Multilayer electronic component

Abstract

The present disclosure provides a multilayer electronic component. The multilayer electronic component includes: a body including a dielectric layer and first and second internal electrodes, the body having first and second surfaces opposite to each other in a first direction, third and fourth surfaces opposite to each other in a second direction, and fifth and sixth surfaces opposite to each other in a third direction; and an external electrode including: a lower electrode layer disposed between an extension line of the first surface and an extension line of the second surface; the upper electrode layer is arranged on the lower electrode layer, and the upper electrode layer is arranged to extend to a part of the first surface and a part of the second surface; and a glass layer disposed between the lower electrode layer and the upper electrode layer. The lower electrode layer comprises Ag and first glass. And the upper electrode layer comprises Cu and second glass.

Description

[0001] This application claims the benefit of priority from Korean Patent Application No. 10-2023-0134810 filed on October 11, 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 imaging devices including liquid crystal displays (LCDs) and plasma display panels (PDPs), computers, smartphones, and mobile phones, and used to charge or discharge them. Multilayer ceramic capacitors are used as components of various electronic devices because they are small in size, ensure high capacitance, and are easy to mount.

[0004] The multilayer ceramic capacitor may mainly include a body for forming capacitance and an external electrode. Recently, in order to increase capacitance per unit volume of the multilayer ceramic capacitor, the thickness of the external electrode of the multilayer ceramic capacitor has been reduced.

[0005] However, as the thickness of the external electrode decreases, external moisture and / or a plating solution may easily penetrate into the body, resulting in reduced reliability of the multilayer ceramic capacitor. Summary of the invention

[0006] An aspect of the present disclosure is to improve the reliability of a multi-layer electronic component by preventing external moisture and / or plating solution from penetrating into a body.

[0007] However, aspects of the present disclosure are not limited to those set forth herein and will be more readily understood in the course of describing specific example embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0008] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, a multilayer electronic component is provided, the multilayer electronic component comprising: a body, comprising a dielectric layer and first and second inner electrodes alternately arranged in a first direction and the dielectric layer interposed between the first and second inner electrodes, the body having 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 the second direction and connected to the first and second surfaces, and a fifth surface and a sixth surface opposite to each other in the third direction and connected to the first, second, third and fourth surfaces; a first outer electrode, comprising a first lower electrode layer, a first upper electrode layer and a first glass layer, the first lower electrode layer being arranged on the third surface and connected to the first inner electrode, the first lower electrode layer being arranged on the first surface The first upper electrode layer is disposed on the first lower electrode layer between the extension line of the first surface and the extension line of the second surface, the first upper electrode layer is disposed to extend to a portion of the first surface and a portion of the second surface, and the first glass layer is disposed between the first lower electrode layer and the first upper electrode layer; and a second outer electrode, including a second lower electrode layer, a second upper electrode layer and a second glass layer, the second lower electrode layer is disposed on the fourth surface and connected to the second inner electrode, the second lower electrode layer is disposed between the extension line of the first surface and the extension line of the second surface, the second upper electrode layer is disposed on the second lower electrode layer, the second upper electrode layer is disposed to extend to a portion of the first surface and a portion of the second surface, and the second glass layer is disposed between the second lower electrode layer and the second upper electrode layer. Each of the first lower electrode layer and the second lower electrode layer may include Ag and a first glass. Each of the first upper electrode layer and the second upper electrode layer may include Cu and a second glass.

[0009] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a multilayer electronic component is provided, the multilayer electronic component comprising: a body, comprising a dielectric layer and first and second inner electrodes alternately arranged in a first direction and the dielectric layer interposed between the first and second inner electrodes, the body having 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 the second direction and connected to the first and second surfaces, and a fifth surface and a sixth surface opposite to each other in the third direction and connected to the first, second, third and fourth surfaces; a first outer electrode, comprising a first lower electrode layer, a first upper electrode layer and a first glass layer, the first lower electrode layer being arranged on the third surface and connected to the first inner electrode, the first lower electrode layer being arranged on the first surface The first upper electrode layer is arranged on the first lower electrode layer between the extension line of the first surface and the extension line of the second surface, the first upper electrode layer is arranged to extend to a part of the first surface and a part of the second surface, and the first glass layer is arranged between the first lower electrode layer and the first upper electrode layer; and a second outer electrode, including: a second lower electrode layer, a second upper electrode layer and a second glass layer, the second lower electrode layer is arranged on the fourth surface and connected to the second inner electrode, the second lower electrode layer is arranged between the extension line of the first surface and the extension line of the second surface, the second upper electrode layer is arranged on the second lower electrode layer, the second upper electrode layer is arranged to extend to a part of the first surface and a part of the second surface, and the second glass layer is arranged between the second lower electrode layer and the second upper electrode layer. Each of the first lower electrode layer and the second lower electrode layer may include Ag and a first glass. Each of the first upper electrode layer and the second upper electrode layer may include Cu and a second glass, and the second glass includes Al.

