Multilayer electronic component

Abstract

The present disclosure provides a multilayer electronic component. The multilayer electronic component includes: a body including dielectric layers and inner electrode layers alternately disposed in a first direction, the dielectric layers being interposed between the inner electrode layers, the main body comprises a first surface and a second surface which are opposite to each other in the first direction, a third surface and a fourth surface which are opposite to each other in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, and a fifth surface and a sixth surface which are opposite to each other in a third direction perpendicular to the first direction and the second direction; and external electrodes disposed on the third surface and the fourth surface, respectively, in which the internal electrode layer includes: a main portion; a lead-out portion extending from the main portion to the external electrode and having a size in the third direction smaller than a size of the main portion in the third direction; and a reinforcement pattern disposed on both sides of the lead-out portion in the third direction, and the reinforcement pattern includes a carbide.

Description

[0001] This application claims the benefit of priority from Korean Patent Application No. 10-2023-0131636 filed on October 4, 2023, in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein in its entirety by reference. Technical Field

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

[0003] Multilayer ceramic capacitors (MLCC, a type of multilayer electronic component) are chip capacitors mounted on printed circuit boards of various types of electronic products such as image display devices (such as liquid crystal displays (LCDs) or plasma display panels (PDPs)), computers, smartphones, mobile phones, on-board chargers (OBCs) for electric vehicles, circuits (such as DC-DC converters), infotainment systems, etc., for charging or discharging therefrom.

[0004] Currently, due to the impact of high capacitance and miniaturization, multilayer ceramic capacitors require new technologies for ensuring reliability in high temperature, high humidity and high voltage environments.

[0005] As a method for improving moisture-proof reliability, a method of reducing the penetration path of external moisture by forming a bottleneck in some areas of the inner electrode connected to the outer electrode is used. In this case, the proportion of the inner electrode is reduced, which may cause a problem of reduced sheet strength.

[0006] Therefore, when a bottleneck is formed in the internal electrode to improve moisture-proof reliability, it is necessary to develop a structure for improving the adverse effect of reducing sheet strength. Summary of the invention

[0007] An aspect of the present disclosure is to alleviate a problem of reduced strength of a multi-layer electronic component that may occur when a bottleneck is formed in an internal electrode.

[0008] However, the purpose of the present disclosure is not limited to the above contents and can be more easily understood in the process of explaining specific embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0009] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, a multilayer electronic component is provided, comprising: a main body, comprising dielectric layers and internal electrode layers alternately arranged in a first direction and the dielectric layers are interposed between the internal electrode layers, the main body comprising a first surface and a second surface opposite to each other in the first direction, a third surface and a fourth surface opposite to each other in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, and a fifth surface and a sixth surface opposite to each other in a third direction perpendicular to the first direction and the second direction; and external electrodes respectively arranged on the third surface and the fourth surface, wherein the internal electrode layers comprise: a main portion; a lead-out portion extending from the main portion to the third surface or the fourth surface to be connected to the external electrode and having a smaller dimension in the third direction than that of the main portion in the third direction; and a reinforcement pattern arranged on both sides of the lead-out portion in the third direction, wherein the reinforcement pattern comprises carbide. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0010] The above and other aspects, features and advantages of the present disclosure will be more clearly understood through the following detailed description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a perspective view schematically showing a multilayer electronic component according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; Figure 2 is along Figure 1 A cross-sectional view taken along line II'; Figure 3 is along Figure 1 A cross-sectional view taken along line II-II'; Figure 4 is along Figure 1 A cross-sectional view taken along line III-III'; Figure 5 is an exploded perspective view showing the structure of a main body according to an embodiment; Figure 6 is a plan view showing the structure of an internal electrode layer according to an embodiment; Figure 7 yes Figure 4 an enlarged view of region P and region P'; and Figure 8 is a schematic diagram showing the shape of particles according to the embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0011] Hereinafter, the specific embodiments of the present disclosure will be described as follows with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the present disclosure may be illustrated in many different forms and should not be construed as being limited to the specific embodiments set forth herein. More specifically, these embodiments are provided so that the present disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the present disclosure to those skilled in the art. Therefore, for clear description, the shapes and sizes of the elements in the drawings may be exaggerated, and the elements represented by the same reference numerals in the drawings are the same elements.

[0012] 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 elements with the same functions within the scope of the same concept will be described using the same reference numerals. Throughout the specification, unless otherwise specifically stated, when a component is referred to as "including" or "comprising", it means that it may also further include other components without excluding other components.

