Electronic components and information reading methods

Abstract

The technical problem of the present invention is to provide an electronic component having a display area that can be formed by a simple method and has few reading errors. The component body (4) has a metal particle dispersion (15) in which metal particles (12) are dispersed, and the metal particle dispersion (15) has a display area (10) on its surface. The display area (10) has a recess (10a) at a predetermined depth from a reference surface (L) of the metal particle dispersion (15), and the predetermined depth (L) is deeper than D50 of the metal particles (12) contained in the metal particle dispersion (15).

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to electronic components with a display area that allows for easy writing of information and minimizes reading errors. Background Technology

[0002] For example, as shown in Patent Document 1, a display area is also provided on the surface of the electronic component, sometimes containing markings or text such as the model number, manufacturing batch number, identification marks indicating the performance of the electronic component, or identification marks such as the orientation of the electronic component. Such text or markings (including barcodes or QR codes) provided in the display area are sometimes formed by laser engraving.

[0003] Furthermore, to prevent misreading of text or markings written on the display, it is recommended to deeply imprint the surface of the electronic components using a laser. Currently, it is well known that without deep imprinting on the surface of the electronic component, regardless of the particle size of the constituent particles, reading the display becomes difficult.

[0004] Existing technical documents

[0005] Patent documents

[0006] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2018-56475 Summary of the Invention

[0007] The problem the invention aims to solve

[0008] The present invention was made in view of the actual situation, and its object is to provide an electronic component having a display area that can be formed in a simple way and has few reading errors.

[0009] Technical solutions for solving the problem

[0010] In order to achieve the above objectives, the inventors discovered through in-depth research that by forming a recess of a predetermined depth in the display area with respect to the particle size of the particles constituting the electronic component, information can be read with high precision, and thus the present invention is completed.

[0011] That is, the electronic component of the first aspect of the present invention is characterized in that,

[0012] It is an electronic component with a main body of elements.

[0013] The main body of the component has a metal particle dispersion.

[0014] The metal particle dispersion has a display area on its surface.

[0015] The display area has a recess at a predetermined depth from the reference surface of the metal particle dispersion.

[0016] The specified depth is deeper than the D90 of the metal particles contained in the metal particle dispersion.

[0017] Furthermore, the electronic component of the second aspect of the invention is characterized in that,

[0018] It is an electronic component with a main body of elements.

[0019] The main body of the component has a sintered particle dispersion.

[0020] The sintered particle dispersion has a display area on its surface.

[0021] The display area has a recess at a predetermined depth from the reference surface of the sintered particle dispersion.

[0022] The specified depth is shallower than the D90 of the sintered particles contained in the sintered particle dispersion.

[0023] According to the electronic component of the present invention, instead of deep printing by means of a laser or similar method, a recess shallower than the D90 of the metal particles (or sintered particles) contained in the metal particle dispersion (or sintered particle dispersion / hereinafter the same) is formed in the display area on the surface of the component body. The inventors have discovered that this configuration improves the accuracy of information reading.

[0024] Furthermore, the recess is formed by irradiating with energy light, such as a laser. The laser output can be lower than that of existing lasers, and the recess can be formed with a short irradiation time. Therefore, barcodes or QR codes can be easily and directly written onto the surface of the component body. Additionally, it is possible to form tiny display patterns and display areas for extremely small electronic components.

[0025] The electronic component of the third viewpoint of the invention is characterized in that,

[0026] It is an electronic component with a main body of elements.

[0027] The main body of the component has a metal particle dispersion.

[0028] The metal particle dispersion has a display area on its surface.

[0029] The display area has a recess at a predetermined depth from the reference surface of the metal particle dispersion.

[0030] The specified depth is deeper than the D50 of the metal particles contained in the metal particle dispersion.

[0031] The inventors discovered that this configuration improves information reading accuracy. Furthermore, the recess is formed by irradiating with energy light, such as a laser. The laser output can be lower than that of conventional lasers, and it can be formed with a short irradiation time. Therefore, barcodes or QR codes can be easily and directly written onto the surface of the component body. Additionally, it is possible to form tiny display patterns and display areas for extremely small electronic components.