[0010] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a multilayer electronic component is provided, comprising: a main body, comprising a dielectric layer and alternating internal electrodes with the dielectric layer interposed between the internal electrodes; and external electrodes arranged outside the main body, and at least one of the external electrodes comprises: a lower electrode layer arranged on the main body and connected to the internal electrodes; an upper electrode layer arranged on the lower electrode layer; and a glass layer arranged between the lower electrode layer and the upper electrode layer, wherein the lower electrode layer comprises Ag and a first glass, and the upper electrode layer comprises Cu and a second glass.

[0011] According to example embodiments of the present disclosure, external moisture and / or a plating solution may be prevented from penetrating into a body, thereby improving reliability of a multilayer electronic component. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0012] 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 schematic perspective view of a multilayer electronic assembly according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure; Figure 2 yes Figure 1 A schematic exploded perspective view of the subject in FIG. Figure 3 It is along Figure 1 A schematic cross-sectional view taken along line II' in FIG. Figure 4 It is along Figure 1 A schematic cross-sectional view taken along line II-II' in FIG. Figure 5 yes Figure 3 Magnified view of area “K1” in FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0013] Hereinafter, example embodiments of the present disclosure are described 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 example embodiments set forth herein. In addition, example embodiments of the present disclosure may be provided to more completely describe the present disclosure 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 represented by the same reference numerals in the accompanying drawings may be the same elements.

[0014] In order to clearly illustrate the present disclosure, parts not related to the description are omitted, and in order to clearly indicate layers and regions, the size is exaggerated, and similar parts having the same function within the scope of the same concept are represented by the same reference numerals throughout the specification. Throughout the specification, unless otherwise specifically stated, when an element is referred to as "comprising" or "including", it means that the element may also include other elements, without excluding other elements.

[0015] In the drawings, a first direction may be defined as a thickness direction, a second direction may be defined as a length direction, and a third direction may be defined as a width direction.

[0016] Multilayer electronic components Figure 1 is a schematic perspective view of a multilayer electronic assembly according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0017] Figure 2 yes Figure 1 Schematic exploded perspective view of the subject in.

[0018] Figure 3 It is along Figure 1Schematic cross-sectional view taken along line II' in FIG.

[0019] Figure 4 It is along Figure 1 Schematic cross-sectional view taken along line II-II'.

[0020] Figure 5 yes Figure 3 Magnified view of area “K1” in FIG.

[0021] In the following, reference will be made to Figures 1 to 5 The multilayer electronic component 100 according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure is described in detail. In addition, a multilayer ceramic capacitor (hereinafter referred to as "MLCC") is described as an example of the multilayer electronic component, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and the multilayer electronic component may include an inductor, a piezoelectric element, a varistor, a thermistor, etc.

[0022] The multilayer electronic component 100 according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure may include: a body 110 including a dielectric layer 111 and internal electrodes 121 and 122 ; and external electrodes 131 and 132 .

[0023] The specific shape of the main body 110 is not particularly limited. Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown in , the body 110 may have a hexahedral shape or a shape similar thereto. During the sintering process, ceramic powder particles included in the body 110 may shrink or edge portions of the body 110 may be polished, so that the body 110 may not have a hexahedral shape with perfect straight lines, but may have a generally hexahedral shape.

[0024] The body 110 may have a first surface 1 and a second surface 2 opposite to each other in a first direction, a third surface 3 and a fourth surface 4 connected to the first surface 1 and the second surface 2 and opposite to each other in the second direction, and a fifth surface 5 and a sixth surface 6 connected to the first surface 1, the second surface 2, the third surface 3 and the fourth surface 4 and opposite to each other in a third direction.

[0025] The main body 110 may have a first-third corner C1-3 connecting the first surface 1 and the third surface 3 to each other, a first-fourth corner C1-4 connecting the first surface 1 and the fourth surface 4 to each other, a second-third corner C2-3 connecting the second surface 2 and the third surface 3 to each other, and a second-fourth corner C2-4 connecting the second surface 2 and the fourth surface 4 to each other. In addition, the main body 110 may also have a first-fifth corner connecting the first surface 1 and the fifth surface 5 to each other, a first-sixth corner connecting the first surface 1 and the sixth surface 6 to each other, a second-fifth corner connecting the second surface 2 and the fifth surface 5 to each other, and a second-sixth corner connecting the second surface 2 and the sixth surface 6 to each other. The corners may have a rounded shape by processing the edges connecting the surfaces of the main body 110 to make the edges rounded. The first surface 1, the second surface 2, the third surface 3, the fourth surface 4, the fifth surface 5, and the sixth surface 6 of the main body 110 may be substantially flat surfaces, and the non-flat regions of the main body 110 may be regarded as corners.

