Method for manufacturing electronic component

Abstract

The present invention provides a method for manufacturing an electronic component, which applies a conductive paste with good accuracy to a desired position of an electronic component blank. The method for manufacturing an electronic component, which applies a conductive paste to a portion of the surface of an electronic component blank having a rectangular shape, comprises: a step (S2) of sequentially supplying an amount of conductive paste corresponding to one electronic component blank to the outer peripheral surface of a coating roller; and a step (S3) of coating the surface of the electronic component blank by making the surface of the electronic component blank conveyed along a conveying path abut against the conductive paste supplied to the outer peripheral surface of the coating roller. In the step (S2) of applying the conductive paste, the conveying speed of the electronic component blank along the conveying path and the rotation speed of the coating roller are controlled so that the conductive paste is sequentially applied to the surfaces of multiple electronic component blanks.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a method for producing an electronic component in which external electrodes are formed on the surface of an electronic component body. Background Art

[0002] As a method for manufacturing an electronic component such as a multilayer ceramic capacitor in which an external electrode is formed on the surface of an electronic component body, there is known a method in which a conductive paste is applied to the surface of the electronic component body and then fired to form a base electrode layer, and an external electrode is formed by forming a plating layer thereon.

[0003] As one of the methods for applying conductive paste on the surface of an electronic component blank, the following method is disclosed in Patent Document 1, namely, a rectangular electronic component blank is conveyed toward a coating roller on the outer peripheral surface of which a conductive paste is supplied, so that the end face of the electronic component blank abuts against the outer peripheral surface of the coating roller, thereby applying the conductive paste to the end face.

[0004] Prior Art Literature

[0005] Patent Literature

[0006] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2019-135752

[0007] However, in the method described in Patent Document 1, the conductive paste is continuously attached to the outer peripheral surface of the coating roller along the rotation direction thereof. Therefore, in the case of manufacturing an electronic component in which the conductive paste is applied only to the end surface of the electronic component blank and the base electrode layer is formed only on the end surface of the electronic component blank, if the conductive paste is applied using the method described in Patent Document 1, when the end surface of the electronic component blank is brought into contact with the outer peripheral surface of the coating roller, the conductive paste not only adheres to the end surface of the electronic component blank but also wraps around the side surface. Summary of the invention

[0008] Problems to be solved by the invention

[0009] The present invention is made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a method for manufacturing an electronic component capable of applying a conductive paste with high accuracy to a desired position of an electronic component body.

[0010] Technical solutions to solve problems

[0011] The method for manufacturing an electronic component of the present invention is characterized in that a conductive paste is applied to a part of the surface of an electronic component body having a rectangular parallelepiped shape, and the method for manufacturing an electronic component is characterized in that:

[0012] The step of sequentially supplying the conductive paste in an amount corresponding to one electronic component body onto the outer peripheral surface of the coating roller; and

[0013] a step of applying the conductive paste to the surface of the electronic component body by bringing the surface of the electronic component body conveyed along the conveying path into contact with the conductive paste supplied to the outer peripheral surface of the coating roller,

[0014] In the step of applying the conductive paste, the conveying speed of the electronic component bodies along the conveying path and the rotation speed of the coating roller are controlled so that the conductive paste is sequentially applied to the surfaces of the plurality of electronic component bodies.

[0015] Effects of the Invention

[0016] According to the method for manufacturing electronic components of the present invention, the conductive paste corresponding to one electronic component blank is sequentially supplied to the outer peripheral surface of the coating roller, and the surface of the electronic component blank conveyed along the conveying path is brought into contact with the outer peripheral surface of the coating roller, so that the conductive paste supplied to the outer peripheral surface of the coating roller adheres to the surface of the electronic component blank, thereby applying the conductive paste to the surface of the electronic component blank. Therefore, for example, when applying the conductive paste to the end surface of the electronic component blank, it is possible to prevent the conductive paste from being applied around the side surface of the electronic component blank. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0017] Figure 1 It is a perspective view schematically showing the appearance of a multilayer ceramic capacitor as an example of an electronic component manufactured by the method for manufacturing an electronic component of the present invention.

[0018] Figure 2 Yes Figure 1 The illustrated multilayer ceramic capacitor is a schematic cross-sectional view taken along line II-II.

[0019] Figure 3 Yes Figure 1 The illustrated multilayer ceramic capacitor is a schematic cross-sectional view taken along line III-III.

[0020] Figure 4 This is a flowchart for explaining the method for manufacturing the electronic component in the first embodiment.

[0021] Figure 5 It is a side view schematically showing the structure of the coating device 100 in the first embodiment.

[0022] Figure 6 It is a plan view showing the shape of the first recessed portion provided on the outer peripheral surface of the first supply roller.

[0023] Figure 7 It is a side view schematically showing the structure of the coating device in the second embodiment.

[0024] Figure 8 This is a flowchart for explaining the method for manufacturing the electronic component in the second embodiment.

