Multilayer electronic component and manufacturing method thereof

Abstract

The present disclosure provides a multilayer electronic component and a method of manufacturing the same, the multilayer electronic component including: a body including a dielectric layer, first and second internal electrode layers alternately disposed in a first direction, the dielectric layer is arranged between the first inner electrode layer and the second inner electrode layer; a first external electrode disposed on the main body; and a second external electrode disposed on the body and spaced apart from the first external electrode, in which the first internal electrode layer includes a first internal electrode connected to the first external electrode, and the second internal electrode layer includes a second internal electrode connected to the second external electrode, in which the first internal electrode and the second internal electrode are spaced apart from each other. When the shortest distance between the first internal electrode and a second internal electrode closest to the first internal electrode is defined as a, and the maximum size of the first internal electrode in the first direction is defined as te, 0.01 < = (a / te) < = 1.37 is satisfied.

Description

[0001] This application claims the benefit of priority from Korean Patent Application No. 10-2023-0105598 filed on August 11, 2023 in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. Technical Field

[0002] The present disclosure relates to a multi-layer electronic assembly. Background Art

[0003] A multilayer ceramic capacitor (MLCC), a multilayer electronic component, may be a chip capacitor mounted on a printed circuit board of various types of electronic products (e.g., image display devices such as liquid crystal displays (LCDs) or plasma display panels (PDPs), computers, smart phones, mobile phones, etc.) for charging or discharging the same.

[0004] As electronic products have been designed to have reduced size and thickness and to have multifunctionality, sheet components are also required to have reduced size, and the mounting of electronic components has also become highly integrated. In response to this trend, the space between the mounted electronic components has also been reduced.

[0005] In order to make MLCC have high capacitance, it may be necessary to use a material with a high dielectric constant as the material of the dielectric layer, or to design it to reduce the thickness of the dielectric layer. However, in addition to capacitance, MLCC also has many characteristics that should be satisfied at the same time, such as temperature characteristics, voltage characteristics, and moisture resistance reliability, so there is a limit to reducing the thickness of the dielectric layer.

[0006] Therefore, there is a need for structural improvements in MLCCs to improve capacitance per unit volume without deteriorating their reliability. Summary of the invention

[0007] One aspect of the present disclosure is to improve the capacitance per unit volume of a multilayer electronic component.

[0008] An aspect of the present disclosure is to improve capacitance per unit volume of a multilayer electronic component without deteriorating reliability thereof.

[0009] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, a multilayer electronic component includes: a main body, including a dielectric layer, a first inner electrode layer and a second inner electrode layer, the first inner electrode layer and the second inner electrode layer are alternately arranged in a first direction, and the dielectric layer is interposed between the first inner electrode layer and the second inner electrode layer; a first outer electrode is arranged on a first surface of two surfaces of the main body opposite to each other in a second direction, and the second direction is perpendicular to the first direction; and a second outer electrode is arranged on a second surface of the two surfaces of the main body opposite to each other in the second direction, wherein the first inner electrode layer includes a first inner electrode connected to the first outer electrode and arranged to be spaced apart from each other in a third direction perpendicular to the first direction and the second direction, and the second inner electrode layer includes a second inner electrode connected to the second outer electrode and arranged to be spaced apart from each other in the third direction, wherein when the shortest distance between the first inner electrode and the second inner electrode closest to the first inner electrode is defined as a, and the maximum size of the first inner electrode in the first direction is defined as te, 0.01≤(a / te)≤1.37 is satisfied.

[0010] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, a method for manufacturing a multilayer electronic component includes: applying a conductive material at a first interval along a second direction on a first dielectric ceramic green sheet to form a first conductive pattern; applying the conductive material at an interval along the second direction on a second dielectric ceramic green sheet to form a second conductive pattern; stacking the first dielectric ceramic green sheet having the first conductive pattern formed thereon and the second dielectric ceramic green sheet having the second conductive pattern formed thereon to form a stacked body; and pressing and firing the stacked body. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0011] The above and other aspects, features and advantages of the present disclosure will be more clearly understood through the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0012] Figure 1 is a perspective view schematically showing a multilayer electronic component according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0013] Figure 2 is a perspective view schematically showing a main body according to an embodiment;

[0014] Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view showing a cross section of a multilayer electronic component according to a comparative example polished in a first direction and a third direction to a central portion of the multilayer electronic component in a second direction;

[0015] Figure 4 is along Figure 1 A cross-sectional view taken along line II' in FIG.

[0016] Figure 5 yes Figure 4 An enlarged view of the area P in FIG.

[0017] Fig. 6A and Figure 6B Each is a cross-sectional view showing an inner electrode layer according to an embodiment;

[0018] Figure 7 is a cross-sectional view showing a cross section of a capacitance forming portion in a first direction and a third direction;

[0019] Fig. 8A is a schematic diagram showing the direction of electric field flux between internal electrodes in a multilayer electronic component according to a comparative example, Figure 8B is a schematic diagram showing the direction of electric field flux between internal electrodes in a multilayer electronic component according to an example;

[0020] Fig. 9A is a schematic diagram showing the direction of electric field flux between internal electrodes in a multilayer electronic component according to a comparative example, Fig. 9B is a schematic diagram showing the direction of electric field flux between internal electrodes in a multilayer electronic component according to an example;

[0021] Fig.10 is a schematic diagram showing a difference in integration according to a radius of an inner electrode and a distance between inner electrodes in a comparative example and an example;

[0022] Fig.11 By summarizing the Fig.10 A graph showing a volume reduction trend of a multilayer electronic component as a result of calculations; and

[0023] Fig.12 is a perspective view showing a portion of a process of stacking inner electrode layers and dielectric layers according to an embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0024] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the present disclosure may be exemplified in many different forms and should not be construed as being limited to the specific embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that the present disclosure will be thorough and complete, and the scope of the present disclosure will be fully conveyed to those skilled in the art. Therefore, for the sake of clarity of description, the shapes and sizes of the elements in the accompanying drawings may be exaggerated, and the elements indicated by the same reference numerals are the same elements in the accompanying drawings.

