wt% Cu with a D50 of 5 μm, and 10 wt% of a flux was used. Then, the dimension of the spacer in the thickness direction was changed and the sound pressure level of the noise was measured.

[0081] [Table 1]

[0082]

[0083] As shown in Table 1 and Figure 6 As shown, compared with Sample 1 having no spacer, i.e., a spacer having a thickness of 0 mm, Samples 2 to 12 having spacers having a thickness of 10 μm (0.01 mm) or more have lower sound pressure levels of noise. In addition, when comparing Samples 2 to 12, there is a tendency that the sound pressure level generally decreases as the thickness of the spacer increases.

[0084] [Experimental Example 2]

[0085] In Experimental Example 2, a comparison was made between an embodiment according to the present invention and a comparative example with respect to the morphology retention after reflow soldering, wherein, as a metal material for forming a spacer, in the embodiment according to the present invention, a metal material whose main component is an intermetallic compound containing at least one high-melting-point metal selected from Cu and Ni and Sn as a low-melting-point metal is used, and in the comparative example, a lead-free solder composed of Sn-Ag-Cu described in Patent Document 2 is used.

[0086] In the embodiment, as the metal material paste, the same as the metal material paste used in the aforementioned experimental example 1, a metal material paste containing 31.5wt% of Cu-10wt% Ni powder with a D50 of 5μm, 58.5wt% of solder powder composed of Sn-3wt% Ag-0.5wt% Cu with a D50 of 5μm, and 10wt% of flux was used.

[0087] On the other hand, in the comparative example, as the metal material paste, a lead-free solder paste “M705-GRN360-K2-V” composed of Sn—Ag—Cu manufactured by Senju Metal Industries, Ltd. was used.

[0088] As a sample, the following Figure 7 The chip-type electronic component 41 shown. The chip-type electronic component 41 has a component body 42 in the shape of a rectangular parallelepiped. At both ends of the component body 42, external electrodes 43 and 44 having a sintered layer based on a conductive paste having Cu as a conductive component are formed. Here, regarding the external electrodes 43 and 44, the following three types of chip-type electronic components are prepared: a chip-type electronic component 41A having an external electrode having a Ni plating layer formed on the above-mentioned sintered layer and a Sn plating layer formed on the Ni plating layer; a chip-type electronic component 41B having an external electrode consisting only of the above-mentioned sintered layer; and a chip-type electronic component 41C having an external electrode consisting only of the above-mentioned sintered layer but having been roller-polished to remove the oxide film on the surface.

[0089] Next, a metal material paste is printed on the portions of the external electrodes 43 and 44 located on the mounting surface 45 side of the component body 42, thereby forming a Figure 7 The metal material paste thick film 46 to be the spacer has a rectangular pattern as shown. More specifically, the following samples 1 to 6 were produced.

[0090] (Sample 1) For chip type electronic component 41A, metal material paste thick film 46 was formed using the metal material paste according to the above-described embodiment as the metal material paste.

[0091] (Sample 2) For chip-type electronic component 41B, metal material paste thick film 46 was formed using the metal material paste according to the above-described embodiment as the metal material paste.

[0092] (Sample 3) For chip type electronic component 41C, metal material paste thick film 46 was formed using the metal material paste according to the above-described embodiment as the metal material paste.

[0093] (Sample 4) For chip-type electronic component 41A, metal material paste thick film 46 was formed using the metal material paste according to the above-mentioned comparative example as the metal material paste.

[0094] (Sample 5) For chip-type electronic component 41B, metal material paste thick film 46 was formed using the metal material paste according to the above-mentioned comparative example as the metal material paste.

[0095] (Sample 6) For chip-type electronic component 41C, metal material paste thick film 46 was formed using the metal material paste according to the above-mentioned comparative example as the metal material paste.

[0096] Next, the metal material paste thick film 46 was subjected to a reflow process for each of Samples 1 to 6. Then, the morphology of the metal material thick film to be a spacer obtained after the reflow process of the metal material paste thick film 46 was evaluated.

[0097] According to the samples 1 to 3 involved in the embodiment, in any case, Figure 8 As shown, the metal material thick film 47 after the reflow process substantially maintains the metal material paste thick film 46 before the reflow process (see Figure 7 ) form.

[0098] On the other hand, in Sample 4 according to the comparative example, Fig. 9 As shown, the metal material thick film 47 after the reflow process wets and spreads on each of the external electrodes 43 and 44, and fails to maintain the planar shape and thickness of the metal material paste thick film 46 before the reflow process. It is speculated that this is because the wettability of the metal material is improved by the Sn plating film provided on the surface of the external electrodes 43 and 44.

[0099] Next, in Sample 5 according to the comparative example, Fig.10 As shown, the wetting and spreading of the metal material on the surfaces of the external electrodes 43 and 44 is not confirmed, the metal material is repelled on the surfaces of the external electrodes 43 and 44, and the metal material thick film 47 after the reflow process becomes a nearly spherical bulge. In addition, it is difficult to form the metal material thick film 47 symmetrically on each of the external electrodes 43 and 44.