[0025] Description of Reference Numerals

[0026] 10: Multilayer ceramic capacitor;

[0027] 11: Electronic component blank;

[0028] 12: dielectric layer;

[0029] 13a: 1st internal electrode;

[0030] 13b: second internal electrode;

[0031] 14a: 1st external electrode;

[0032] 14b: second external electrode;

[0033] 15a: the first end surface of the electronic component body;

[0034] 15b: the second end surface of the electronic component body;

[0035] 100: coating device;

[0036] 101a: first coating mechanism;

[0037] 101b: second coating mechanism;

[0038] 102a: first conductive paste tank;

[0039] 102b: second conductive paste groove;

[0040] 103a: first supply roller;

[0041] 103b: second supply roller;

[0042] 104a: first coating roller;

[0043] 104b: second coating roller;

[0044] 105a: first scraper;

[0045] 105b: second scraper;

[0046] 106: conveyor belt;

[0047] 120: conductive paste;

[0048] 131a: 1st concave part;

[0049] 131b: 2nd concave part;

[0050] 141a: first base electrode layer;

[0051] 141b: second base electrode layer;

[0052] 142a: first intermediate electrode layer;

[0053] 142b: second intermediate electrode layer;

[0054] 143a: first plating layer;

[0055] 143b: Second plating layer. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0056] The following is a detailed description of the features of the present invention by showing the embodiments of the present invention. In addition, a two-terminal multilayer ceramic capacitor is cited as an example of an electronic component manufactured by the method for manufacturing an electronic component of the present invention, but the type of electronic component is not particularly limited as long as it is a piezoelectric component, a thermistor, an inductor, etc., in which an external electrode is formed on the surface of the electronic component body.

[0057] <First Embodiment>

[0058] (Structure of electronic components)

[0059] Figure 1 1 is a perspective view schematically showing the appearance of a multilayer ceramic capacitor 10 as an example of an electronic component manufactured by the method for manufacturing an electronic component of the present invention. Figure 2 Yes Figure 1 The illustrated multilayer ceramic capacitor 10 is a schematic cross-sectional view taken along line II-II. Figure 3 Yes Figure 1 The illustrated multilayer ceramic capacitor 10 is a schematic cross-sectional view taken along line III-III.

[0060] like Figure 1 to Figure 3 As shown, the multilayer ceramic capacitor 10 is an electronic component having a rectangular parallelepiped shape as a whole, and includes an electronic component body 11 and a pair of external electrodes 14a and 14b. The electronic component body 11 has a rectangular parallelepiped shape. Figure 1 As shown, a pair of external electrodes 14a and 14b are arranged to face each other.

[0061] Here, the direction in which the dielectric layer 12 and the internal electrodes 13a and 13b described later are stacked is defined as the stacking direction T of the multilayer ceramic capacitor 10, the direction in which the pair of external electrodes 14a and 14b are opposed is defined as the length direction L, and the direction orthogonal to any one of the length direction L and the stacking direction T is defined as the width direction W. Any two directions among the length direction L, the stacking direction T, and the width direction W are mutually orthogonal. In addition, the stacking direction T is sometimes referred to as the thickness direction.

[0062] The electronic component body 11 has first and second end faces 15a and 15b facing each other in the longitudinal direction L, first and second main faces 16a and 16b facing each other in the stacking direction T, and first and second side faces 17a and 17b facing each other in the width direction W.

[0063] The electronic component blank 11 preferably has rounded corners and ridges. Here, the corner is the portion where three surfaces of the electronic component blank 11 intersect, and the ridge is the portion where two surfaces of the electronic component blank 11 intersect. In addition, the rectangular parallelepiped shape also includes a shape in which at least one of the corners and ridges is rounded.

[0064] like Figure 2 as well as Figure 3 As shown, the electronic component body 11 includes a plurality of stacked dielectric layers 12 and a plurality of internal electrodes 13a, 13b. The internal electrodes 13a, 13b include a first internal electrode 13a and a second internal electrode 13b. More specifically, the electronic component body 11 has a structure in which a plurality of first internal electrodes 13a and second internal electrodes 13b are alternately stacked in a stacking direction T with the dielectric layers 12 interposed therebetween.

[0065] The first internal electrode 13a and the second internal electrode 13b contain metal such as Ni, Cu, Ag, Pd, and Au, or an alloy of Ag and Pd, etc. The first internal electrode 13a and the second internal electrode 13b preferably contain the same ceramic material as the dielectric ceramic contained in the dielectric layer 12 as a common material.

[0066] The first internal electrode 13a is led out to the first end surface 15a of the electronic component body 11. In addition, the second internal electrode 13b is led out to the second end surface 15b of the electronic component body 11.

[0067] The first external electrode 14a is formed on the entire first end surface 15a of the electronic component body 11, and is formed to go around from the first end surface 15a to the first main surface 16a, the second main surface 16b, the first side surface 17a, and the second side surface 17b. The first external electrode 14a is electrically connected to the first internal electrode 13a exposed on the first end surface 15a.

[0068] The second external electrode 14b is formed on the entire second end surface 15b of the electronic component body 11, and is formed to go around from the second end surface 15b to the first main surface 16a, the second main surface 16b, the first side surface 17a, and the second side surface 17b. The second external electrode 14b is electrically connected to the second internal electrode 13b exposed on the second end surface 15b.

[0069] The first external electrode 14a includes a first foundation electrode layer 141a, a first intermediate electrode layer 142a, and a first plating layer 143a. The second external electrode 14b includes a second foundation electrode layer 141b, a second intermediate electrode layer 142b, and a second plating layer 143b.