[0013] In the accompanying drawings, the first direction may be defined as a direction or a thickness direction in which the first internal electrodes (or first internal electrode layers) 121 and the second internal electrodes (or second internal electrode layers) 122 are alternately arranged and the dielectric layer 111 is interposed between the first internal electrodes 121 and the second internal electrodes 122, and among a second direction and a third direction perpendicular to the first direction, the second direction may be defined as a length direction and the third direction may be defined as a width direction.

[0014] Figure 1 is a perspective view schematically illustrating a multilayer electronic component according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0015] Figure 2 is along Figure 1 A cross-sectional view taken along line II'.

[0016] Figure 3 is along Figure 1 A cross-sectional view taken along line II-II'.

[0017] Figure 4 is along Figure 1 A cross-sectional view taken along line III-III'.

[0018] Figure 5 is an exploded perspective view showing the structure of a main body according to an embodiment.

[0019] Figure 6 is a plan view showing the structure of an internal electrode layer according to an embodiment.

[0020] Figure 7 yes Figure 4 Enlarged view of area P and area P'.

[0021] Figure 8 is a schematic diagram showing the shape of particles according to the embodiment.

[0022] In the following, reference will be made to Figures 1 to 8 A multilayer electronic assembly according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is described in detail.

[0023] According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, a multilayer electronic component 100 may include: a main body 110, including a dielectric layer 111 and internal electrode layers 121 and 122 alternately arranged in a first direction and the dielectric layer 111 is between the internal electrode layers 121 and 122, the main body 110 including a first surface 1 and a second surface 2 opposite to each other in the first direction, a third surface 3 and a fourth surface 4 opposite to each other in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, and a fifth surface 5 and a sixth surface 6 opposite to each other in a third direction perpendicular to the first direction and the second direction; and external electrodes 131 and 132, respectively arranged on the third surface 3 and the fourth surface 4. The internal electrode layers 121 and 122 include: main portions 121a and 122a; lead portions 121b and 122b, which extend from the main portions 121a and 122a to the third surface 3 and the fourth surface 4, respectively, to be connected to the external electrodes 131 and 132, respectively, and whose dimensions in the third direction are smaller than those of the main portions 121a and 122a in the third direction; and reinforcement patterns 121c and 122c, which are arranged on both sides of the lead portions 121b and 122b in the third direction, wherein the reinforcement patterns 121c and 122c include carbides and are spaced apart from the lead portions 121b and 122b and the main portions 121a and 122a, respectively.

[0024] The shape of the body 110 may not be limited to any particular shape, but Figure 1 and Figure 5 As shown in FIG, the body 110 may have a hexahedral shape or a shape similar to the hexahedral shape. Due to shrinkage of ceramic powder particles included in the body 110 during a sintering process, the body 110 may not have a precise hexahedral shape formed by straight lines but may generally have a hexahedral shape.

[0025] The plurality of dielectric layers 111 forming the body 110 may be in a sintered state, and adjacent dielectric layers 111 may be integrated with each other so that the boundaries therebetween may not be easily identified without using a scanning electron microscope (SEM). The number of dielectric layers stacked need not be specifically limited, and the number of dielectric layers stacked may be determined in consideration of the size of the multilayer electronic component. For example, the body may be formed by stacking 300 or more dielectric layers.

[0026] The raw materials used to form the dielectric layer 111 can vary according to their purpose. Specifically, ferroelectric BaTiO3 can be used as a material whose main purpose is to achieve a high capacitance per unit volume, and paraelectric CaZrO3 can be used as a material whose main purpose is to improve reliability in a high-temperature environment. Examples of BaTiO3-based materials can include BaTiO3, (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). In addition, CaZrO3-based materials can include, for example, (Ca 1-x Sr x )(Zr 1-y Ti y )O3 (0 < x < 1, 0 < y < 1).

[0027] The average thickness td of the dielectric layer 111 is not particularly limited.

[0028] For the purpose of miniaturization and high capacitance of the multilayer electronic component 100, the average thickness td of the dielectric layer 111 can be less than or equal to 0.35 μm, and the average thickness td of the dielectric layer 111 can be greater than or equal to 3 μm to improve the reliability of the multilayer electronic component 100 under high temperature and high voltage.

[0029] The average thickness td of the dielectric layer 111 can refer to the average thickness of the dielectric layer 111 disposed between the first inner electrode layer 121 and the second inner electrode layer 122. For example, the average thickness td of the dielectric layer 111 can refer to the average thickness of at least one dielectric layer in the dielectric layer 111.

[0030] The average thickness td of the dielectric layer 111 can be obtained by measuring the thickness of the dielectric layer 111 and averaging the values obtained from an image obtained by scanning a cross-section of the main body 110 in the second direction and the first direction using a scanning electron microscope (SEM).