[0026] The main body 110 may include a dielectric layer 111 and first inner electrodes 121 and second inner electrodes 122 arranged alternately, and the dielectric layer 111 is interposed between the first inner electrodes 121 and the second inner electrodes 122. The plurality of dielectric layers 111 included in the main body 110 may be in a sintered state, and adjacent dielectric layers 111 may be integrated with each other such that their boundaries are not easily recognizable without using a scanning electron microscope (SEM).

[0027] A method for preparing the dielectric layer 111 will be described. A ceramic slurry including ceramic powder particles, an organic solvent, and a binder may be prepared, the ceramic slurry may be coated on a carrier film and dried to prepare a green sheet, and then the green sheet may be sintered to prepare the dielectric layer 111. The ceramic powder particles are not particularly limited as long as sufficient capacitance can be obtained using them. For example, barium titanate-based materials, lead composite perovskite-based materials, or strontium titanate-based materials may be used for the ceramic powder particles. Examples of the ceramic powder particles may include BaTiO3 or (Ba 1-x Ca x )TiO3 (0 < x < 1) obtained by partially solid-soluting Ca or Zr in BaTiO3, 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).

[0028] For example, the internal electrodes 121 and 122 may be alternately arranged in the first direction with the dielectric layer 111 interposed between the internal electrodes 121 and 122. The first internal electrode 121 may be spaced apart from the fourth surface 4 and may be connected to the first external electrode 131 on the third surface 3. The second internal electrode 122 may be spaced apart from the third surface 3 and may be connected to the second external electrode 132 on the fourth surface 4.

[0029] The conductive metal included in the internal electrodes 121 and 122 may be one or more of Ni, Cu, Pd, Ag, Au, Pt, Sn, W, Ti, and alloys thereof, and may more preferably be Ni, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto.

[0030] The internal electrodes 121 and 122 may be formed by coating a conductive paste including a conductive metal for internal electrodes on a ceramic green sheet with a predetermined thickness and sintering the conductive paste. The conductive paste for internal electrodes may be printed by screen printing, gravure printing, etc., but the present disclosure is not limited thereto.

[0031] The average thickness td of the dielectric layer 111 and the average thickness te of each of the internal electrodes 121 and 122 are not particularly limited. The average thickness td of the dielectric layer 111 may be, for example, 0.1µm to 10µm. The average thickness te of each of the internal electrodes 121 and 122 may be, for example, 0.1µm to 3.0µm. In addition, the average thickness td of the dielectric layer 111 and the average thickness te of each of the internal electrodes 121 and 122 may be arbitrarily set according to the desired characteristics or uses. For example, in order to achieve miniaturization and high capacitance, in the case of high voltage electronic components, the average thickness td of the dielectric layer 111 may be less than 2.8µm, and the average thickness te of each of the internal electrodes 121 and 122 may be less than 1µm. In addition, in order to achieve miniaturization and high capacitance, in the case of small information technology (IT) electronic components, the average thickness td of the dielectric layer 111 may be less than or equal to 0.4µm, and the average thickness te of each of the internal electrodes 121 and 122 may be less than or equal to 0.4µm.

[0032] The average thickness td of the dielectric layer 111 and the average thickness te of each of the internal electrodes 121 and 122 may refer to the average size of the dielectric layer 111 in the first direction and the average size of each of the internal electrodes 121 and 122 in the first direction, respectively. For example, the average thickness td of the dielectric layer 111 and the average thickness te of each of the internal electrodes 121 and 122 may be measured by scanning the cross section of the body 110 in the first direction and the second direction with a SEM at a magnification of 10000 to obtain an image. More specifically, the average thickness td of the dielectric layer 111 may be obtained by measuring the thickness of one dielectric layer 111 at a plurality of points (e.g., thirty points equally spaced from each other) in the second direction of the dielectric layer and calculating the average value of the thickness. In addition, the average thickness te of each of the internal electrodes 121 and 122 may be obtained by measuring the thickness of each of the internal electrodes 121 and 122 at a plurality of points (e.g., thirty points equally spaced from each other) in the second direction of each of the internal electrodes 121 and 122 and calculating the average value of the thickness. Thirty points equally spaced from each other may be specified in the capacitance forming portion Ac to be described later. In addition, when such average values ​​are measured for ten dielectric layers 111 and ten internal electrodes 121 and 122, respectively, the average thickness td of the dielectric layer 111 and the average thickness te of each of the internal electrodes 121 and 122 may be more generalized.