[0100] Next, in Sample 6 according to the comparative example, Fig.11 As shown, the wetting and spreading of the metal material on the surfaces of the external electrodes 43 and 44 is not confirmed, and the metal material is repelled from the surfaces of the external electrodes 43 and 44. Although the thick film 47 of the metal material after the reflow process is lower than that of the sample 5, it is difficult to form the thick film 47 of the metal material symmetrically on each of the external electrodes 43 and 44.

[0101] In addition, when the metal material thick film 47 involved in the embodiment and the metal material thick film 47 involved in the comparative example were heated again to the reflow temperature, the metal material thick film 47 involved in the embodiment was confirmed to maintain its shape for any of the samples 1 to 3. On the other hand, with respect to the metal material thick film 47 involved in the comparative example, the sample 4 was molten again except for a small portion in contact with the Sn plating film existing on the surface of the external electrodes 43 and 44, and the samples 5 and 6 were molten again as a whole.

[0102] In addition, further studies were conducted to Figures 1 to 3 An experiment was conducted to form the first spacer 16 and the second spacer 17 in a state where the first spacer 16 and the second spacer 17 have portions in contact with the first external electrode 14 and the second external electrode 15 and portions in contact with the mounting surface 6 as shown. In this experiment, a thick film of a metal material paste is formed in the pattern of the spacers 16 and 17, and then a reflow process is performed to form the spacers 16 and 17 composed of a thick film of a metal material.

[0103] Here, when the metal material paste according to the embodiment is used, the spacers 16 and 17 of appropriate shapes made of a metal material thick film can be formed regardless of the presence or absence of a Sn plating film on the surfaces of the external electrodes 14 and 15 .

[0104] On the other hand, when the metal material paste according to the comparative example was used, the spacers 16 and 17 could not be formed in an appropriate form. In particular, when the Sn plating film existed on the surfaces of the external electrodes 14 and 15, as a result of the reflow process, most of the metal material on the mounting surface 6 was pulled onto the external electrodes 14 and 15, and the spacer could not be formed in a state having a portion in contact with the first external electrode 14 and the second external electrode 15 and a portion in contact with the mounting surface 6.

[0105] In the above, a chip-type electronic component constituting a multilayer ceramic capacitor is described as the chip-type electronic component according to the present invention. However, the present invention can also be applied to chip-type electronic components having electrostriction other than multilayer ceramic capacitors, such as chip-type coil components, chip-type piezoelectric components, etc.

[0106] Furthermore, the spacer, which is a characteristic structure of the present invention, not only contributes to the reduction of "buzzing" but also contributes to the realization of three-dimensional mounting. Therefore, the chip-type electronic component that is the object of the present invention is not limited to the chip-type electronic component having electrostriction.

[0107] In addition, it should be pointed out that the above-mentioned embodiments are illustrative only, and some structures can be replaced or combined among different embodiments.

Claims

1. A chip-type electronic component comprising: A chip-type component body having a mounting surface facing the mounting substrate side; at least two external electrodes disposed on an outer surface of the component body; and at least two spacers, electrically connected to each of the external electrodes and at least partially disposed along the mounting surface of the component body, The component body is in a rectangular parallelepiped shape, and has: a first main surface and a second main surface opposite to each other; and a first side surface and a second side surface and a first end surface and a second end surface connecting the first main surface and the second main surface and opposite to each other, respectively, and the mounting surface is provided by the second main surface. Each of the external electrodes is formed on the first end surface and the second end surface, and is formed to extend from each of the end surfaces to a portion of each of the first main surface and the second main surface and a portion of each of the first side surface and the second side surface. Each of the spacers is provided along the second main surface and has a portion in contact with each of the external electrodes and a portion in contact with the second main surface. The spacer has a given thickness dimension measured in a direction perpendicular to the second main surface and contains an intermetallic compound including Sn and at least one metal selected from Cu and Ni, The spacer is mainly composed of metal. The outermost surface of the spacer contains Sn.

2. The chip-type electronic component according to claim 1, wherein The intermetallic compound is an intermetallic compound generated by a reaction between Sn and a Cu-Ni alloy.

3. The chip-type electronic component according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: The chip-type electronic component is a multilayer ceramic capacitor.

4. The chip-type electronic component according to claim 3, wherein: The thickness dimension of each of the spacers is 10 μm or more.

5. The chip-type electronic component according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: In addition to the intermetallic compound, the spacer further contains a single element of Sn metal.

6. The chip-type electronic component according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: At least the outermost layer of the portion of the external electrode exposed from the separator is a layer containing Sn.

7. A chip-type electronic component mounting structure, wherein: The chip-type electronic component according to claim 1 is connected to the conductive connection pad via solder.

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