[0025] In the accompanying drawings, irrelevant descriptions will be omitted to clearly describe the present disclosure, and the thickness may be exaggerated to clearly represent multiple layers and regions. The same reference numerals will be used to describe the same elements with the same functions within the scope of the same concept. Throughout the specification, unless otherwise explicitly stated, when a component is referred to as "including" or "comprising", it means that it may further include other components without excluding other components.

[0026] Figure 1 is a perspective view schematically illustrating a multilayer electronic component according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0027] Figure 2 is a perspective view schematically showing a main body according to an embodiment.

[0028] Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view showing a cross section of a multilayer electronic component according to a comparative example that is polished in first and third directions to a central portion of the multilayer electronic component in the second direction.

[0029] Figure 4 is along Figure 1 A cross-sectional view taken along line II' in FIG.

[0030] Figure 5 yes Figure 4 Magnified view of area P in FIG.

[0031] Fig. 6A and Figure 6B Each is a cross-sectional view showing an internal electrode layer according to an embodiment.

[0032] Figure 7 2 is a cross-sectional view showing a cross section of the capacitance forming portion in the first direction and the third direction.

[0033] Fig. 8A is a schematic diagram showing the direction of electric field flux between internal electrodes in a multilayer electronic component according to a comparative example, Figure 8B is a schematic diagram illustrating the direction of electric field flux between internal electrodes in a multilayer electronic component according to an example.

[0034] Fig. 9A is a schematic diagram showing the direction of electric field flux between internal electrodes in a multilayer electronic component according to a comparative example, Fig. 9B is a schematic diagram illustrating the direction of electric field flux between internal electrodes in a multilayer electronic component according to an example.

[0035] Fig.10 2 is a schematic diagram showing a difference in integration degree according to a radius of an inner electrode and a distance between inner electrodes in a comparative example and an example.

[0036] Fig.11 By summarizing the Fig.10 The calculation results are a graph showing the volume reduction trend of multilayer electronic components.

[0037] Fig.12 is a perspective view showing a portion of a process of stacking inner electrode layers and dielectric layers according to an embodiment.

[0038] In the accompanying drawings, the first direction can be defined as the direction along which the first internal electrode and the second internal electrode are alternately arranged (the dielectric layer is between the first internal electrode and the second internal electrode) or the thickness direction (T direction), and in the second direction and the third direction perpendicular to the first direction, the second direction can be defined as the length direction (L direction), and the third direction can be defined as the width direction (W direction).

[0039] In the following, reference will be made to Figures 1 to 12 The multilayer electronic component 100 according to the embodiment is described in more detail.

[0040] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, a multilayer electronic component 100 includes: a main body 110, including a dielectric layer 111, a first internal electrode layer 120a and a second internal electrode layer 120b, wherein the first internal electrode layer 120a and the second internal electrode layer 120b are alternately arranged in a first direction and the dielectric layer 111 is interposed between the first internal electrode layer 120a and the second internal electrode layer 120b; a first external electrode 130, which is arranged on one of two surfaces of the main body 110 that are opposite to each other in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction; and a second external electrode 140, which is arranged on the other of the two surfaces of the main body 110 that are opposite to each other in the second direction, wherein the first internal electrode layer 120a and the second internal electrode layer 120b are alternately arranged in a first direction and the dielectric layer 111 is interposed between the first internal electrode layer 120a and the second internal electrode layer 120b. The electrode layer 120a includes a first inner electrode 121, which is connected to the first outer electrode 130 and is arranged to be spaced apart from each other in a third direction perpendicular to the first direction and the second direction, and the second inner electrode layer 120b includes a second inner electrode 122, which is connected to the second outer electrode 140 and is arranged to be spaced apart from each other in the third direction, wherein, when the shortest distance between the first inner electrode 121 and the second inner electrode 122 most adjacent to the first inner electrode 121 is defined as a, and the maximum dimension of the first inner electrode 121 in the first direction is defined as te, 0.01≤(a / te)≤1.37 is satisfied.

[0041] Reference Figure 4 The body 110 includes a dielectric layer 111, a first internal electrode layer 120a and a second internal electrode layer 120b, the first internal electrode layers 120a and the second internal electrode layers 120b are alternately arranged in a first direction and the dielectric layer 111 is interposed between the first internal electrode layers 120a and the second internal electrode layers 120b.

[0042] The shape of the body 110 may not be limited to any particular shape, but may be Figure 2As shown, the body 110 may have a hexahedral shape or a shape similar to a hexahedral shape. Due to the shrinkage of the ceramic powder included in the body 110 during the sintering process, the body 110 may not have an exact hexahedral shape formed by straight lines, but may have a substantially hexahedral shape.

[0043] The body 110 may have a first surface 1 and a second surface 2 that are opposite to each other in a first direction, a third surface 3 and a fourth surface 4 that are connected to the first surface 1 and the second surface 2 and are opposite to each other in a second direction, and a fifth surface 5 and a sixth surface 6 that are connected to the first surface 1 and the second surface 2 and the third surface 3 and the fourth surface 4 and are opposite to each other in a third direction.

[0044] The plurality of dielectric layers 111 forming the body 110 may be in a sintered state, and the boundaries between adjacent dielectric layers 111 may be integrated with each other such that the boundaries are not easily distinguishable without a scanning electron microscope (SEM).