[0070] The first foundation electrode layer 141a is provided only on the first end surface 15a of the electronic component body 11. In addition, the second foundation electrode layer 141b is provided only on the second end surface 15b of the electronic component body 11. The first foundation electrode layer 141a and the second foundation electrode layer 141b contain metals such as Ni, Cu, Ag, Pd, Ag-Pd alloy, or Au. The first foundation electrode layer 141a and the second foundation electrode layer 141b preferably contain the same ceramic material as the dielectric ceramic contained in the dielectric layer 12 as a common material.

[0071] The first intermediate electrode layer 142a is provided so as to cover the first base electrode layer 141a and to extend to the first main surface 16a, the second main surface 16b, the first side surface 17a, and the second side surface 17b. The second intermediate electrode layer 142b is provided so as to cover the second base electrode layer 141b and to extend to the first main surface 16a, the second main surface 16b, the first side surface 17a, and the second side surface 17b. The first intermediate electrode layer 142a and the second intermediate electrode layer 142b may be, for example, resin electrode layers containing conductive particles and a thermosetting resin, or may be layers containing the same material as the first base electrode layer 141a and the second base electrode layer 141b.

[0072] The first plating layer 143a is provided to cover the first intermediate electrode layer 142a. In addition, the second plating layer 143b is provided to cover the second intermediate electrode layer 142b. The first plating layer 143a and the second plating layer 143b may be a single layer or a plurality of layers. As an example, the first plating layer 143a and the second plating layer 143b include a Ni plating layer and a Sn plating layer formed on the Ni plating layer, respectively.

[0073] In the multilayer ceramic capacitor 10 having the above-described structure, the first base electrode layer 141a connected to the first internal electrode 13a is provided only on the first end surface 15a of the electronic component body 11, and the second base electrode layer 141b connected to the second internal electrode 13b is provided only on the second end surface 15b. Therefore, compared with a multilayer ceramic capacitor having a structure in which the base electrode layer is wound around the main surfaces 16a, 16b and the side surfaces 17a, 17b of the electronic component body 11, the size can be reduced at the same capacitance. In addition, by providing the first base electrode layer 141a and the second base electrode layer 141b, the first intermediate electrode layer 142a and the second intermediate electrode layer 142b can be made as thin as possible.

[0074] (Method for manufacturing electronic component)

[0075] Figure 4 1 is a flowchart for explaining the method for manufacturing the electronic component in the first embodiment. Figure 4 A method for manufacturing the multilayer ceramic capacitor 10 as an example of an electronic component will be described.

[0076] In step S1, the electronic component body 11 is prepared. The electronic component body 11 can be produced by a known method, and the production method will be briefly described below.

[0077] First, a plurality of ceramic green sheets and raw material sheets on which conductive paste for internal electrodes is printed are prepared, and after a predetermined number of ceramic green sheets are stacked, a predetermined number of raw material sheets are stacked, and a predetermined number of ceramic green sheets are stacked thereon and pressure-bonded to form a mother block. Next, the mother block is cut into individual pieces to produce a plurality of stacked chips.

[0078] Next, the laminated chip is barrel-polished to form rounded corners and ridges, and then fired. Thus, the dielectric material and the conductive material contained in the laminated chip are fired to form an electronic component body 11 including a plurality of dielectric layers 12 and a plurality of internal electrodes 13a, 13b. The firing temperature can be appropriately set according to the dielectric material and the conductive material, and is preferably, for example, 900°C or more and 1300°C or less.

[0079] Next, external electrodes are formed on a portion of the surface of the electronic component body 11, specifically, on the entire first end surface 15a and the second end surface 15b, and on a portion of the first main surface 16a, the second main surface 16b, the first side surface 17a, and the second side surface 17b.

[0080] Here, before explaining the process of forming the external electrodes, Figure 5 The coating device 100 used when forming the external electrodes will be described. Figure 5 It is a side view schematically showing the structure of the coating device 100 in the first embodiment.

[0081] like Figure 5 As shown in the figure, the coating device 100 includes a first coating mechanism 101a and a second coating mechanism 101b located at positions spaced apart from each other. The first coating mechanism 101a is used to coat the conductive paste 120 on the first end surface 15a of the electronic component body 11, and the second coating mechanism 101b is used to coat the conductive paste 120 on the second end surface 15b of the electronic component body 11. Although the structure of the first coating mechanism 101a is described below, the structure of the second coating mechanism 101b is the same.

[0082] The first coating mechanism 101a includes a first conductive paste tank 102a, a first supply roller 103a, a first coating roller 104a, and a first scraper 105a. The second coating mechanism 101b includes a second conductive paste tank 102b, a second supply roller 103b, a second coating roller 104b, and a second scraper 105b.

[0083] The first conductive paste groove 102a stores a conductive paste 120. The conductive paste 120 is a conductive paste for forming the first base electrode layer 141a of the first external electrode 14a, and contains, for example, metal powder such as Ni, Cu, Ag, Pd, Ag-Pd alloy, or Au, an adhesive such as an acrylic resin adhesive, a solvent, glass, and a dispersant for improving the dispersion of the metal powder.