[0033] The body 110 may include: a capacitor forming part Ac, which is disposed in the body 110, and the capacitor forming part Ac includes a first internal electrode 121 and a second internal electrode 122 alternately disposed with a dielectric layer 111 interposed therebetween to form a capacitor; and a first covering part 112 and a second covering part 113, which are respectively disposed on two surfaces of the capacitor forming part Ac opposite to each other in a first direction. The covering parts 112 and 113 may be mainly used to prevent damage to the internal electrodes 121 and 122 caused by physical stress and / or chemical stress. The covering parts 112 and 113 may have the same material as that of the dielectric layer 111, except that the internal electrodes are not included.

[0034] The average thickness tc of each of the covering portions 112 and 113 is not particularly limited. That is, the average thickness tc of each of the covering portions 112 and 113 can be arbitrarily set according to the desired characteristics or uses. For example, in order to achieve miniaturization and high capacitance of multilayer electronic components, the average thickness tc of each of the covering portions 112 and 113 may be less than or equal to 300µm, less than or equal to 100µm, less than or equal to 30µm, or less than or equal to 20µm, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto. Here, the average thickness tc of each of the covering portions 112 and 113 may refer to the average thickness of each of the first covering portion 112 and the second covering portion 113.

[0035] The average thickness tc of each of the covering portions 112 and 113 may refer to the average size of each of the covering portions 112 and 113 in the first direction, and may be the average value of the size of each of the covering portions 112 and 113 in the first direction measured at five equidistant points in the second direction in a cross-section of the body 110 in the first and second directions.

[0036] The body 110 may include a first edge portion 114 and a second edge portion 115 respectively disposed on two surfaces of the capacitance forming portion Ac opposite to each other in the third direction. That is, the edge portions 114 and 115 may refer to regions between both ends of the internal electrodes 121 and 122 and an outer surface of the body 110 in the third direction in a cross section of the body 110 in the first and third directions.

[0037] The edge portions 114 and 115 may include the same material as that of the dielectric layer 111 except that the internal electrodes 121 and 122 are not included. The edge portions 114 and 115 may mainly serve to prevent damage to the internal electrodes 121 and 122 caused by physical stress and / or chemical stress.

[0038] The edge portions 114 and 115 may be formed by coating portions of the ceramic green sheets other than the portions where the edge portions are to be formed with a conductive paste for the internal electrodes. Alternatively, in order to suppress the step difference caused by the internal electrodes 121 and 122, the edge portions 114 and 115 may be formed by cutting after stacking the ceramic green sheets so that the internal electrodes 121 and 122 are exposed to two surfaces of the capacitor forming portion Ac facing each other in the third direction, and then stacking a single dielectric layer or two or more dielectric layers on the two surfaces of the capacitor forming portion Ac facing each other in the third direction.

[0039] The average thickness tm of each of the edge portions 114 and 115 is not particularly limited. The average thickness tm of each of the edge portions 114 and 115 can be arbitrarily set according to the desired characteristics or uses. For example, in order to achieve miniaturization and high capacitance of multilayer electronic components, the average thickness tm of each of the edge portions 114 and 115 may be less than or equal to 100µm, less than or equal to 20µm, or less than or equal to 15µm, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto. Here, the average thickness tm of each of the edge portions 114 and 115 may refer to the average thickness of each of the first edge portion 114 and the second edge portion 115.

[0040] The average thickness tm of each of the edge portions 114 and 115 may refer to the average size of each of the edge portions 114 and 115 in the third direction, and may be the average value of the size of each of the edge portions 114 and 115 in the third direction measured at five equidistant points in the first direction in a cross-section of the body 110 in the first direction and the third direction.

[0041] The external electrodes 131 and 132 may be respectively disposed on the third surface 3 and the fourth surface 4 of the body 110, and may respectively extend to a portion of the first surface 1, a portion of the second surface 2, a portion of the fifth surface 5, and a portion of the sixth surface 6 of the body 110. Regions of the external electrodes 131 and 132 disposed on the third surface 3 and the fourth surface 4 may be defined as connection portions, and regions of the external electrodes 131 and 132 disposed on the first surface 1, the second surface 2, the fifth surface 5, and the sixth surface 6 may be defined as band portions.