[0045] The raw material for forming the dielectric layer 111 is not limited to any specific example as long as sufficient capacitance can be obtained. For example, a barium titanate-based material, a lead composite perovskite-based material, or a strontium titanate-based material may be used. The barium titanate material may include BaTiO3 ceramic powder, and examples of the ceramic powder may include (Ba 1-x Ca x )TiO3 (0 < x < 1), Ba(Ti 1-y Ca y )O3 (0 < y < 1), (Ba 1-x Ca x )(Ti 1-y Zr y )O3 (0 < x < 1, 0 < y < 1) or Ba(Ti 1-y Zr y )O3 (0 < y < 1). Thus, the dielectric layer 111 may include barium (Ba) and titanium (Ti), and may additionally include calcium (Ca) and zirconium (Zr) depending on the elements in solid solution.

[0046] In addition, for the purpose of the present disclosure, the raw material of the dielectric layer 111 may include various ceramic additives, organic solvents, binders, dispersants, etc. added to the powder such as barium titanate (BaTiO3) powder.

[0047] The first internal electrode layers 120a and the second internal electrode layers 120b may be alternately disposed with the dielectric layer 111 interposed therebetween, so that the first internal electrode layers 120a and the second internal electrode layers 120b may be used to form a capacitor together with the dielectric layer 111. The capacitance of the multilayer electronic component 100 may vary according to a region where an electric field is formed between the first internal electrode 121 included in the first internal electrode layer 120a and the second internal electrode 122 included in the second internal electrode layer 120b, and the region where an electric field is formed between the first internal electrode 121 included in the first internal electrode layer 120a and the second internal electrode 122 included in the second internal electrode layer 120b is defined as a capacitance forming portion Ac.

[0048] In an embodiment, the cover portions 112 and 113 may be disposed on one surface and the other surface of the capacitance forming portion Ac in the first direction.

[0049] The cover parts 112 and 113 may be formed by stacking a single dielectric layer or two or more dielectric layers on the upper and lower surfaces of the capacitance forming part Ac in the thickness direction, respectively, and may mainly serve to prevent damage to the internal electrodes due to physical stress or chemical stress.

[0050] The cap parts 112 and 113 may not include an internal electrode, and may include the same material as that of the dielectric layer 111. That is, the cap parts 112 and 113 may include a ceramic material, for example, a barium titanate (BaTiO 3 ) ceramic material.

[0051] In addition, the average thickness of the cover parts 112 and 113 may not be limited to any specific example. However, in order to easily achieve miniaturization and high capacitance of the multilayer electronic component, the average thickness "tc" of the cover parts 112 and 113 may be equal to or less than 15 μm.

[0052] Here, the average thickness of the cover parts 112 and 113 may refer to the size of the cover parts 112 and 113 in the first direction, and may be a value obtained by averaging the sizes of the cover parts 112 and 113 in the first direction measured at five points at equal intervals.

[0053] Reference Figure 2 In an embodiment, the edge portions 114 and 115 may be provided on one surface and the other surface of the capacitance forming portion Ac in the third direction.

[0054] The edge portions 114 and 115 may refer to regions between the interfaces of the first and second internal electrodes 121 and 122 in the third direction and the body 110. Figure 2 shown.

[0055] The edge portions 114 and 115 may mainly serve to prevent damage to the inner electrodes due to physical stress or chemical stress.

[0056] The edge parts 114 and 115 may be formed by applying a conductive paste to a ceramic green sheet to form an internal electrode, and portions where the conductive paste is not applied will form the edge parts 114 and 115 .

[0057] In addition, in order to suppress the steps formed by the internal electrodes 121 and 122, the edge portions 114 and 115 can also be formed by the following method: after stacking, the stacked body is cut to expose the internal electrodes to the fifth surface 5 and the sixth surface 6 of the body, and then a single dielectric layer or two or more dielectric layers are stacked on the two side surfaces of the capacitor forming portion Ac in the third direction (width direction).

[0058] In addition, the width of the edge portions 114 and 115 is not particularly limited. However, in order to more easily achieve miniaturization and high capacitance of the multilayer electronic component, the average width of the edge portions 114 and 115 may be less than or equal to 15 μm.

[0059] The average width of the edge portions 114 and 115 may refer to an average size of the edge portions 114 and 115 in the third direction, and may be a value obtained by averaging sizes of the edge portions 114 and 115 in the third direction measured at five points at equal intervals.

[0060] The inner electrodes 121 and 122 may be alternately arranged in the first direction with the dielectric layer 111 interposed therebetween, and may also be alternately arranged in the third direction. The inner electrodes 121 and 122 may include a first inner electrode 121 connected to the first outer electrode 130 and a second inner electrode 122 connected to the second outer electrode 140. In this case, the first inner electrode 121 may be arranged to be spaced apart from the second outer electrode 140, and the second inner electrode 122 may be arranged to be spaced apart from the first outer electrode 130. Therefore, different voltages may be applied to the first inner electrode 121 and the second inner electrode 122.

[0061] Reference Figure 4In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the first internal electrodes 121 may be disposed to be spaced apart from each other in a third direction perpendicular to the first direction and the second direction, and the second internal electrodes 122 may be disposed to be spaced apart from each other in the third direction. Therefore, a plurality of first internal electrodes 121 may be disposed in the first internal electrode layer 120a, and a plurality of second internal electrodes 122 may be disposed in the second internal electrode layer 120b. In addition, the first internal electrode layers 120a and the second internal electrode layers 120b may be alternately disposed in the third direction with the dielectric layer 111 interposed therebetween, so that a plurality of first internal electrode layers 120a and a plurality of second internal electrode layers 120b may be disposed in the third direction. Therefore, a plurality of first internal electrodes 121 disposed in each first internal electrode layer 120a may be disposed along the first direction, and a plurality of second internal electrodes 122 disposed in each second internal electrode layer 120b may also be disposed along the first direction, and thus the capacitance per unit volume of the multilayer electronic component 100 may be improved.