[0031] For example, the average thickness td of the dielectric layer 111 may be obtained as follows. In an image of a cross section of the body 110 in the length direction and the thickness direction taken at the center of the body 110 in the width direction scanned with a scanning electron microscope, a total of five dielectric layers are extracted from among the dielectric layers, the five dielectric layers including one dielectric layer at a point where a center line of the body 110 in the length direction intersects with a center line of the body 110 in the thickness direction and two upper dielectric layers and two lower dielectric layers based on the one dielectric layer, and then five points including the point and two left points and two right points with the point as a reference point are determined at equal intervals based on the point where the center line of the body 110 in the length direction intersects with the center line of the body 110 in the thickness direction, and thereafter, the thickness at each point may be measured and their average value may be obtained.

[0032] like Figure 2 As shown in FIG. 1 , the internal electrode layers 121 and 122 are alternately arranged in the first direction with the dielectric layer 111 interposed therebetween.

[0033] The internal electrode layers 121 and 122 may be divided into first internal electrode layers 121 and second internal electrode layers 122. The first internal electrode layers 121 and the second internal electrode layers 122 may be alternately disposed to face each other with the dielectric layer 111 constituting the body 110 interposed therebetween, and the first internal electrode layers 121 and the second internal electrode layers 122 may be respectively exposed to the third surface 3 and the fourth surface 4 of the body 110 to be respectively connected to external electrodes 131 and 132 to be described later.

[0034] Reference Figure 2 , the first internal electrode layer 121 may be spaced apart from the fourth surface 4 and exposed to the third surface 3 , and the second internal electrode layer 122 may be spaced apart from the third surface 3 and exposed to the fourth surface 4 .

[0035] In this case, the first and second internal electrode layers 121 and 122 may be electrically separated from each other by the dielectric layer 111 disposed therebetween.

[0036] Reference Figure 5 The body 110 may be formed by alternately stacking ceramic green sheets on which a conductive paste for the first internal electrode layer 121 is printed and ceramic green sheets on which a conductive paste for the second internal electrode layer 122 is printed, and then sintering them.

[0037] The material for forming the main portions 121a and 122a and the lead portions 121b and 122b of the internal electrode layers 121 and 122 is not particularly limited, and a material having excellent conductivity may be used. For example, a conductive paste for the internal electrode may be printed on a ceramic green sheet to form the main portions 121a and 122a and the lead portions 121b and 122b, the conductive paste including one or more selected from the group consisting of nickel (Ni), copper (Cu), palladium (Pd), silver (Ag), gold (Au), platinum (Pt), tin (Sn), tungsten (W), titanium (Ti), and alloys thereof.

[0038] A method of printing the conductive paste for the internal electrode may be a screen printing method, a gravure printing method, etc., but the present disclosure is not limited thereto.

[0039] Furthermore, in some embodiments of the present disclosure, in addition to the main portions 121a and 122a for forming a capacitor in the internal electrode layers 121 and 122 and the lead portions 121b and 122b for ensuring connectivity with the external electrodes 131 and 132, reinforcement patterns 121c and 122c including carbides are provided on both sides of the lead portions 121b and 122b in the width direction, and their specific structures will be described later.

[0040] The average thickness te of the internal electrode layers 121 and 122 is not particularly limited and may vary according to the purpose. In order to miniaturize the multilayer electronic component 100, the average thickness te of the internal electrode layers 121 and 122 may be less than or equal to 0.35 μm, and in order to improve the reliability of the multilayer electronic component 100 under high temperature and high voltage, the average thickness te of the internal electrode layers 121 and 122 may be greater than or equal to 3 μm. For example, the average thickness te of the internal electrode layers 121 and 122 may refer to the average thickness of at least one of the internal electrode layers 121 and 122.

[0041] The average thickness te of the internal electrode layers 121 and 122 may be obtained as follows. In an image of a cross section of the main body 110 in the length direction and the thickness direction taken at the center of the main body 110 in the width direction scanned with a scanning electron microscope, a total of five internal electrode layers are extracted from the internal electrode layers, the five internal electrode layers including one internal electrode layer at a point where a center line of the main body in the length direction intersects with a center line of the main body in the thickness direction and two upper internal electrode layers and two lower internal electrode layers based on the one internal electrode layer, and then five points including the point and two left points and two right points with the point as a reference point are determined at equal intervals based on the point where the center line of the main body in the length direction intersects with the center line of the main body in the thickness direction, after which the thickness of the internal electrode layers 121 and 122 at the respective points may be measured and their average values ​​may be obtained.