[0032] Preferably, the aspect ratio of the opening width of the recess divided by the predetermined depth is greater than 2 and less than 5.5. The inventors have discovered that this configuration further improves the accuracy of information reading.

[0033] The metal particle dispersion can be a portion of the metal particles dispersed in the resin, or it can be a portion of the metal particles dispersed individually. A resin-rich portion can also exist on the inner surface of the recess, and a resin-rich portion can also exist on the surface of the component body.

[0034] The method for reading information from the electronic components of the present invention is characterized in that...

[0035] Irradiate the display area of ​​any of the electronic components described above with red light, or a specific light with a wavelength shorter than that of red light, and read the information contained in the display area from the reflected light. The wavelength of the specific light is preferably below that of green light, more preferably below that of blue light, and particularly preferably UV light. Attached Figure Description

[0036] Figure 1 This is a schematic cross-sectional view of an electronic component according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0037] Figure 2 yes Figure 1 The image shows an enlarged cross-sectional view of the display area.

[0038] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the relationship between the depth, aspect ratio (AS ratio), and read rate of the recess in embodiments and comparative examples of the present invention.

[0039] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram showing the relationship between the depth, aspect ratio (AS ratio), and read rate of the recess in a comparative example of the present invention.

[0040] Figure 5 This is a graph showing the relationship between the depth of the recess and the read rate in embodiments and comparative examples of the present invention.

[0041] Figure 6 This is a graph showing the relationship between the aspect ratio (AS ratio) of the recess and the read rate in embodiments and comparative examples of the present invention.

[0042] Symbol Explanation

[0043] 2 Inductors

[0044] 4. Main body of the component

[0045] 4a Upper surface

[0046] 4b Bottom surface

[0047] 4c and 4d end faces

[0048] 5. Coil section

[0049] 6. Winding

[0050] 6a Lead section

[0051] 8-terminal electrode

[0052] 10 Display Area

[0053] 10a recess

[0054] 12 Metal particles

[0055] 14 Resin

[0056] 14a Resin-rich portion

[0057] 15 Metal particle dispersions

[0058] L reference surface Detailed Implementation

[0059] The present invention will now be described based on the embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings.

[0060] like Figure 1 As shown, the inductor 2, which is an electronic component according to an embodiment of the present invention, has a component body 4 composed of a generally rectangular parallelepiped shape (generally hexahedral).

[0061] The component body 4 has: an upper surface 4a; a bottom surface 4b located on the opposite side of surface 4a in the Z-axis direction; end surfaces 4c and 4d located on opposite sides along the X-axis; and side surfaces located on opposite sides along the Y-axis (not shown). The dimensions of the component body 4 are not particularly limited. For example, the dimension in the X-axis direction of the component body 4 can be set to 1.2 to 6.5 mm, the dimension in the Y-axis direction can be set to 0.6 to 6.5 mm, and the dimension in the height (Z-axis) direction can be set to 0.5 to 5.0 mm.

[0062] A pair of terminal electrodes 8 are formed on the bottom surface 4b of the component body 4. The pair of terminal electrodes 8 are formed far apart in the X-axis direction and are insulated from each other. Each terminal electrode 8 is formed continuously not only on the bottom surface 4b of the component body 4 but also on the nearby end surfaces 4c and 4d.

[0063] In the inductor 2 of this embodiment, the terminal electrode 8 can be connected to an external circuit via wiring (not shown). Furthermore, the inductor 2 can be mounted on various substrates, such as circuit boards, using bonding members such as solder or conductive adhesive. When mounted on a substrate, the bottom surface 4b of the component body 4 becomes the mounting surface, and the terminal electrode 8 and the substrate are joined by bonding members.

[0064] The main body 4 has a coil portion 5 inside. This coil portion 5 is constructed by winding a conductor 6 into a coil shape. In this embodiment... Figure 1 In this case, the coil section 5 is an air-core coil wound in a common manner, but the winding method of the winding wire 6 is not limited to this. For example, it can also be an air-core coil with α-winding of the winding wire 6, or an air-core coil with flat winding or edgewise winding.