[0062] in addition, Figure 4 1 and 122 are respectively arranged in 6 layers in the first direction and 12 layers in the third direction, but the stacking manner of the internal electrodes is not limited thereto. Figure 7 As shown in , the first internal electrode 121 and the second internal electrode 122 may be respectively arranged in 6 layers or more in the first direction and in 12 layers or more in the third direction, and preferably, the first internal electrode 121 and the second internal electrode 122 may be respectively arranged in 25 layers or more in the first direction or the third direction. That is, the stacking manner of the first internal electrode 121 and the second internal electrode 122 may be respectively arranged in 25 layers or more in the first direction or the third direction.

[0063] In addition, the dielectric layer 111 may fill all of the spaces between the first internal electrodes 121, the spaces between the second internal electrodes 122, and the spaces between the first and second internal electrode layers 120a and 120b. Therefore, the first and second internal electrodes 121 and 122 may be electrically insulated from each other.

[0064] The material for forming the internal electrodes 121 and 122 is not limited to any specific example, and a material having excellent conductivity may be used. For example, the internal electrodes 121 and 122 may include one or more of nickel (Ni), copper (Cu), palladium (Pd), silver (Ag), gold (Au), platinum (Pt), tin (Sn), tungsten (W), titanium (Ti), and alloys thereof.

[0065] In addition, the internal electrodes 121 and 122 may be formed by printing a conductive paste for internal electrodes on a ceramic green sheet, the conductive paste for internal electrodes including one or more of nickel (Ni), copper (Cu), palladium (Pd), silver (Ag), gold (Au), platinum (Pt), tin (Sn), tungsten (W), titanium (Ti), and alloys thereof. A screen printing method or a gravure printing method may be used as a method of printing the conductive paste for the internal electrodes, but the embodiment is not limited thereto.

[0066] The external electrodes 130 and 140 may be disposed on the body 110 .

[0067] The external electrodes 130 and 140 may be respectively disposed on two surfaces of the body 110 that are opposite to each other in the second direction. Specifically, the external electrodes 130 and 140 may include a first external electrode 130 in contact with the third surface 3 of the body 110 and a second external electrode 140 in contact with the fourth surface 4 of the body 110. The first external electrode 130 may be connected to the first internal electrode 121, and the second external electrode 140 may be connected to the second internal electrode 122.

[0068] In an embodiment, the multilayer electronic component 100 may have two external electrodes 130 and 140 , but the number of the external electrodes 130 and 140 and the shapes thereof may vary according to the internal electrodes 121 and 122 or for other purposes.

[0069] In addition, the external electrodes 130 and 140 may be formed using any material having conductivity, such as metal, and a specific material may be determined in consideration of electrical characteristics and structural stability, and the external electrodes 130 and 140 may have a multi-layered structure.

[0070] For example, the external electrodes 130 and 140 may include an electrode layer disposed on the body 110 and a plating layer disposed on the electrode layer.

[0071] As a more specific example of the electrode layer, the electrode layer may be a sintered electrode including a conductive metal and glass, or a resin-based electrode including a conductive metal and resin.

[0072] In addition, the electrode layer may have a form in which a sintered electrode and a resin-based electrode are sequentially formed on the body. In addition, the electrode layer may be formed by transferring a sheet including a conductive metal onto the body or by transferring a sheet including a conductive metal onto the sintered electrode.

[0073] A material having excellent electrical conductivity may be used as the conductive metal included in the electrode layer, and the type of the electrode layer is not limited to any specific example. For example, the conductive metal may be one or more of nickel (Ni), copper (Cu), and alloys thereof, and may preferably be copper (Cu) to improve adhesion to the body.

[0074] The plating layer is used to improve mounting performance. The type of the plating layer is not limited to any specific example, and may be a plating layer including one or more of nickel (Ni), tin (Sn), palladium (Pd), and alloys thereof, and may be formed using a plurality of layers.

[0075] As a more specific example of the plating layer, the plating layer may be a Ni plating layer or a Sn plating layer, and the plating layer may have a form in which a Ni plating layer and a Sn plating layer are sequentially formed, or may have a form in which a Sn plating layer, a Ni plating layer and a Sn plating layer are sequentially formed. In addition, the plating layer may include multiple Ni plating layers and / or multiple Sn plating layers.

[0076] Hereinafter, correlations between various parameters for ensuring capacitance per unit volume and / or reliability of the multilayer electronic component 100 according to an embodiment or various embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail.

[0077] Reference Figure 5 , "a" may represent the shortest distance between the first inner electrode 121 and the second inner electrode 122 most adjacent to the first inner electrode 121. The shortest distance "a" is not limited to their distances in the first direction, the second direction, and the third direction, and may refer to the length of a line segment having the shortest distance among line segments obtained by connecting any outermost point of the first inner electrode 121 and any outermost point of the second inner electrode 122 in the first inner electrode 121 and the second inner electrode 122 adjacent to each other, and may be measured using a scanning electron microscope (SEM) or an optical microscope (OM) in a cross section in the first direction and the third direction of the multilayer electronic component 100 polished to the central portion in the second direction, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto.

[0078] In the cross-sections in the first and third directions where the multilayer electronic component 100 is polished to the central portion in the second direction of the multilayer electronic component 100, the shortest distance "a" may be an average value of values ​​measured in the central portion of the capacitance forming portion, which is adjusted so that 10 or more layers of the first internal electrodes are provided in the first direction, so that it may be further generalized. That is, "a" may be an average value of the shortest distances between the first internal electrode 121 and the second internal electrode 122 most adjacent to the first internal electrode 121.

[0079] Reference Figure 5, s1 may refer to the distance between the first internal electrodes 121 in the third direction, s2 may refer to the distance between the second internal electrodes 122 in the third direction, and s3 may refer to the distance between the first internal electrode 121 and the second internal electrode 122 in the third direction. In this case, s1 may refer to the distance between the first internal electrodes 121 adjacent to each other in the third direction, s2 may refer to the distance between the second internal electrodes 122 adjacent to each other, and s3 may refer to the distance between any first internal electrode 121 and any second internal electrode 122 adjacent to the arbitrary first internal electrode 121, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto. s1, s2, and s3 may be measured in a cross section in the first direction and the third direction of the central portion of the multilayer electronic component 100 polished to the second direction using a scanning electron microscope (SEM) or an optical microscope (OM), but the present disclosure is not limited thereto.