[0042] The body 110 may include a capacitance forming portion Ac, which is a region where the internal electrode layers 121 and 122 are stacked in the first direction. In particular, the capacitance forming portion Ac may refer to a region where main portions 121a and 122a of the internal electrode layers 121 and 122, which will be described later, are stacked in the first direction to form capacitance.

[0043] In addition, the capacitance forming part Ac may be formed by repeatedly stacking a plurality of first internal electrode layers 121 and a plurality of second internal electrode layers 122 with the dielectric layer 111 interposed therebetween.

[0044] Reference Figure 2 and Figure 3 , the covering portions 112 and 113 may be respectively disposed on one surface and the other surface of the capacitance forming portion Ac in the first direction.

[0045] The cover parts 112 and 113 may serve to prevent damage to the internal electrodes due to physical stress and / or chemical stress, and may serve to improve the strength of the multilayer electronic component 100 .

[0046] The covering portions 112 and 113 do not include an internal electrode layer and include the same material as the dielectric layer 111, and may be formed by stacking a single dielectric layer or two or more dielectric layers on the upper surface and the lower surface of the capacitance forming portion Ac in the thickness direction, respectively. However, the composition of the covering portions 112 and 113 is not limited to the same composition as the dielectric layer 111 of the capacitance forming portion Ac, and may include a composition different from that of the dielectric layer 111 of the capacitance forming portion Ac.

[0047] The average thickness tc of the cover parts 112 and 113 is not particularly limited. However, in order to achieve miniaturization and high capacitance of the multilayer electronic component 100, the average thickness tc of the cover parts 112 and 113 may be equal to or less than 15 μm.

[0048] The average thickness tc of the covering portions 112 and 113 may refer to an average size of the covering portions 112 and 113 in the first direction, and may be a value obtained by averaging the sizes of the covering portions 112 and 113 in the first direction measured at five points equally spaced in the second direction above or below the capacitor forming portion Ac.

[0049] Reference Figure 3 , the edge portions 114 and 115 may be respectively disposed on one side surface and the other side surface of the capacitance forming portion Ac in the third direction.

[0050] The edge portions 114 and 115 may include: an edge portion 114 disposed on one side surface of the capacitance forming portion Ac in the third direction; and an edge portion 115 disposed on the other side surface of the capacitance forming portion Ac in the third direction. That is, the edge portions 114 and 115 may be disposed on both side surfaces of the capacitance forming portion Ac in the width direction, respectively.

[0051] like Figure 3 As shown in , the edge portions 114 and 115 may refer to regions between both ends of the main portions 121 a and 122 a and the outer surface of the body 110 in a width direction-thickness direction cross section of the body 110 .

[0052] The edge portions 114 and 115 may mainly serve to prevent damage to the inner electrodes due to physical stress and / or chemical stress.

[0053] The edge portions 114 and 115 may be formed by not coating the conductive paste on regions of the ceramic green sheets where the edge portions are to be formed when forming the internal electrodes by coating the conductive paste on the ceramic green sheets.

[0054] In addition, in order to suppress the step difference caused by the internal electrode layers 121 and 122, after cutting is performed after stacking to expose the internal electrodes to the two side surfaces of the capacitor forming portion Ac in the third direction, the edge portions 114 and 115 can be formed by stacking a single dielectric layer or two or more dielectric layers on the two side surfaces of the capacitor forming portion Ac in the third direction.

[0055] In addition, the average 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 100, the average width of the edge portions 114 and 115 may be equal to or less than 15 μm.

[0056] 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 the sizes of the edge portions 114 and 115 in the third direction measured at five points spaced at equal intervals in the first direction on the side surface of the capacitor forming portion Ac.

[0057] Reference Figure 1 and Figure 2 , the external electrodes 131 and 132 are disposed on the body 110 .

[0058] The external electrodes 131 and 132 are disposed on the body 110 and are respectively connected to the internal electrode layers 121 and 122. Specifically, the external electrodes 131 and 132 may be connected to the lead-out portions 121b and 122b of the internal electrode layers 121 and 122, respectively.

[0059] like Figure 2 As shown in , the external electrodes 131 and 132 may be disposed on the third surface 3 and the fourth surface 4 of the body 110 , respectively, and include a first external electrode 131 connected to the first internal electrode layer 121 and a second external electrode 132 connected to the second internal electrode layer 122 .

[0060] In the present embodiment, a structure in which the multilayer electronic component 100 has two external electrodes 131 and 132 is illustrated, but the number of the external electrodes 131 and 132 and the shapes of the external electrodes 131 and 132 may vary according to the internal electrode layers 121 and 122 or for other purposes.

[0061] In addition, the external electrodes 131 and 132 may be formed using any material having conductivity such as metal, and a specific material may be determined in consideration of electrical characteristics, structural stability, etc., and further, the external electrodes 131 and 132 may have a multi-layered structure.