[0084] The content of the solvent contained in the conductive paste 120 is preferably 30 volume % or more and 90 volume % or less relative to the entire conductive paste 120. By including the solvent in the conductive paste 120, the gap between molecules is increased, thereby reducing the force of mutual attraction between molecules. By increasing the content of the solvent, the viscosity of the conductive paste 120 can be reduced. As a result, the conductive paste 120 can be prevented from extending linearly.

[0085] The viscosity of the conductive paste 120 is preferably not less than 10 Pa·s and not more than 90 Pa·s. In addition, the viscosity of the conductive paste 120 is more preferably not less than 20 Pa·s and not more than 90 Pa·s. When the viscosity of the conductive paste 120 is less than 10 Pa·s, it becomes difficult for the conductive paste 120 to maintain a fixed shape, and it becomes difficult to apply the conductive paste 120 with good accuracy. In addition, when the viscosity of the conductive paste 120 is greater than 90 Pa·s, when the conductive paste 120 is applied to the electronic component body 11, the conductive paste 120 may not be discharged from the first recess 131a of the first supply roller 103a described later.

[0086] In the present embodiment, a plurality of first recessed portions 131 a are provided on the outer peripheral surface of the first supply roller 103 a at predetermined intervals along the rotation direction.

[0087] Figure 6 1 is a top view showing the shape of the first concave portion 131a. As described later, the conductive paste 120 in the first concave portion 131a of the first supply roller 103a is transferred to the outer peripheral surface of the first coating roller 104a and then adheres to the first end surface 15a of the electronic component body 11. Figure 6As shown, the shape of the first recess 131a when observed in a direction perpendicular to the bottom surface 1310a of the first recess 131a is a rectangle. In order to form the first base electrode layer 141a only on the first end surface 15a, the size of the first recess 131a when observed in a direction perpendicular to the bottom surface 1310a of the first recess 131a is set to be smaller than the size of the first end surface 15a of the electronic component blank 11 as the area where the conductive paste 120 is applied. The so-called size of the first recess 131a being smaller than the size of the first end surface 15a of the electronic component blank 11 means that the size of the bottom surface 1310a of the first recess 131a is the same as the size of the first end surface 15a of the electronic component blank 11, or as Figure 6 As shown, the bottom surface 1310 a of the first recess 131 a is smaller than the first end surface 15 a of the electronic component body 11 .

[0088] The depth of first recess 131a is determined by the thickness of conductive paste 120 applied to first end surface 15a of electronic component body 11. The thickness of conductive paste 120 applied to first end surface 15a is, for example, 10 μm to 100 μm.

[0089] The first supply roller 103 a has a portion thereof immersed in the first conductive paste groove 102 a , so that the conductive paste 120 is attached to the outer peripheral surface.

[0090] The first scraper 105a scrapes and removes the excess conductive paste 120 attached to the portion other than the first concave portion 131a in the outer circumferential surface of the first supply roller 103a. Therefore, when the excess conductive paste 120 is removed by the first scraper 105a, the conductive paste 120 is attached only to the first concave portion 131a in the outer circumferential surface of the first supply roller 103a.

[0091] The outer peripheral surface of the first supply roller 103a and the outer peripheral surface of the first coating roller 104a are in rolling contact. Figure 5 As shown in FIG. 1 , the first supply roller 103a and the first coating roller 104a are rotated in opposite directions so that the outer peripheral surfaces thereof abut against each other. Thus, the conductive paste 120 in the first concave portion 131a of the first supply roller 103a is transferred to the outer peripheral surface of the first coating roller 104a. Figure 5 In FIG. 1 , the conductive paste 120 transferred to the outer peripheral surface of the first coating roller 104 a is shown in black in order to improve visibility.

[0092] Here, the first coating roller 104a includes a cylindrical main body and an elastic body covering the outer periphery of the main body. The main body includes aluminum, but the material of the main body is not limited to aluminum, and may be other metals such as iron. The elastic body includes silicone rubber, but the material of the elastic body is not limited to silicone rubber, and may be other elastic bodies with appropriate deformation resistance, such as composite materials such as CFRP (Carbon Fiber Reinforced Plastics).

[0093] The conductive paste 120 supplied to the outer peripheral surface of the first coating roller 104a is an amount corresponding to one electronic component body 11, more specifically, an amount applied to the first end surface 15a of one electronic component body 11. The conductive paste 120 supplied to the outer peripheral surface of the first coating roller 104a is applied to the first end surface 15a of the electronic component body 11 by contacting the first end surface 15a.

[0094] As described above, the second coating mechanism 101b has the same structure as the first coating mechanism 101a, and therefore a detailed description thereof will be omitted here.

[0095] Return to Figure 4 The flowchart of is continued to be described. In step S2 following step S1, an amount of conductive paste corresponding to one electronic component blank 11 is sequentially supplied to the outer peripheral surface of the coating roller. In the present embodiment, the step of supplying the conductive paste to the outer peripheral surface of the coating roller (step S2) includes: a step of making the conductive paste adhere to the outer peripheral surface of the supply roller (step S21); a step of removing the excess conductive paste adhered to the portion other than the concave portion of the supply roller (step S22); and a step of transferring the conductive paste in the concave portion of the supply roller to the outer peripheral surface of the coating roller (step S23).