[0080] In the cross section in the first direction and the third direction of the central portion in the second direction to which the multilayer electronic component 100 is polished, the distances s1, s2, and s3 may have an average value of the values ​​measured in the central portion of the capacitance forming portion, which is adjusted so that 10 or more layers of the first internal electrodes are provided in the first direction, so that it can be further generalized. That is, s1 may refer to the average distance between the first internal electrodes 121 in the third direction, s2 may refer to the average distance between the second internal electrodes 122 in the third direction, and s3 may refer to the average distance between the first internal electrodes 121 and the second internal electrodes 122 in the third direction.

[0081] Reference Figure 5 “td” may refer to a distance in the first direction between a first internal electrode 121 and a second internal electrode 122 that is most adjacent to the first internal electrode 121 in the first direction.

[0082] The distance "td" between the first internal electrode 121 and the second internal electrode 122 in the first direction may refer to the distance in the first direction of a line segment obtained by connecting one end of the first internal electrode 121 in the first direction and the end of the second internal electrode 122 facing thereto in a cross section in the first direction and the third direction of the multilayer electronic component 100 polished to the central part in the second direction, and the measurement may be performed using a scanning electron microscope (SEM) or an optical microscope (OM), but the present disclosure is not limited thereto.

[0083] In the cross section in the first direction and the third direction where the multilayer electronic component 100 is polished to the central portion in the second direction, the distance "td" may be an average value of values ​​measured at 10 or more inner electrodes in the central region of the capacitance forming portion, so that it may be further generalized, the central region is adjusted so that 10 or more layers of the first inner electrode and the second inner electrode are respectively arranged in the first direction. That is, "td" may be an average distance in the first direction between the first inner electrode 121 and the second inner electrode 122 most adjacent to the first inner electrode in the first direction.

[0084] Reference Figure 5 , “te” may refer to a maximum dimension of the first internal electrode 121 in the first direction, and “we” may refer to a maximum dimension of the first internal electrode 121 in the third direction. In this specification, the maximum dimension “te” in the first direction and the maximum dimension “we” in the third direction are described based on the first internal electrode 121, but the description may also be applied to the second internal electrode 122.

[0085] According to the specific shape of the first internal electrode 121, the thickness and width of the first internal electrode 121 may be different at each position, so in the present disclosure, the values ​​corresponding to the thickness and width of the first internal electrode 121 are respectively set as the maximum dimension "te" of the first internal electrode 121 in the first direction and the maximum dimension "we" of the first internal electrode 121 in the third direction. Specifically, in the cross-section in the first direction and the third direction of the multilayer electronic component 100 polished to the central part in the second direction, the size of the line segment in the first direction obtained by connecting the highest point and the lowest point in the first direction of any one of the first internal electrodes included in the capacitance forming part may be set as the maximum dimension "te" of the first internal electrode 121 in the first direction, and the size of the line segment in the third direction obtained by connecting the outermost points in the third direction of any one of the first internal electrodes may be set as the maximum dimension "we" of the first internal electrode 121 in the third direction. These measurements may be similarly applied to the second internal electrode 122, and these measurements may be performed using a scanning electron microscope (SEM) or an optical microscope (OM), but the present disclosure is not limited thereto.

[0086] In the cross-section in the first direction and the third direction of the multilayer electronic component 100 polished to the central part in the second direction, the maximum dimensions "te" and "we" may be the average values ​​of the values ​​measured at 10 or more internal electrodes in the central area of ​​the capacitance forming part, so that it can be further generalized, the central area is adjusted so that 10 or more layers of the first internal electrodes and the second internal electrodes are respectively arranged in the first direction. That is, "te" may refer to the average value of the maximum dimension of the first internal electrode in the first direction, and "we" may refer to the average value of the maximum dimension of the first internal electrode in the third direction.

[0087] Fig. 8A is a schematic diagram showing the direction of electric field flux between internal electrodes in a multilayer electronic component according to a comparative example, Figure 8B is a schematic diagram illustrating the direction of electric field flux between internal electrodes in a multilayer electronic component according to an example.

[0088] When an electric field is applied, the dielectric between the inner electrodes expands in a direction parallel to the electric field and contracts in a direction perpendicular to the electric field. In this case, excessive expansion is caused and the vulnerable layer at the edge portion is broken down, which is called electrostrictive breakdown.

[0089] Fig. 8A The comparative example in briefly shows the case of a conventional inner electrode of a general type, and Figure 8B A case having the same internal electrode structure as that of an embodiment of the present disclosure is briefly shown. All expansion / contraction behaviors when an electric field is formed between the two electrodes are indicated by thin arrows and thick arrows. The forces for expansion in directions 1, 2, 3, and 4 are referred to as F1, F2, F3, and F4, respectively, and the magnitude of the force in this case is F (i.e., F1=F2=F3=F4=F), and the forces for contraction in directions 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9 can be defined as F5, F6, F7, F8, and F9, respectively. Assuming that the displacement in the contraction direction is approximately 30% of the displacement in the direction, it can be assumed that the magnitude of the force in the contraction direction is 0.3F (i.e., F5=F6=F7=F8=0.3F). In this case, when calculating the net electrostrictive expansion / contraction force, in the case of the comparative example, the force in the x-axis direction is offset, and a force equal to F is applied in the Y-axis direction (i.e., ). In this example, the resultant force F in directions 1, 2, 3, and 4 1′ 、F 2′ 、F 3′ and F 4′ is 0.7F (in F 1′ For example, F 1′ =F1-F5=0.7F), so the resultant force F 1′ 、F 2′ 、F 3′ and F 4′ The components in the Y-axis direction are and corresponds to about 0.5F (with For example, ). Therefore, the electrostrictive expansion / contraction force of the comparative example may be approximately twice that of the example.