[0062] For example, the external electrodes 131 and 132 may include an electrode layer disposed on the body 110 and a plating layer disposed on the electrode layer.

[0063] For a more specific example of the electrode layer, the electrode layer may be a sintered electrode layer including a conductive metal and glass, or a resin-based electrode layer including a conductive metal and resin.

[0064] In addition, the electrode layer may have a form in which a sintered electrode layer and a resin-based electrode layer are sequentially formed on the body 110. In addition, the electrode layer may be formed by transferring a sheet including a conductive metal onto the body 110 or by transferring a sheet including a conductive metal onto the sintered electrode layer.

[0065] As the conductive metal included in the electrode layer, a material having excellent conductivity may be used, and the type of the conductive metal in the electrode layer is not limited to any specific example. For example, the conductive metal may include one or more selected from the group consisting of nickel (Ni), copper (Cu), palladium (Pd), silver (Ag), gold (Au), platinum (Pt), tin (Sn), tungsten (W), titanium (Ti), and alloys thereof.

[0066] The plating layer may be a plating layer including one or more selected from the group consisting of nickel (Ni), tin (Sn), palladium (Pd), and alloys thereof, and may be formed using a plurality of layers.

[0067] For a more specific example of the plating layer, the plating layer may be a Ni plating layer or a Sn plating layer, or the plating layer may have a form in which a Ni plating layer and a Sn plating layer are formed in sequence, or a form in which a Sn plating layer, a Ni plating layer and a Sn plating layer are formed in sequence. In addition, the plating layer may include a plurality of Ni plating layers and / or a plurality of Sn plating layers.

[0068] The size of the multilayer electronic component 100 does not need to be particularly limited.

[0069] In order to achieve both miniaturization and high capacitance, the multilayer electronic component 100 may have a size of 0201 (length×width, 0.2 mm×0.1 mm) or smaller, and in order to ensure reliability under high temperature and high voltage environments, the multilayer electronic component 100 may have a size of 3216 (length×width, 3.2 mm×1.6 mm) or larger, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto.

[0070] Here, the length of the multilayer electronic component 100 may refer to a maximum dimension of the multilayer electronic component 100 in the second direction, and the width of the multilayer electronic component 100 may refer to a maximum dimension of the multilayer electronic component 100 in the third direction.

[0071] Reference Figure 6 According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, the inner electrode layers 121 and 122 include main portions 121a and 122a and lead portions 121b and 122b, which extend from the main portions 121a and 122a to the third surface 3 and the fourth surface 4, respectively, to be connected to the outer electrodes 131 and 132, respectively, and have a width in the third direction smaller than that of the main portions 121a and 122a in the third direction. Therefore, the moisture-proof reliability of the multilayer electronic component 100 can be improved by reducing the width of the connection portion between the inner electrode and the outer electrode that is susceptible to external moisture penetration.

[0072] In addition, in the conventional case where the internal electrode layers 121 and 122 are respectively formed into a structure including main parts 121a and 122a and lead parts 121b and 122b whose dimensions in the third direction are smaller than those of the main parts 121a and 122a, it can be beneficial to improve moisture-proof reliability, but since the corner area of ​​the main body 110 has a high proportion of highly brittle ceramic material, a side effect of weakening the strength of the multilayer electronic component 100 may occur.

[0073] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the internal electrode layers 121 and 122 have a structure including main parts 121a and 122a and lead parts 121b and 122b whose sizes in the third direction are smaller than those of the main parts 121a and 122a, respectively, and by providing reinforcement patterns 121c and 122c including carbides that are chemically stable, have high mechanical strength and have excellent electrical properties on both sides of the lead parts 121b and 122b in the width direction, the moisture-proof reliability and strength of the multilayer electronic component 100 can be ensured at the same time.

[0074] Specifically, the inner electrode layers 121 and 122 of the multilayer electronic component 100 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure include: main parts 121a and 122a; lead parts 121b and 122b, respectively extending from the main parts 121a and 122a to the third surface 3 and the fourth surface 4 to connect to the external electrodes 131 and 132, respectively, and the size in the third direction is smaller than the size of the main parts 121a and 122a in the third direction; and reinforcement patterns 121c and 122c, respectively arranged on both sides of the lead parts 121b and 122b in the third direction, and the reinforcement patterns 121c and 122c include carbides. Therefore, the moisture-proof reliability of the multilayer electronic component 100 can be improved by forming the inner electrode layers 121 and 122 in a bottleneck pattern, and the strength of the multilayer electronic component 100 can be improved by reducing the proportion of the dielectric material in the corner area of ​​the body 110.