[0096] In step S21, a portion of a supply roller having a plurality of recesses on its outer peripheral surface is dipped into a conductive paste groove storing conductive paste, thereby causing the conductive paste to adhere to the outer peripheral surface of the supply roller. Specifically, a portion of a first supply roller 103a having a plurality of first recesses 131a on its outer peripheral surface is dipped into a first conductive paste groove 102a storing conductive paste 120, thereby causing the conductive paste 120 to adhere to the outer peripheral surface of the first supply roller 103a. Furthermore, a portion of a second supply roller 103b having a plurality of second recesses 131b on its outer peripheral surface is dipped into a second conductive paste groove 102b storing conductive paste 120, thereby causing the conductive paste 120 to adhere to the outer peripheral surface of the second supply roller 103b.

[0097] In step S22, the excess conductive paste 120 attached to the outer circumferential surface of the supply roller other than the concave portion is removed. Specifically, the excess conductive paste 120 attached to the outer circumferential surface of the first supply roller 103a other than the first concave portion 131a is scraped off and removed by the first scraper 105a. In addition, the excess conductive paste 120 attached to the outer circumferential surface of the second supply roller 103b other than the second concave portion 131b is scraped off and removed by the second scraper 105b.

[0098] In step S23, the outer peripheral surface of the supply roller from which the excess conductive paste has been removed is brought into contact with the outer peripheral surface of the coating roller, thereby transferring the conductive paste in the concave portion of the supply roller to the outer peripheral surface of the coating roller. Specifically, the outer peripheral surface of the first supply roller 103a from which the excess conductive paste 120 has been removed is brought into contact with the outer peripheral surface of the first coating roller 104a, thereby transferring the conductive paste 120 in the first concave portion 131a of the first supply roller 103a to the outer peripheral surface of the first coating roller 104a. Furthermore, the outer peripheral surface of the second supply roller 103b from which the excess conductive paste 120 has been removed is brought into contact with the outer peripheral surface of the second coating roller 104b, thereby transferring the conductive paste 120 in the second concave portion 131b of the second supply roller 103b to the outer peripheral surface of the second coating roller 104b.

[0099] That is, the conductive paste 120 corresponding to one electronic component blank 11 is supplied to the outer peripheral surfaces of the first coating roller 104a and the second coating roller 104b, respectively. The first supply roller 103a is provided with a plurality of first recesses 131a along the rotation direction, so that the conductive paste 120 corresponding to one electronic component blank 11 is intermittently supplied to the outer peripheral surface of the first coating roller 104a at a given interval along the rotation direction. Similarly, the conductive paste 120 corresponding to one electronic component blank 11 is intermittently supplied to the outer peripheral surface of the second coating roller 104b at a given interval along the rotation direction.

[0100] In step S3 following step S2 , the surface of electronic component body 11 conveyed along the conveyance path is brought into contact with the conductive paste supplied to the outer peripheral surface of the coating roller, thereby applying the conductive paste to the surface of electronic component body 11 .

[0101] Specifically, Figure 5 As shown, the plurality of electronic component blanks 11 are sequentially conveyed so as to pass between the first coating roller 104a and the second coating roller 104b. In the present embodiment, the plurality of electronic component blanks 11 are held by a carrier tape 106 as a conveying member and conveyed along a conveying direction indicated by an arrow 107. The plurality of electronic component blanks 11 are held by the carrier tape 106 in a state where a pair of end faces 15a, 15b are located on opposite sides of each other in a width direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the carrier tape 106 and are exposed.

[0102] When the electronic component blank 11 passes between the first coating roller 104a and the second coating roller 104b, it is sandwiched by the outer peripheral surface of the first coating roller 104a and the outer peripheral surface of the second coating roller 104b. That is, the first end surface 15a of the electronic component blank 11 abuts against and is pressed against the outer peripheral surface of the first coating roller 104a, and the second end surface 15b abuts against and is pressed against the outer peripheral surface of the second coating roller 104b. At this time, the timing is controlled so that the first end surface 15a of the electronic component blank 11 abuts against the conductive paste 120 supplied to the outer peripheral surface of the first coating roller 104a, and the second end surface 15b abuts against the conductive paste 120 supplied to the outer peripheral surface of the second coating roller 104b.

[0103] That is, the conveying speed of the electronic component blanks 11 along the conveying path and the rotation speed of the coating roller are controlled so that the conductive paste 120 is sequentially coated on the surfaces of the plurality of electronic component blanks 11. In the present embodiment, the conveying speed of the carrier tape 106 and the rotation speeds of the first coating roller 104a and the second coating roller 104b are controlled so that the conductive paste 120 supplied to the outer peripheral surface of the first coating roller 104a is transferred to the first end surface 15a of the electronic component blank 11, and the conductive paste 120 supplied to the outer peripheral surface of the second coating roller 104b is transferred to the second end surface 15b of the electronic component blank 11.