[0090] Therefore, as in an embodiment of the present disclosure, in a body 110 including a first inner electrode layer 120a, a second inner electrode layer 120b, and a dielectric layer 111, when the first inner electrode layer 120a includes a first inner electrode 121 connected to a first outer electrode 130 and arranged to be spaced apart from each other in a third direction perpendicular to the first direction and the second direction, and the second inner electrode layer 120b includes a second inner electrode 122 connected to a second outer electrode 140 and arranged to be spaced apart from each other in the third direction, defects in a multilayer electronic component due to electrostrictive breakdown can be mitigated by offsetting electrostrictive expansion / contraction, as compared to a case of an inner electrode having a general structure such as a comparative example.

[0091] Fig. 9A is a schematic diagram showing the amount of electric field flux between internal electrodes of a multilayer electronic component according to a comparative example, Fig. 9B is a schematic diagram illustrating the amount of electric field flux between internal electrodes of a multilayer electronic component according to an example.

[0092] Assuming that the cross-sectional shape of the inner electrode in the first direction and the third direction is circular, Fig. 9A and Fig. 9B The strength E of the electric field shown in is the same, and the three layers are placed as a unit. The quantity of all electric field fluxes is calculated, Fig. 9A In the case of , the number of electric field fluxes is 2n, and Fig. 9B In the case of , the number of electric field fluxes is 2n-2. That is, in the case of a comparative example such as a conventional structure and an example of a structure such as in the embodiment of the present disclosure, the difference in the number of electric field fluxes is only two, so it cannot be considered that there is a significant difference between them. Therefore, as in the embodiment of the present disclosure, in the body 110 including the first inner electrode layer 120a, the second inner electrode layer 120b and the dielectric layer 111, when the first inner electrode layer 120a includes the first inner electrode 121 connected to the first outer electrode 130 and arranged to be spaced apart from each other in a third direction perpendicular to the first direction and the second direction, and the second inner electrode layer 120b includes the second inner electrode 122 connected to the second outer electrode 140 and spaced apart from each other in the third direction, although the defects in the multilayer electronic component caused by the electrostrictive breakdown can be alleviated, the number of electric field fluxes itself may not be significantly different from the conventional case.

[0093] Fig.10 2 is a schematic diagram showing a difference in integration degree according to a radius of an inner electrode and a distance between inner electrodes in a comparative example and an example.

[0094] In an embodiment of the present disclosure, 0.01≤(a / te)≤1.37 may be satisfied, and more preferably, 0.01≤(a / te)≤1.10 may be satisfied. Therefore, in the body 110 including the first inner electrode layer 120a, the second inner electrode layer 120b, and the dielectric layer 111, when the first inner electrode layer 120a includes the first inner electrode 121 connected to the first outer electrode 130 and arranged to be spaced apart from each other in a third direction perpendicular to the first direction and the second direction, and the second inner electrode layer 120b includes the second inner electrode 122 connected to the second outer electrode 140 and arranged to be spaced apart from each other in the third direction, defects in the multilayer electronic component caused by electrostrictive breakdown may be mitigated and capacitance per unit volume may be improved.

[0095] Specifically, in the case of a conventional general internal electrode structure and in the case of an internal electrode structure as in the embodiment of the present disclosure, Fig.10 , assuming that the cross-section of the shape of the internal electrode in the first direction and the third direction is circular, the radius of the internal electrode is represented by r, and the gap between the internal electrodes is represented by a.

[0096] In addition, for the convenience of calculation, it is assumed that the cross-sectional shape of the inner electrode is Fig.10 In this case, the length of one unit in the W direction calculated in the comparative example is 6r, and the length of one unit in the T direction calculated in the comparative example is 6r+2a, the length of one unit in the W' direction calculated in the example is 4r+a, and the length of one unit in the T' direction calculated in the example is

[0097]

[0098] Fig.11 Specifically, the result of calculating the ratio of the inner electrode by setting the radius r of the inner electrode to 1 and adjusting the distance a is shown. W and T are used in the comparative example, and W' and T' are used in the example. The dotted line corresponds to the ratio in the W direction (W' / W), the dotted line corresponds to the ratio in the T direction (T' / T), and the solid line is the product of the W ratio and the T ratio (T'W' / TW), and corresponds to the area ratio of the width-thickness surface.

[0099] Reference Fig.11, it can be seen that when a is less than or equal to 2.74, the area of a unit in the example is smaller than that of the comparative example. When converted to the ratio with te (corresponding to 2r), it can be seen that if the value of (a / te) is less than or equal to 1.37, for the same number of stacks, the area is smaller than that in the conventional case. Therefore, in the embodiments of the present disclosure, (a / te) ≤ 1.37 can be satisfied, so that the capacitance per unit volume of the multilayer electronic component can be improved. More preferably, (a / te) ≤ 1.10 can be satisfied, so that compared with the comparative example, the capacitance per unit volume of the multilayer electronic component can be further improved by having an area ratio of 92.15% or less. In addition, the lower limit value of (a / te) is not particularly limited, but for the electrical insulation between the internal electrodes, the lower limit of (a / te) can preferably be 0.01 or greater.

[0100] In the embodiments, 0.9 ≤ s1 / s2 ≤ 1.1 can be satisfied. Therefore, the cancellation effect of electrostrictive contraction / expansion can be further improved, and the breakdown caused by the electrostrictive contraction / expansion of the multilayer electronic component 100 can be further reduced.

[0101] In the embodiments, the first internal electrode 121 and the second internal electrode 122 may not overlap in the first direction. Examples of the structure in which the first internal electrode 121 and the second internal electrode 122 do not overlap in the first direction may include a structure in which the first internal electrode 121 and the second internal electrode 122 are spaced apart in the third direction, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto.