[0075] The substance referred to by carbide may differ depending on the industrial field. However, in the present disclosure, carbide is a general term used for a compound of carbon (C) and a metal element or carbon (C) and a non-metal element.

[0076] Preferably, the carbide included in the reinforcement patterns 121c and 122c is chemically stable, has high mechanical strength, and has excellent electrical characteristics to improve the strength of the multilayer electronic component 100. Specifically, the carbide according to some embodiments is interstitial carbide, covalent carbide, or a mixture thereof.

[0077] Specific examples of interstitial carbides and covalent carbides may include one or more selected from the group consisting of tungsten carbide, titanium carbide, silicon carbide, zirconium carbide, hafnium carbide, vanadium carbide, niobium carbide, tantalum carbide, chromium carbide, molybdenum carbide, etc., and the reinforcement patterns 121c and 122c according to some embodiments may include one or more selected from the group consisting of tungsten carbide, titanium carbide, silicon carbide, zirconium carbide, hafnium carbide, vanadium carbide, niobium carbide, tantalum carbide, chromium carbide and molybdenum carbide.

[0078] Among the above-mentioned interstitial carbides and covalent carbides, examples of carbides having excellent mechanical properties (such as compressive strength, Young's modulus, and elastic modulus), chemical resistance, and electrical properties may include at least one selected from the group consisting of tungsten carbide (WC), titanium carbide (TiC), and silicon carbide (SiC). That is, in some embodiments, the reinforcement patterns 121c and 122c may include one or more of tungsten carbide (WC), titanium carbide (TiC), and silicon carbide (SiC).

[0079] The method of forming the reinforcement patterns 121c and 122c including carbide according to some embodiments of the present disclosure on both sides of the lead-out portions 121b and 122b in the third direction is not particularly limited. For example, the reinforcement patterns 121c and 122c may be formed by printing a conductive paste for forming the main portion and the lead-out portion on a ceramic green sheet for forming a dielectric layer, and then printing a reinforcement pattern including carbide powder on both sides of the lead-out portion in the width direction, or the main portion, the lead-out portion, and the reinforcement pattern may be formed simultaneously.

[0080] In addition, the reinforcement patterns 121c and 122c may further include various conductive metal elements in addition to the above-mentioned carbides. Examples of the conductive metal elements that may be included in the reinforcement patterns 121c and 122c include at least one selected from the group consisting of copper (Cu), nickel (Ni), silver (Ag), palladium (Pd), tin (Sn), etc. One or more of Cu-Ni alloy and Ag-Ni alloy as alloys thereof may be additionally included in the reinforcement patterns 121c and 122c.

[0081] In some embodiments, the reinforcement patterns 121c and 122c may be disposed to be spaced apart from the main portions 121a and 122a and the lead portions 121b and 122b, respectively. Therefore, moisture penetrated into the body 110 may be effectively prevented from diffusing into the capacitance forming portion Ac.

[0082] In some embodiments, the reinforcement patterns 121c and 122c are disposed to be spaced apart from the external electrodes 131 and 132, respectively. Therefore, external moisture may be effectively prevented from penetrating into the body 110.

[0083] In some embodiments, the reinforcement patterns 121c and 122c may be disposed to be spaced apart from the main portions 121a and 122a, the lead portions 121b and 122b, and the external electrodes 131 and 132, respectively. Therefore, not only the penetration path of external moisture into the body 110 may be reduced, but also the moisture penetrated into the body 110 may be effectively suppressed from diffusing into the main portions 121a and 122a constituting the capacitance forming portion Ac.

[0084] As an example of a method of determining the kind of elements included in the reinforcement patterns 121c and 122c and measuring the content thereof, there may be a method of polishing the multilayer electronic component 100 in the second direction to expose the central portion of the lead-out portions 121b and 122b in the second direction, and then performing a scanning electron microscope-energy dispersive X-ray spectrometer (SEM-EDS) analysis on the reinforcement patterns 121c and 122c under an accelerating voltage condition of 20 kV. When the reinforcement patterns 121c and 122c include carbides, the contents of the carbon (C) element and the metal element and non-metal element constituting the carbides may be measured.

[0085] Reference Figure 7 In the region P in the reinforcing pattern 121c, at least a portion of the carbides included in the reinforcing pattern 121c may exist in the form of particles 10 and 10'. In some embodiments, the particles 10 and 10' may be divided into first particles 10 and second particles 10', and the reinforcing pattern 121c may include at least one of the first particles 10 and the second particles 10'.

[0086] The first particles 10 may refer to carbide particles 11 , and the second particles 10 ′ may refer to particles in which carbides 13 are disposed on the surface of the conductive metal 12 .