[0104] In this way, the conductive paste 120 is applied to a part of the surface of the electronic component body 11, specifically, to the first end face 15a and the second end face 15b of the electronic component body 11. The conductive paste 120 is preferably applied to cover all of the first internal electrodes 13a exposed at the first end face 15a, and to cover all of the second internal electrodes 13b exposed at the second end face 15b. The plurality of electronic component bodies 11 held by the carrier tape 106 pass between the first coating roller 104a and the second coating roller 104b, and the conductive paste 120 is sequentially applied to the first end faces 15a and the second end faces 15b of the plurality of electronic component bodies 11.

[0105] Alternatively, the electronic component body 11 may be heated before the conductive paste 120 is applied to a portion of the surface of the electronic component body 11. For example, a heater may be provided upstream of the coating device 100 in the conveying direction of the electronic component body 11 to heat the electronic component body 11.

[0106] In step S4 following step S3, conductive paste 120 applied to electronic component body 11 is fired to form first foundation electrode layer 141a on first end surface 15a of electronic component body 11 and second foundation electrode layer 141b on second end surface 15b.

[0107] Then, the first intermediate electrode layer 142 a and the second intermediate electrode layer 142 b are formed, and the first plating layer 143 a and the second plating layer 143 b are formed.

[0108] Through the above steps, the multilayer ceramic capacitor 10 can be obtained.

[0109] According to the method for manufacturing an electronic component in the first embodiment, the conductive paste 120 in an amount corresponding to one electronic component blank 11 is sequentially supplied to the outer peripheral surfaces of the first coating roller 104a and the second coating roller 104b, and the first coating roller 104a and the second coating roller 104b are respectively brought into contact with the surface of the electronic component blank 11, thereby applying the conductive paste 120 to the surface of the electronic component blank 11. That is, when the first coating roller 104a is brought into contact with the first end surface 15a of the electronic component blank 11, the conductive paste 120 is attached only to the first end surface 15a, and it is possible to suppress the conductive paste 120 from being wrapped around the first main surface 16a, the second main surface 16b, the first side surface 17a, and the second side surface 17b. Similarly, when the second coating roller 104b contacts the second end surface 15b of the electronic component body 11, the conductive paste 120 adheres only to the second end surface 15b and is prevented from wrapping around the first main surface 16a, the second main surface 16b, the first side surface 17a, and the second side surface 17b.

[0110] In addition, in the present embodiment, a portion of the first supply roller 103a having a plurality of first recesses 131a provided on the outer peripheral surface is immersed in the first conductive paste groove 102a in which the conductive paste 120 is stored, so that the conductive paste 120 is attached to the outer peripheral surface of the first supply roller 103a, and then the excess conductive paste 120 attached to the portion other than the first recesses 131a is removed, and then the outer peripheral surface of the first supply roller 103a is brought into contact with the outer peripheral surface of the first coating roller 104a, so that the conductive paste 120 in the first recesses 131a is transferred to the outer peripheral surface of the first coating roller 104a. The transfer of the conductive paste 120 to the second coating roller 104b is also the same. By such a method, the conductive paste 120 corresponding to one electronic component body 11 can be intermittently supplied to the outer peripheral surface of the first coating roller 104a and the outer peripheral surface of the second coating roller 104b with good accuracy.

[0111] <Second Embodiment>

[0112] Figure 7 This is a side view schematically showing the structure of the coating device 100A in the second embodiment. In the coating device 100 in the first embodiment, a plurality of first recesses 131a are provided on the outer peripheral surface of the first supply roller 103a, and a plurality of second recesses 131b are provided on the outer peripheral surface of the second supply roller 103b.

[0113] In contrast, in the coating device 100A according to the second embodiment, a plurality of first recesses 131a are provided on the outer peripheral surface of the first coating roller 104a, and a plurality of second recesses 131b are provided on the outer peripheral surface of the second coating roller 104b. In addition, no recesses are provided on the outer peripheral surfaces of the first supply roller 103a and the second supply roller 103b. Figure 7 In the coating device 100A shown in the figure, the structures of the first supply roller 103a, the second supply roller 103b, the first coating roller 104a, and the second coating roller 104b, and the structures other than the arrangement positions of the first scraper 105a and the second scraper 105b are similar to those of the present invention. Figure 5 The coating devices 100 shown are identical.

[0114] Figure 8 is a flowchart for explaining the method for manufacturing an electronic component in the second embodiment. Figure 4 In the flowcharts shown, the same processing steps are denoted by the same step numbers and detailed descriptions are omitted.

[0115] In step S2, the conductive paste is sequentially supplied to the outer peripheral surface of the coating roller in an amount corresponding to one electronic component blank 11. In the present embodiment, the step of supplying the conductive paste to the outer peripheral surface of the coating roller (step S2) includes: a step of attaching the conductive paste to the outer peripheral surface of the supply roller (step S31); a step of transferring the conductive paste on the outer peripheral surface of the supply roller to the outer peripheral surface of the coating roller (step S32); and a step of removing excess conductive paste attached to a portion other than the concave portion of the coating roller (step S33).

[0116] In step S31, a portion of the supply roller is immersed in a conductive paste groove in which conductive paste is stored, so that the conductive paste adheres to the outer peripheral surface of the supply roller. Specifically, a portion of the first supply roller 103a is immersed in the first conductive paste groove 102a in which conductive paste 120 is stored, so that the conductive paste 120 adheres to the outer peripheral surface of the first supply roller 103a. In addition, a portion of the second supply roller 103b is immersed in the second conductive paste groove 102b in which conductive paste 120 is stored, so that the conductive paste 120 adheres to the outer peripheral surface of the second supply roller 103b. Figure 7 As shown, in this embodiment, no recessed portion is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the first supply roller 103 a and the second supply roller 103 b .