[0065] The winding 6 consists of a conductor portion primarily composed of a low-resistance metal such as copper and an insulating film covering the outer periphery of the conductor portion. More specifically, the conductor portion is composed of pure copper such as oxygen-free copper or tough-pitch copper, phosphor bronze or brass, red brass, beryllium copper, silver-copper alloys, or copper-clad steel wire. On the other hand, the insulating film only needs to have electrical insulation properties and is not particularly limited. Examples include epoxy resin, acrylic resin, polyurethane, polyimide, polyamide-imide, nylon, polyester, or synthetic resins that are a mixture of at least two of the above resins. In addition, in this embodiment, as Figure 1 As shown, the winding 6 is a round wire, and the cross-sectional shape of the conductor part is circular, but it is not limited to a round wire; it can also be a flat wire, etc.

[0066] like Figure 2 As shown, the component body 4 of this embodiment can be, for example, composed of pressed powder containing metal particles 12 and resin 14. The metal particles 12 can be any magnetic material, and there are no particular limitations. Examples include Fe-Ni alloys, Fe-Si alloys, Fe-Co alloys, Fe-Si-Cr alloys, Fe-Si-Al alloys, Fe-containing amorphous alloys, Fe-containing nanocrystalline alloys, and other soft magnetic alloys. Furthermore, additional components may be appropriately added to the metal particles 12.

[0067] The metal particles 12 contained in the component body 4 can have a median particle size (D50) of 0.1 μm to 100 μm, preferably 5 μm or more, and more preferably 10 μm or more. The upper limit of D50 is preferably 20 μm or less, and more preferably 15 μm or less. With such a particle size distribution, the read rate of the data in the display area 10 is improved in relation to the depth of the recess 10a described later.

[0068] Alternatively, the metal particles 12 can be composed of large particles with a D50 of 10 μm to 50 μm, medium particles with a D50 of 1 μm to 9 μm, and small particles with a D50 of 0.3 μm to 0.9 μm. Besides the combination of the three particle groups described above, it can also be a combination of large and medium particles, a combination of large and small particles, or a combination of medium and small particles. Furthermore, the large, medium, and small particles can all be composed of the same material, or they can be composed of different materials.

[0069] When multiple particle groups are mixed as described above, the content ratio of each particle group is not particularly limited. For example, when three particle groups (large particles, medium particles, and small particles) are mixed, if the total area occupied by large, medium, and small particles in the cross-section of the element body 4 is set to 100%, the area occupied by large particles is preferably set to 5% to 30%, the area occupied by medium particles is preferably set to 0% to 30%, and the area occupied by small particles is preferably set to 50% to 90%. By constituting the metal particles 12 from multiple particle groups, the filling rate of the metal particles 12 contained in the element body 4 can be increased. As a result, the characteristics of the inductor 2, such as permeability, eddy current loss, and DC overlap characteristics, are improved.

[0070] Furthermore, the cross-section of the main body 4 of the component can be observed using a scanning electron microscope (SEM) or a scanning transmission electron microscope (STEM), and the obtained cross-sectional photographs can be analyzed using software to measure the particle size, particle size distribution, and area occupied by each particle group of the metal particles 12. In this case, the particle size of the metal particles 12 is preferably measured by conversion using the equivalent circle diameter.

[0071] Furthermore, the metal particles 12 contained in the component body 4 can also be mutually insulated. As a method of insulation, for example, forming an insulating film on the surface of the particles can be listed. Examples of insulating films include films formed from resin or inorganic materials, and oxide films formed by oxidizing the particle surface through heat treatment. In the case where the insulating film is formed from resin or inorganic materials, examples of resins include silicone resin, epoxy resin, etc.

[0072] Examples of inorganic materials include phosphates such as magnesium phosphate, calcium phosphate, zinc phosphate, and manganese phosphate; silicates such as sodium silicate (water glass); soda-lime glass; borosilicate glass; lead glass; aluminosilicate glass; borate glass; and sulfate glass. Furthermore, the thickness of the insulating coating on the metal particles 12 is preferably 5 nm to 200 nm. By forming an insulating coating, the insulation between particles can be improved, thereby increasing the withstand voltage of the inductor 2.