[0087] That is, the reinforcement pattern 121c may have a structure including first particles 10 composed of carbide particles 11, or may have a structure including second particles 10' in which carbides 13 are disposed on at least a portion of the surface of the conductive metal 12, or may have a structure including both the first particles 10 and the second particles 10'.

[0088] Hereinafter, the shape and average size of the first particles 10 will be described, but they are applicable to the second particles 10 ′.

[0089] Reference Figure 8 , the shape of the first particle 10 may be determined by the relationship between the length a of the major axis of the particle and the length b of the minor axis. The length of the major axis may represent the maximum Feret diameter of the particle, and the length of the minor axis may represent the minimum Feret diameter of the particle. In this case, the Feret diameter may represent the distance from one end edge to the other end edge of the particle. In the present disclosure, the shape of the particle is not particularly limited, but having a substantially spherical shape may be beneficial to preventing crack propagation, and may prevent short circuits between the reinforcing patterns 121c and 122c and adjacent conductive portions (e.g., main portions 121a and 122a, lead portions 121b and 122b, and external electrodes 131 and 132) by reducing printing dispersion. Here, the fact that the particle has a substantially spherical shape may represent that b / a is greater than or equal to 0.7 and less than or equal to 1.0, greater than or equal to 0.8 and less than or equal to 1.0, or greater than or equal to 0.9 and less than or equal to 1.0.

[0090] In addition, when the average size of the first particles 10 is substantially the same as the average thickness te of the internal electrode layers 121 and 122, the filling rate of the reinforcement pattern 121c may be insufficient. For example, when the average size of the first particles 10 is substantially the same as the average thickness te of the internal electrode layers 121 and 122, a reinforcement pattern larger than the designed size may be formed, in which case a short circuit may occur between the reinforcement pattern and the adjacent conductive portion. In addition, when the average size of the first particles 10 is greater than 1 / 5 of the average thickness te of the internal electrode layers 121 and 122, the average size of the first particles 10 may be too large and the filling rate of the reinforcement pattern 121c may be low, as a result of which the effect of improving the strength of the multilayer electronic component 100 may be insufficient. Therefore, in one embodiment, the strength of the multilayer electronic component 100 may be improved by adjusting the average size of the first particles 10 to be less than or equal to 1 / 5 of the average thickness te of the internal electrode layers 121 and 122.

[0091] In some embodiments, the average size of the first particles 10 is less than or equal to 500 nm, so that the effect of improving the strength of the multilayer electronic component 100 can be more significant.

[0092] In some embodiments, the average size of the first particles 10 may represent a value obtained by adding a length a of a major axis and a length b of a minor axis of the first particles 10 and dividing the sum by 2. The average size of the first particles 10 may be more generalized by measuring 10 or more first particles 10, and after polishing the multilayer electronic component 100 in the second direction to expose the central portion of the lead-out portions 121 b and 122 b in the second direction, the sizes of the first particles 10 may be measured and averaged to obtain the average size of the first particles 10 by observing an image obtained by observing a region where the reinforcement patterns 121 c and 122 c are formed using a scanning electron microscope (SEM) under an accelerating voltage condition of 20 kV.

[0093] In addition, when the reinforcement patterns 121 c and 122 c include one or more first particles 10 and second particles 10 ′, the effect of preventing the occurrence of cracks may vary according to the filling rate of the one or more first particles 10 and second particles 10 ′.

[0094] Specifically, in a conventional case where the reinforcement patterns 121 c and 122 c are not formed, a large number of cracks may occur due to the brittleness of the ceramic material in the bottleneck of the internal electrode layers 121 and 122 .

[0095] On the other hand, when the area fraction of the first particles 10 in the reinforcement patterns 121c and 122c (the area fraction based on 100% of the reinforcement patterns 121c and 122c) is less than 30%, crack occurrence is alleviated, but this may not be sufficient to suppress crack occurrence itself. However, when the area fraction of the first particles 10 exceeds 70%, the proportion of the first particles 10 in the reinforcement patterns 121c and 122c is too large, and there is a risk that fine cracks may occur between the first particles 10. Therefore, in an embodiment, based on the area fraction of 100% of the reinforcement patterns 121c and 122c, the area fraction of the first particles 10 in the reinforcement patterns 121c and 122c may be adjusted to be greater than or equal to 30% and less than or equal to 70%, thereby effectively suppressing crack occurrence in the bottleneck of the inner electrode layers 121 and 122 corresponding to the corner area of ​​the body 110.