[0117] In step S32, the outer peripheral surface of the supply roller is brought into contact with the outer peripheral surface of the coating roller having a plurality of recessed portions provided on the surface, thereby transferring the conductive paste attached to the outer peripheral surface of the supply roller to the outer peripheral surface of the coating roller. Specifically, the outer peripheral surface of the first supply roller 103a is brought into contact with the outer peripheral surface of the first coating roller 104a, thereby transferring the conductive paste 120 attached to the outer peripheral surface of the first supply roller 103a to the outer peripheral surface of the first coating roller 104a. Furthermore, the outer peripheral surface of the second supply roller 103b is brought into contact with the outer peripheral surface of the second coating roller 104b, thereby transferring the conductive paste 120 attached to the outer peripheral surface of the second supply roller 103b to the outer peripheral surface of the second coating roller 104b.

[0118] A plurality of first recesses 131a are provided at predetermined intervals along the rotation direction on the outer circumferential surface of the first coating roller 104a. The shape and size of the first recesses 131a are the same as the shape and size of the first recesses 131a provided on the outer circumferential surface of the first supply roller 103a in the first embodiment. In addition, a plurality of second recesses 131b are provided at predetermined intervals along the rotation direction on the outer circumferential surface of the second coating roller 104b.

[0119] In step S33, the excess conductive paste 120 attached to the portion other than the concave portion of the conductive paste transferred to the outer peripheral surface of the coating roller is removed. In the present embodiment, the excess conductive paste 120 attached to the portion other than the first concave portion 131a of the outer peripheral surface of the first coating roller 104a is scraped off and removed by the first scraper 105a. In addition, the excess conductive paste 120 attached to the portion other than the second concave portion 131b of the outer peripheral surface of the second coating roller 104b is scraped off and removed by the second scraper 105b. Thus, the conductive paste 120 is attached only to the first concave portion 131a of the first coating roller 104a and the second concave portion 131b of the second coating roller 104b.

[0120] The conductive paste 120 present in the first recessed portion 131 a of the first coating roller 104 a and in the second recessed portion 131 b of the second coating roller 104 b is an amount corresponding to one electronic component body 11 .

[0121] The steps S3 and S4 following step S2 are the same as Figure 4The steps S3 and S4 of the flowchart shown in FIG. 1 are the same. In step S3, the electronic component blank 11 is sandwiched between the first coating roller 104a and the second coating roller 104b, so that the conductive paste 120 in the first recess 131a of the first coating roller 104a is transferred to the first end face 15a of the electronic component blank 11, and the conductive paste 120 in the second recess 131b of the second coating roller 104b is transferred to the second end face 15b of the electronic component blank 11. At this time, the conveying speed of the carrier 106 and the rotation speeds of the first coating roller 104a and the second coating roller 104b are controlled so that the conductive paste 120 in the first recess 131a of the first coating roller 104a is transferred to the first end face 15a of the electronic component blank 11, and the conductive paste 120 in the second recess 131b of the second coating roller 104b is transferred to the second end face 15b.

[0122] In the manufacturing method of the electronic component in the second embodiment, similarly to the manufacturing method of the electronic component in the first embodiment, an amount of conductive paste 120 corresponding to one electronic component blank 11 is sequentially supplied to the outer peripheral surface of the first coating roller 104a, and when the first end face 15a of the electronic component blank 11 abuts against the first coating roller 104a, the conductive paste 120 only adheres to the first end face 15a, thereby preventing the coated conductive paste 120 from going around the first main surface 16a, the second main surface 16b, the first side surface 17a, and the second side surface 17b. Similarly, an amount of conductive paste 120 corresponding to one electronic component blank 11 is sequentially supplied to the outer peripheral surface of the second coating roller 104b. When the second end face 15b of the electronic component blank 11 abuts against the second coating roller 104b, the conductive paste 120 only adheres to the second end face 15b, thereby preventing the coated conductive paste 120 from going around the first main surface 16a, the second main surface 16b, the first side surface 17a, and the second side surface 17b.

[0123] In addition, in the present embodiment, a portion of the first supply roller 103a is immersed in the first conductive paste groove 102a, so that the conductive paste 120 is attached to the outer peripheral surface of the first supply roller 103a, and the outer peripheral surface of the first supply roller 103a is brought into contact with the outer peripheral surface of the first coating roller 104a having a plurality of first recesses 131a provided on the surface, so that the conductive paste 120 is transferred to the outer peripheral surface of the first coating roller 104a, and then the excess conductive paste 120 attached to the portion other than the first recesses 131a of the first coating roller 104a is removed. The method of attaching the conductive paste 120 to the second recesses 131b of the second coating roller 104b is similar. By this method, the conductive paste 120 of an amount corresponding to one electronic component body 11 can be intermittently supplied to the outer peripheral surface of the first coating roller 104a and the outer peripheral surface of the second coating roller 104b with good accuracy.