[0073] Furthermore, there are no particular limitations on the resin 14 contained in the main body 4 of the component. For example, thermosetting resins such as epoxy resin, phenolic resin, melamine resin, urea resin, furan resin, alkyd resin, polyester resin, diallyl phthalate resin, etc., or thermoplastic resins such as acrylic resin, polyphenylene sulfide (PPS), polypropylene (PP), liquid crystal polymer (LCP), etc., can be used. The content of resin 14 can be set to 2.0 parts by weight to 10 parts by weight relative to 100 parts by weight of metal particles.

[0074] like Figure 1 As shown, the two ends of the winding 6 constituting the coil portion 5, namely a pair of lead portions 6a, are exposed from the coil portion 5 on the outer surface (e.g., the bottom surface 4b) of the component body 4 and are respectively connected to the terminal electrodes 8, 8. The lead portions 6a are all composed of the winding 6, but at the part exposed on the bottom surface 4b, the insulating film existing on the outer periphery of the winding 6 is removed, exposing the conductor portion of the winding 6.

[0075] In this embodiment, the terminal electrode 8 may also have a resin electrode layer. Alternatively, the terminal electrode 8 may be a stacked structure having a resin electrode layer and other electrode layers. When the terminal electrode 8 is a stacked structure, the resin electrode layer is located in the portion contacting the bottom surface 4b of the component body 4. The other electrode layers may be single-layered or multi-layered, and their materials are not particularly limited. For example, the other electrode layers may be made of metals such as Sn, Au, Cu, Ni, Pt, Ag, Pd, or alloys containing at least one of these metal elements, and may be formed by plating or sputtering. Furthermore, the overall thickness of the terminal electrode 8 is preferably set to an average of 3 μm to 60 μm, and the thickness of the resin electrode layer is preferably set to 1 μm to 50 μm.

[0076] The resin electrode layer of the terminal electrode 8 comprises a resin component and a conductor powder. The resin component of the resin electrode layer is composed of a thermosetting resin such as epoxy resin or phenolic resin. On the other hand, the conductor powder can be composed of metal particle powders such as Ag, Au, Pd, Pt, Ni, Cu, Sn, or metal particle powders of alloys containing at least one of the above, and is particularly preferably composed of Ag as the main component.

[0077] Furthermore, the shape of the conductor powder can be approximately spherical, elongated spherical, irregularly shaped, needle-like, or flat, with needle-like or flat shapes being particularly preferred. In this embodiment, flat particles refer to particles with an aspect ratio (the ratio of the length in the long side to the length in the short side) of 2 to 30 in the cross-section of the resin electrode layer. Moreover, the cross-section of the resin electrode layer can be observed using SEM or STEM, and the average particle size of the conductor powder can be measured by image analysis of the obtained cross-sectional photographs. During this measurement, the average particle size of the conductor powder is calculated using maximum length conversion.

[0078] In the cross-section of the resin electrode layer, if the total area occupied by the resin component and the conductor powder is set to 100%, then the area occupied by the conductor powder is preferably 60% or less.

[0079] In this embodiment, one or more display areas 10 are formed on the upper surface 4a (or other surface) of the component body 4. The area of ​​each display area 10 is not particularly limited, but is, for example, about 1 / 20 to 18 / 20 of the area of ​​the upper surface 4a of the component body 4.

[0080] like Figure 2 As shown, the component body 4 is composed of a metal particle dispersion 15 in which metal particles 12 of magnetic material are dispersed in resin 14. When the component body 4 is formed and manufactured inside a mold, the outer surface of the component body 4 becomes the surface in contact with the mold, and the upper surface 4a, which is part of this outer surface, becomes a plane along the inner surface of the mold, having some surface roughness, but capable of defining a reference plane L. The reference plane L can also define, for example, the surface of the component body 4 without the recess 10a formed, as a plane containing the center line (average line) of the surface roughness measured by JIS B0601, etc.