[0096] As an example of a method of measuring the area fraction of the first particles 10, there may be a method of measuring the area fraction of the first particles 10 as a ratio of the total area of ​​the first particles 10 to the product of the dimension y in the third direction and the dimension x in the first direction of the region where the first particles 10 are formed. In this case, the first particles 10 may be identified by polishing the multilayer electronic component 100 in the second direction to expose the central portion of the lead-out portions 121b and 122b in the second direction, and then the region where the reinforcement patterns 121c and 122c are formed may be observed using a scanning electron microscope (SEM) under an accelerating voltage condition of 20 kV and a relatively dark region may be determined as a region where the first particles 10 are formed.

[0097] Reference Figure 7 In the region P', the reinforcement pattern 121c may have a continuous plate shape. In this case, the continuous plate shape may be a shape obtained by sintering carbide or a conductive metal. In this case, if the average thickness of the plate-shaped reinforcement pattern 121c is the same as the average thickness of the lead-out portion 121b, it may be advantageous to eliminate the step.

[0098] As described above, according to one of the many effects of the present disclosure, in a structure of an internal electrode layer having a main part and a lead-out part having a width smaller than that of the main part, the moisture-proof reliability and strength of the multilayer electronic component can be simultaneously ensured by providing a reinforcement pattern including carbide on both sides of the lead-out part in the width direction.

[0099] However, various beneficial advantages and effects of the present disclosure are not limited to the above contents and can be more easily understood in the process of explaining specific embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0100] In this specification, the expression "embodiment" used does not mean the same embodiment, and is provided to emphasize and describe different unique features. However, the embodiment presented above does not exclude being implemented in combination with the features of another embodiment. For example, even if the content described in a specific embodiment is not described in another embodiment, unless there is a description in another embodiment that contradicts or is contrary to the content, it can be understood as a description related to another embodiment.

[0101] The terms used in the present disclosure are only used to describe the embodiments and are not intended to limit the present disclosure. In this case, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, a singular expression includes a plural expression.

[0102] While example embodiments have been shown and described above, it will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art that modifications and variations may be made without departing from the scope of the present disclosure as defined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A multilayer electronic component comprising: A body, comprising dielectric layers and inner electrode layers alternately arranged in a first direction with the dielectric layers interposed between the inner electrode layers, the body comprising a first surface and a second surface opposite to each other in the first direction, a third surface and a fourth surface opposite to each other in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, and a fifth surface and a sixth surface opposite to each other in a third direction perpendicular to the first direction and the second direction; as well as external electrodes, respectively disposed on the third surface and the fourth surface, The inner electrode layer includes: a main portion; a lead portion extending from the main portion to the third surface or the fourth surface to be connected to the external electrode, and having a size in the third direction smaller than a size of the main portion in the third direction; and a reinforcement pattern disposed on both sides of the lead portion in the third direction. Wherein, the reinforcement pattern comprises carbide.

2. The multilayer electronic component according to claim 1, wherein The reinforcement pattern includes one or more selected from the group consisting of tungsten carbide, titanium carbide, silicon carbide, zirconium carbide, hafnium carbide, vanadium carbide, niobium carbide, tantalum carbide, chromium carbide, and molybdenum carbide.

3. The multilayer electronic component according to claim 1, wherein: The reinforcement pattern includes first particles including the carbide.

4. The multilayer electronic component according to claim 3, wherein: An average size of the first particles is less than or equal to 1 / 5 of an average thickness of the inner electrode layer in the first direction.

5. The multilayer electronic component according to claim 3, wherein: The average size of the first particles is less than or equal to 500 nm.

6. The multilayer electronic component according to claim 3, wherein: Based on an area fraction of 100% of the reinforcement pattern, an area fraction of the first particles is greater than or equal to 30% and less than or equal to 70%.

7. The multilayer electronic component according to claim 3, wherein: When the length of the major axis of the first particle is a and the length of the minor axis of the first particle is b, b / a is greater than or equal to 0.9 and less than or equal to 1.

0.

8. The multilayer electronic component according to claim 1, wherein The reinforcing pattern further includes a conductive metal, and The reinforcement pattern includes a second particle including the carbide and the conductive metal, in which the carbide is disposed on at least a portion of a surface of the conductive metal.

9. The multilayer electronic component according to claim 1, wherein: The reinforcement pattern has a continuous plate shape.

10. The multilayer electronic component according to claim 1, wherein The reinforcing pattern is disposed to be spaced apart from the main portion and the lead-out portion.

11. The multilayer electronic component according to claim 1, wherein The reinforcement pattern is disposed to be spaced apart from the external electrode.

12. The multilayer electronic component according to claim 1, wherein The reinforcing pattern further includes one or more selected from the group consisting of copper, nickel, silver, palladium, and tin.

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