[0102] As described above, the first internal electrode 121 and the second internal electrode 122 do not overlap in the first direction, which can be beneficial to improving the capacitance per unit volume of the multilayer electronic component 100. However, if the distance between the first internal electrode 121 and the second internal electrode 122 in the third direction is too large, the number of internal electrodes that can be placed per unit volume will decrease. As a result, the capacitance per unit volume of the multilayer electronic component 100 will decrease compared with that of the multilayer electronic component with a conventional general structure. Therefore, in the embodiments, 0 < s3 ≤ 0.2s1 and 0 < s3 ≤ 0.2s2 can be satisfied.

[0103] In addition, the upper limit of the maximum dimension "te" of the first internal electrode 121 in the first direction is not particularly limited. However, in order to miniaturize the multilayer electronic component 100 and increase the capacitance, its upper limit may be less than or equal to 5μm. The lower limit of the maximum dimension "te" of the first internal electrode 121 in the first direction is also not particularly limited, but in order to ensure the overlapping area between the internal electrodes, the maximum dimension "te" of the first internal electrode 121 in the first direction may be greater than or equal to 0.05μm, and in an embodiment, the maximum dimension "we" of the first internal electrode 121 in the third direction may be greater than or equal to 0.05μm and less than or equal to 5μm. From a similar perspective to the first internal electrode 121, in an embodiment, the maximum dimension "te" of the second internal electrode 122 in the first direction and the maximum dimension "we" of the second internal electrode 122 in the third direction may both be greater than or equal to 0.05μm and less than or equal to 5μm.

[0104] In an embodiment, te≤td may be satisfied. When the maximum dimension "te" of the first internal electrode 121 in the first direction is greater than the distance "td" in the first direction between the first internal electrode and the second internal electrode that is most adjacent to the first internal electrode in the first direction, a fringing effect may easily occur in the internal electrode. This fringing effect may cause interference with the electric field generated between the first internal electrode 121 and the second internal electrode 122 in the capacitor forming portion, thereby reducing the capacitance per unit volume of the multilayer electronic component 100. Therefore, in an embodiment, by adjusting the maximum dimension "te" of the first internal electrode 121 and the second internal electrode 122 to be equal to or less than the distance "td" in the first direction between the first internal electrode and the second internal electrode that is most adjacent to the first internal electrode in the first direction, the capacitance per unit volume of the multilayer electronic component 100 may be further improved.

[0105] In an embodiment, a≥td may be satisfied. The shortest distance a between the first internal electrode 121 and the second internal electrode 122 that is most adjacent to the first internal electrode 121 is less than the distance td between the first internal electrode and the second internal electrode that is most adjacent to the first internal electrode in the first direction, and a fault may occur between the first internal electrode 121 and the second internal electrode 122 that is most adjacent to the first internal electrode 121. Therefore, in an embodiment, it is adjusted to satisfy a≥td, and the capacitance per unit volume of the multilayer electronic component 100 may be improved, and the withstand voltage characteristic may be improved at the same time.

[0106] In an embodiment, 0.5≤te / we≤1.5, more preferably 0.9≤te / we≤1.1 may be satisfied. Therefore, by controlling the shapes of the first and second internal electrodes 121 and 122 and effectively disposing the first and second internal electrodes 121 and 122 in the capacitance forming portion, the capacitance per unit volume of the multilayer electronic component 100 may be further improved.

[0107] In addition, in the drawings of the present disclosure, the cross-sectional shapes of the internal electrodes 121 and 122 in the first direction and the third direction are represented as rectangles or squares, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto. That is, the cross-sectional shapes of the internal electrodes 121 and 122 in the first direction and the third direction are not particularly limited, and may have various shapes such as polygons (e.g., regular polygons), circles, and ellipses.

[0108] Reference Fig.12 In an embodiment, the dielectric layer 111 and the internal electrode layers 120a and 120b of the present disclosure may be formed by lamination. Specifically, a plurality of first conductive patterns 221 for forming a first internal electrode may be applied at intervals in the third direction on the dielectric ceramic green sheet 211, and a plurality of second conductive patterns 222 for forming a second internal electrode may be applied at intervals in the third direction on the dielectric ceramic green sheet 211, that is, a plurality of first conductive patterns 221 are formed along the second direction and arranged at first intervals in the third direction, a plurality of second conductive patterns 222 are formed along the second direction and arranged at intervals in the third direction, and the dielectric ceramic green sheets 211 formed with the first conductive patterns 221 and the dielectric ceramic green sheets 211 formed with the second conductive patterns 222 are repeatedly stacked to form a stacked body, and then a pressing and firing process is performed to press and fire the stacked body. For example, the conductive patterns 221 and 222 for forming the first and second internal electrodes may be formed by printing a conductive paste, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and the conductive patterns 221 and 222 for forming the first and second internal electrodes may be formed by attaching a linear conductive material to the dielectric ceramic green sheet 211 in a continuous manner in the second direction. That is, "coating" may include both "printing" and "attaching", and the conductive material may include a conductive paste or a linear conductive material.

[0109] The size of the multilayer electronic component 100 may not necessarily be particularly limited.

[0110] However, in order to simultaneously achieve miniaturization and high capacitance, increasing the number of stacked layers by reducing the thickness of dielectric layers and internal electrodes may make it difficult to ensure reliability in a multilayer electronic component 100 having a size of 0201 (length×width, 0.2 mm×0.1 mm) or less.

[0111] Therefore, considering manufacturing errors and the size of the external electrodes, when the multilayer electronic component 100 has a length of 0.22 mm or less and a width of 0.11 mm or less, the effect of improving reliability according to the embodiment may be more significant.

[0112] Here, the length of the multilayer electronic component 100 may refer to the maximum dimension l in the second direction, the width of the multilayer electronic component 100 may refer to the maximum dimension w in the third direction, and the thickness of the multilayer electronic component 100 may refer to the maximum thickness t in the first direction. The measurement of the maximum dimension in each direction can be performed using a scanning electron microscope (SEM) or an optical microscope (OM). Even if not described in this disclosure, other methods and / or tools understood by those of ordinary skill in the art can also be used.