[0081] In this embodiment, in the display area 10, at least one recess 14a corresponding to an identification display pattern such as a two-dimensional barcode is formed on the upper surface 4a of the component body 4. The recess 14a is formed in the shape of a mortar and pestle, recessed along the Z-axis direction relative to the reference plane L of the upper surface 4a, and has a predetermined depth D1 and a predetermined opening width W1. The predetermined depth D1 is defined as the maximum depth of the recess 10a from the reference plane L. In addition, the opening width W1 is defined as the length of the opening of the recess 10a (along the X-axis, Y-axis, or the middle of them) measured along the reference plane L in a cross-sectional photograph including the recess 10a.

[0082] In this embodiment, the recessed portion 10a with the specified pattern is formed by, for example, laser irradiation. Specifically, a laser is irradiated onto the upper surface 4a of the component body 4 with the specified display pattern. As a result, the recessed portion 10a with the specified pattern is formed on the upper surface of the component body 4. Furthermore, compared with the interior of the component body 4, there is a tendency to observe more fine powder on the inner surface of the recessed portion 10a.

[0083] Furthermore, the portion not irradiated by the laser does not form a recess 10a but becomes a plane along the reference plane L, with slight irregularities corresponding to deviations in particle size of the metal particles 12 or surface thickness of the resin 14. Additionally, in this embodiment, a resin-rich portion 14a may also exist on the inner surface of the recess 10a or on the surface of the element body 4 where the recess 10a is not formed.

[0084] The thickness of the resin 14 in the resin-rich portion 14a is not particularly limited, but it is preferably 1 μm or more, or preferably 30 μm or less. On the inner surface of the recess 10a, the resin-rich portion 14 may also be formed around larger metal particles 12, and the metal particles 12 may not be directly exposed on the inner surface of the recess 10a.

[0085] In this embodiment, the predetermined depth D1 of the recess 10a is preferably shallower than D90 of the metal particles 12 contained in the metal particle dispersion 15, and more preferably shallower than D80. Furthermore, it is preferable that the predetermined depth D1 of the recess 10a is deeper than D50 of the metal particles 12 contained in the metal particle dispersion 15, and more preferably deeper than D60. Additionally, the aspect ratio (AS ratio) of the opening width W1 of the recess 10a divided by the predetermined depth D1 is preferably greater than 2 and less than 5.5, and more preferably 2.4 to 5.4.

[0086] Examples of markings represented by the display pattern formed by the recess 10a include text or numbers, barcodes, QR codes, data matrix codes, QR codes (registered trademarks), Aztec codes, Maxi codes, etc., but are not limited to these. Furthermore, there are no particular limitations on the information that can be read from these markings; for example, examples may include the model number of the electronic component, production batch number, identification marks indicating the performance of the electronic component, identification marks such as the orientation of the electronic component, manufacturing date, manufacturing location, manufacturing method, materials, etc.

[0087] Next, the manufacturing method of the inductor 2 in this embodiment will be described.

[0088] First, the component body 4 is manufactured. A shaped coil portion 5 is then embedded into the component body 4. The component body 4 is formed by a stamping method such as heat-press forming, or a spray forming method. A flowable composite material is used as the raw material for constituting the component body 4. Specifically, a composite material is used, which is a mixture of raw material powder of metal particles 12 and a binder such as a thermoplastic resin or a thermosetting resin.

[0089] Solvents, dispersants, etc., can also be appropriately added to this composite material. Additionally, it can be composed of large, medium, and small particles. Figure 2 In the case of the metal particles 12 shown, the proportion of each particle to the total raw material powder of the metal particles 12 is preferably a predetermined ratio. Specifically, the proportion of large particles is preferably 50 wt% to 90 wt%, the proportion of medium particles is preferably 5 wt% to 30 wt%, and the proportion of small particles is preferably 0 wt% to 30 wt%.

[0090] Next, after removing the insulating film from the lead portions 6a, 6a that are partially exposed on the bottom surface 4b of the component body 4, terminal electrodes 8, 8 are formed on the bottom surface 4b respectively, and the lead portions 6a, 6a and the terminal electrodes 8, 8 are connected respectively.

[0091] For example, terminal electrodes 8, 8 are formed as follows. First, a resin electrode paste is applied to a portion of the bottom surface 4b of the component body 4 using a method such as printing. At this time, the resin electrode paste is applied in such a way that it covers the bottom surface 4b exposed by the lead portion 6a.