[0124] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various applications and modifications are possible within the scope of the present invention.

[0125] For example, in the manufacturing method of the above-mentioned embodiment, the first coating roller 104a and the second coating roller 104b are used to sandwich the electronic component blank 11, so that the conductive paste 120 supplied to the outer peripheral surfaces of the first coating roller 104a and the second coating roller 104b is simultaneously applied to the first end surface 15a and the second end surface 15b of the electronic component blank 11. However, it is also possible to configure that the coating device 100 has only one coating roller, and the conductive paste 120 is applied to the surface of the electronic component blank 11 by making the electronic component blank 11 contact with the one coating roller.

[0126] In the above-mentioned embodiment, the conductive paste 120 attached to the outer peripheral surface of the first supply roller 103a is transferred to the outer peripheral surface of the first coating roller 104a by the outer peripheral surface of the first coating roller 104a being in contact with the outer peripheral surface of the first supply roller 103a. However, the conductive paste 120 corresponding to one electronic component body 11 may be intermittently supplied to the outer peripheral surface of the first coating roller 104a without the first supply roller 103a. Similarly, the conductive paste 120 corresponding to one electronic component body 11 may be intermittently supplied to the outer peripheral surface of the second coating roller 104b without the second supply roller 103b.

Claims

1. A method for manufacturing an electronic component, comprising applying a conductive paste to a portion of a surface of an electronic component body having a rectangular parallelepiped shape, wherein: have: a step of sequentially supplying an amount of the conductive paste corresponding to one electronic component body onto the outer peripheral surface of a coating roller; and a step of applying the conductive paste to the surface of the electronic component body by bringing the surface of the electronic component body conveyed along the conveying path into contact with the conductive paste supplied to the outer peripheral surface of the coating roller, In the step of applying the conductive paste, the conveying speed of the electronic component bodies along the conveying path and the rotation speed of the coating roller are controlled so that the conductive paste is sequentially applied to the surfaces of the plurality of electronic component bodies. The step of sequentially supplying the conductive paste includes: a step of immersing a portion of a supply roller having a plurality of recessed portions on an outer peripheral surface thereof in a conductive paste tank storing the conductive paste, thereby causing the conductive paste to adhere to the outer peripheral surface of the supply roller; a step of removing excess of the conductive paste adhered to a portion other than the concave portion on the outer peripheral surface of the supply roller; as well as A step of transferring the conductive paste in the concave portions to the outer peripheral surface of the coating roller by bringing the outer peripheral surface of the supply roller from which excess conductive paste has been removed into contact with the outer peripheral surface of the coating roller.

2. A method for manufacturing an electronic component, comprising applying a conductive paste to a portion of a surface of an electronic component body having a rectangular parallelepiped shape, wherein: have: a step of sequentially supplying an amount of the conductive paste corresponding to one electronic component body onto the outer peripheral surface of a coating roller; and a step of applying the conductive paste to the surface of the electronic component body by bringing the surface of the electronic component body conveyed along the conveying path into contact with the conductive paste supplied to the outer peripheral surface of the coating roller, In the step of applying the conductive paste, the conveying speed of the electronic component bodies along the conveying path and the rotation speed of the coating roller are controlled so that the conductive paste is sequentially applied to the surfaces of the plurality of electronic component bodies. The step of sequentially supplying the conductive paste includes: a step of immersing a portion of a supply roller in a conductive paste tank storing the conductive paste, thereby causing the conductive paste to adhere to an outer peripheral surface of the supply roller; The step of transferring the conductive paste attached to the outer peripheral surface of the supply roller to the outer peripheral surface of the coating roller by bringing the outer peripheral surface of the supply roller into contact with the outer peripheral surface of the coating roller having a plurality of recessed portions provided on the surface; and A step of removing excess conductive paste that has been transferred to the outer peripheral surface of the coating roller and has adhered to locations other than the recessed portions.

3. The method for manufacturing an electronic component according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The size of the recessed portion when viewed in a direction perpendicular to the bottom surface of the recessed portion is equal to or smaller than the size of a region on the surface of the electronic component body to which the conductive paste is applied.

4. The method for manufacturing an electronic component according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: In the step of sequentially supplying the conductive paste, the conductive paste is sequentially supplied to the outer peripheral surface of the first coating roller in an amount corresponding to one of the electronic component bodies, and the conductive paste is sequentially supplied to the outer peripheral surface of the second coating roller in an amount corresponding to one of the electronic component bodies. In the step of applying the conductive paste to the surface of the electronic component body, the conductive paste supplied to the outer peripheral surfaces of the first coating roller and the second coating roller is transferred to the surface of the electronic component body by sandwiching the electronic component body with the first coating roller and the second coating roller.

5. The method for manufacturing an electronic component according to claim 4, characterized in that: In the step of applying the conductive paste on the surface of the electronic component blank, the plurality of electronic component blanks held by a conveying member are conveyed between the first coating roller and the second coating roller, and the plurality of electronic component blanks are sequentially sandwiched by the first coating roller and the second coating roller.

6. The method for manufacturing an electronic component according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The electronic component is a multilayer ceramic capacitor in which external electrodes are formed on the surface of the electronic component body having a structure in which internal electrodes and dielectric layers are alternately stacked.

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