[0113] In an embodiment, t < l can be satisfied. Thus, the step difference caused by the excessive stacking of the inner electrode layers 120a and 120b can be reduced.

[0114] As described above, according to the foregoing embodiments, by improving the concentration of the electric field, the capacitance per unit volume can be increased.

[0115] According to the foregoing embodiments, in the inner electrode structure that improves the concentration of the electric field, the capacitance per unit volume can be increased without degrading the reliability.

[0116] In this specification, the expression "embodiment" does not mean the same embodiment and is provided to emphasize and describe different unique features. However, the combination of the features of the above-presented embodiments and another embodiment is not excluded. For example, even if the content described in a specific embodiment is not described in another embodiment, it can also be understood as a description related to another embodiment, unless there is a description that conflicts or contradicts the content in another embodiment.

[0117] The terms used in this disclosure are only for describing one embodiment and are not intended to limit this disclosure. In this case, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, the singular expression includes the plural expression.

[0118] Although the example embodiments have been shown and described above, it is easy for those skilled in the art to understand that modifications and variations can be made without departing from the scope of this disclosure defined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A multi-layer electronic component, comprising: A body including a dielectric layer, a first inner electrode layer, and a second inner electrode layer, wherein the first inner electrode layer and the second inner electrode layer are alternately arranged in a first direction, and the dielectric layer is interposed between the first inner electrode layer and the second inner electrode layer; A first outer electrode disposed on a first surface of two surfaces of the body that are opposite to each other in a second direction, the second direction being perpendicular to the first direction; And A second outer electrode disposed on a second surface of the two surfaces of the body that are opposite to each other in the second direction, wherein the first inner electrode layer includes first inner electrodes connected to the first outer electrode and arranged to be spaced apart from each other in a third direction perpendicular to the first direction and the second direction, and the second inner electrode layer includes second inner electrodes connected to the second outer electrode and arranged to be spaced apart from each other in the third direction, wherein when the shortest distance between the first inner electrode and the second inner electrode closest to the first inner electrode is defined as a, and the maximum dimension of the first inner electrode in the first direction is defined as te, 0.01 ≤ (a / te) ≤ 1.37 is satisfied.

2. The multilayer electronic component according to claim 1, wherein 0.01 ≤ (a / te) ≤ 1.10 is satisfied.

3. The multilayer electronic component according to claim 1, wherein: The first inner electrode and the second inner electrode do not overlap in the first direction.

4. The multilayer electronic component according to claim 1, wherein: The first inner electrode and the second inner electrode are arranged to be spaced apart in the third direction.

5. The multilayer electronic component according to claim 1, wherein The first inner electrode layer includes a plurality of the first inner electrodes, and the second inner electrode layer includes a plurality of the second inner electrodes. When the distance between adjacent first inner electrodes among the plurality of first inner electrodes in the third direction is defined as s1, and the distance between adjacent second inner electrodes among the plurality of second inner electrodes in the third direction is defined as s2, 0.9 ≤ s1 / s2 ≤ 1.1 is satisfied.

6. The multilayer electronic component according to claim 1, wherein: The first inner electrode layer includes a plurality of the first inner electrodes, and the second inner electrode layer includes a plurality of the second inner electrodes. When the distance between adjacent first inner electrodes among the plurality of first inner electrodes in the third direction is defined as s1, the distance between adjacent second inner electrodes among the plurality of second inner electrodes in the third direction is defined as s2, and the distance between one first inner electrode among the plurality of first inner electrodes and one second inner electrode adjacent to the one first inner electrode among the plurality of second inner electrodes in the third direction is defined as s3, 0 < s3 ≤ 0.2s1 and 0 < s3 ≤ 0.2s2 are satisfied.

7. The multilayer electronic component according to claim 1, wherein: When the maximum dimension of the first inner electrode in the third direction is defined as we, we is greater than or equal to 0.05 μm and less than or equal to 5 μm.

8. The multilayer electronic component according to claim 1, wherein te is greater than or equal to 0.05 μm and less than or equal to 5 μm.

9. The multilayer electronic component according to claim 1, wherein: When the distance between the first inner electrode and the second inner electrode closest to the first inner electrode in the first direction in the first direction is defined as td, te ≤ td is satisfied.

10. The multilayer electronic component according to claim 1, wherein When a distance in the first direction between the first internal electrode and the second internal electrode closest to the first internal electrode in the first direction is defined as td, a≥td is satisfied.

11. The multilayer electronic component according to claim 1, wherein When the maximum dimensions of the first internal electrode and the second internal electrode in the third direction are defined as we, 0.5≤te / we≤1.5 is satisfied.

12. The multilayer electronic component according to claim 1, wherein When the maximum dimension of the multilayer electronic component in the first direction is defined as t and the maximum dimension of the multilayer electronic component in the second direction is defined as l, Satisfy t <l。 13. The multilayer electronic component according to claim 1, wherein The dielectric layer includes Ba and Ti.

14. A method of manufacturing a multilayer electronic assembly, comprising: Applying a conductive material on the first dielectric ceramic green sheet along the second direction to form a plurality of first conductive patterns, the plurality of first conductive patterns being spaced apart in the third direction at first intervals; applying the conductive material on the second dielectric ceramic green sheet along the second direction to form a plurality of second conductive patterns, the plurality of second conductive patterns being spaced apart in the third direction; stacking a first dielectric ceramic green sheet having a first conductive pattern formed thereon and a second dielectric ceramic green sheet having a second conductive pattern formed thereon to form a stacked body; as well as The stack is pressed and fired.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein: The conductive material includes conductive paste.

16. The method according to claim 14, wherein: The conductive material includes a linear conductive material.

17. The method according to claim 14, wherein: The conductive material is a linear conductive material.

Images