[0092] Furthermore, the paste for resin electrodes includes a binder that forms a resin component and a metal raw material powder that forms a conductor powder. In this embodiment, the average particle size of the metal raw material powder is preferably 1 μm to 10 μm, more preferably 3 μm to 5 μm.

[0093] After coating the component body 4 with a resin electrode paste, the component body 4 is heat-treated under specified conditions to cure the binder (resin component) in the paste. The heat treatment conditions can be appropriately set according to the type of binder used. In this way, a resin electrode layer is formed on the bottom surface 4b and the end surfaces 4c and 4d of the component body 4. A plating film or sputtering film may also be appropriately formed on the outer surface of the resin electrode layer. For example, a plating film of Ni, Cu, Sn, etc., may be formed on the outer surface of the resin electrode layer to form terminal electrodes 8, 8. As described above, an inductor 2 with a pair of terminal electrodes 8 formed on the component body 4 is obtained.

[0094] Subsequently, or before the terminal electrodes 8 are formed, for example, a laser is irradiated onto the portion of the upper surface 4a of the element body 4 where the terminal electrodes 8, 8 are not formed, to form the display area 10.

[0095] A laser beam is irradiated onto the upper surface 4a of the component body 4 in the form of a specified display pattern. Thus, as... Figure 2 As shown, a recess 10a of a specified pattern is formed on the upper surface 4a of the component body 4. There are no particular limitations on the output or number of irradiations of energy light such as lasers, and the recess 10a is determined by a specified depth D1 and AS ratio.

[0096] Furthermore, in the recess 10a, resin 14 may sometimes be contained, for example, in the gaps between adjacent metal particles 12, or metal particles 12 may sometimes remain slightly covered by resin 14. Alternatively, a resin-rich portion 14a may be formed.

[0097] The wavelength of the laser used to form the display pattern in the display area 10 is preferably 400 nm or less. That is, the irradiating laser is preferably a UV laser or the like with a wavelength shorter than that of a green laser (wavelength: 532 nm). By using a short-wavelength laser as described above, the aforementioned recess 10a can be easily formed.

[0098] In the inductor 2 of this embodiment, instead of deep printing by means of a laser on the outer surface (e.g., the upper surface 4a) of the element body 4, a recess 10a shallower than the D90 of the metal particles 12 contained in the metal particle dispersion 15 is formed in the display area 10 according to the particle size distribution of the metal particles 12 contained in the metal particle dispersion 15. With this configuration, the accuracy of information reading is improved.

[0099] Furthermore, the recess 10a is formed by irradiating with energy light, such as a laser. The laser output in this case is lower than that of conventional lasers, and it can be formed with a short irradiation time. Therefore, barcodes or QR codes can be directly and easily written onto the surface of the component body 4. Additionally, tiny display patterns can be formed, and display areas can be created for extremely small electronic components. Furthermore, by setting the AS ratio of the recess 10a to a specified range, the accuracy of information reading is further improved.

[0100] In the method of reading information from the inductor 2 of this embodiment, red light or a specific light with a wavelength shorter than that of red light can be irradiated onto the display area 10 of the inductor 2, and the information contained in the display area 10 can be read from the reflected light.

[0101] Red light is generally preferred as illumination light, but the identification of text or symbols in display area 10 becomes easier by using a specific light with a wavelength shorter than that of red light. In particular, the wavelength of the specific light is preferably below that of green light (G), more preferably below that of blue light (B), and especially preferably UV light.

[0102] Furthermore, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and various modifications can be made within the scope of the present invention.

[0103] For example, in the above embodiment, the display area 10 is formed on the upper surface 4a of the component body 4, but it can also be formed on other outer surfaces (wherein, the outer surface of the component body 4 where the terminal electrodes 8, 8 are not formed), such as the side or bottom surface 4b of the component body 4.

[0104] Alternatively, the main body 4 may not have a built-in coil section 6, and may be, for example, an FT type, ET type, EI type, UU type, EE type, EER type, UI type, drum type, toroidal type, pot type, or cup type core itself.

[0105] Furthermore, the electronic components of the present invention are not limited to inductors, but may also be electronic components such as transformers, choke coils, common-mode filters, and capacitors, or composite electronic components that combine inductor elements and capacitor elements. Moreover, the metal particles constituting the main body of the component are not limited to magnetic particles, but may be non-magnetic metal particles, or particles other than metals such as ceramics (e.g., sintered particles).

[0106] Example

[0107] The present invention will now be described with reference to more detailed embodiments, but the present invention is not limited to these embodiments.

[0108] Example 1

[0109] manufacture multiple Figure 1 and Figure 2 The sample of component body 4 is shown. The cross-sections along the XZ axes of each component body 4 were observed, and the particle size distribution of the metal particles 12 was determined using SEM through cross-sectional photographs within an 80×80 μm range. The average D50 of the ten samples was 12.7 μm. Additionally, the D90 was 41.0 μm.

[0110] Samples 1-6 and 10-15 were fabricated by laser irradiating the upper surface 4a of the component body 4, which was manufactured under the same conditions, with different conditions to create display areas 10 of two-dimensional barcodes composed of recesses 10a with different depths D1 and different aspect ratios (AS ratios). The read rate was measured. Figure 3 and Figure 4 The results are shown in the figure.

[0111] In addition, when measuring the read rate, a QR code reader is used to read the information from the display area 10 5 to 20 times to confirm its consistency with the written data. For example, a read rate of 100% means that the consistency with the written data is consistent across all read counts.

[0112] exist Figure 3 and Figure 4In this context, 100% power means that the laser output is set to 100% based on sample number 1, and the power of other sample numbers is expressed as a ratio to the laser output of sample number 1. Furthermore, regarding the number of printing strokes, 300% means that, based on sample number 1, the laser irradiation is performed three times, specifically the case where the laser irradiation along the recess 10a of the same pattern is performed three times.

[0113] exist Figure 3 and Figure 4 In this context, the speed represents the rate at which laser light is irradiated along the recess 10a of the specified pattern. There is a tendency that the slower the irradiation speed, the deeper the specified depth D1 of the recess 10a. According to... Figure 3 and Figure 4 The data shown is in Figure 5 The graph shown below illustrates the relationship between the specified depth (drilling depth) D1 and the read rate. Additionally, in... Figure 6 The graph shown below illustrates the relationship between AS ratio and read rate.

[0114] like Figure 5 As shown, the specified depth D1 of the recess 10a is preferably shallower than D90 of the metal particles 12 contained in the metal particle dispersion 15, and more preferably shallower than D80, thereby confirming an improved read rate. Furthermore, the specified depth D1 of the recess 10a is deeper than D50 of the metal particles 12 contained in the metal particle dispersion 15, and more preferably deeper than D60, thereby confirming an improved read rate.

[0115] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the specified depth D1 of the recess 16 is preferably less than 41 μm, more preferably less than 30 μm, more preferably greater than 12.7 μm, and more preferably greater than 20 μm.

[0116] In addition, such as Figure 6 As shown, the aspect ratio (AS ratio) of the recess 10a is preferably greater than 2 and less than 5.5, and more preferably 2.4 to 5.4.

Claims

1. An electronic component, characterized in that, It is an electronic component with a main body of elements. The main body of the component has a metal particle dispersion. The metal particle dispersion has a display area on its surface. The display area has a recess at a predetermined depth from the reference surface of the metal particle dispersion. The specified depth is deeper than the D50 of the metal particles contained in the metal particle dispersion but shallower than the D90. The ratio of the opening width of the recess to the specified depth is greater than 2 and less than 5.

5.

2. The electronic component according to claim 1, characterized in that, A resin-rich portion exists on the inner surface of the recess.

3. The electronic component according to claim 1, characterized in that, A resin-rich portion exists on the inner surface of the recess.

4. An electronic component, characterized in that, It is an electronic component with a main body of elements. The main body of the component has a sintered particle dispersion. The sintered particle dispersion has a display area on its surface. The display area has a recess at a predetermined depth from the reference surface of the sintered particle dispersion. The specified depth is deeper than the D50 of the sintered particles contained in the sintered particle dispersion but shallower than the D90. The ratio of the opening width of the recess to the specified depth is greater than 2 and less than 5.5.

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