[0042] The external electrodes 131 and 132 may include a first external electrode 131 connected to the first internal electrode 121 and a second external electrode 132 connected to the second internal electrode 122. A region of the first external electrode 131 disposed on the third surface 3 may be defined as a first connection portion, and regions of the first external electrode 131 disposed on the first surface 1, the second surface 2, the fifth surface 5, and the sixth surface 6 may be defined as a first band portion. A region of the second external electrode 132 disposed on the fourth surface 4 may be defined as a second connection portion, and regions of the second external electrode 132 disposed on the first surface 1, the second surface 2, the fifth surface 5, and the sixth surface 6 may be defined as a second band portion.

[0043] The first external electrode 131 may include: a first lower electrode layer 131a, which is arranged on the third surface 3, and the first lower electrode layer 131a is arranged between the extension line E1 of the first surface 1 and the extension line E2 of the second surface 2; a first upper electrode layer 131b, which is arranged on the first lower electrode layer 131a, and the first upper electrode layer 131b extends to a part of the first surface 1 and a part of the second surface 2; a first glass layer 131c, which is arranged between the first lower electrode layer 131a and the first upper electrode layer 131b; and a first plating layer 131d, which is arranged on the first upper electrode layer 131b.

[0044] The second external electrode 132 may include: a second lower electrode layer 132a, which is arranged on the fourth surface 4, and the second lower electrode layer 132a is arranged between the extension line E1 of the first surface 1 and the extension line E2 of the second surface 2; a second upper electrode layer 132b, which is arranged on the second lower electrode layer 132a, and the second upper electrode layer 132b extends to a part of the first surface 1 and a part of the second surface 2; a second glass layer 132c, which is arranged between the second lower electrode layer 132a and the second upper electrode layer 132b; and a second coating layer 132d, which is arranged on the second upper electrode layer 132b.

[0045] The first lower electrode layer 131a may mainly contact the third surface 3 and may be used to connect the first inner electrode 121 and the first outer electrode 131 to each other, and the second lower electrode layer 132a may mainly contact the fourth surface 4 and may be used to connect the second inner electrode 122 and the second outer electrode 132 to each other.

[0046] Each of the first lower electrode layer 131a and the second lower electrode layer 132a may include a first metal and a first glass. The first metal included in the first lower electrode layer 131a and the second lower electrode layer 132a may include Ag. More specifically, the first metal may include Ag as a main element. Here, the first metal including Ag as a main element may mean that the ratio of the number of moles of Ag included in the first metal to the total number of moles of metal elements is greater than or equal to 70%.

[0047] Ag may be a low melting point metal having low reactivity. The lower electrode layers 131 a and 132 a contacting the third surface 3 and the fourth surface 4 of the body 110 , respectively, may include Ag, respectively, thereby preventing external moisture and / or a plating solution from penetrating into the body 110 .

[0048] The first lower electrode layer 131a may be disposed between the extension line E1 of the first surface 1 and the extension line E2 of the second surface 2, and the second lower electrode layer 132a may be disposed between the extension line E1 of the first surface 1 and the extension line E2 of the second surface 2, thereby reducing the size of the multilayer electronic component 100 in the first direction to increase the capacitance per unit volume. Here, the extension line of each surface may refer to a line extending from a flat portion of each surface. That is, the first lower electrode layer 131a may not extend toward the first band portion, and the second lower electrode layer 132a may not extend toward the second band portion.

[0049] In example embodiments, ends (first and second ends) of the first lower electrode layer 131a may be disposed on the first-third corner C1-3 and the second-third corner C2-3, and ends (third and fourth ends) of the second lower electrode layer 132a may be disposed on the first-fourth corner C1-4 and the second-fourth corner C2-4. External moisture and / or a plating solution may tend to penetrate into the body 110 through a corner of the body 110 having a short distance from the internal electrodes 121 and 122. In this case, ends of the first and second lower electrode layers 131a and 132a including Ag having low reactivity may be disposed on the corners of the body 110 to more effectively prevent external moisture and / or a plating solution from penetrating into the body 110.

[0050] The method of forming the first lower electrode layer 131a and the second lower electrode layer 132a is not particularly limited. However, the first lower electrode layer 131a and the second lower electrode layer 132a can be formed, for example, by transferring a conductive sheet including first metal powder particles (including Ag), a first glass, a binder, and an organic solvent onto the third surface 3 and the fourth surface 4, and then sintering the conductive sheet.

[0051] The first upper electrode layer 131b may be disposed on the first lower electrode layer 131a, and may be disposed to extend over a portion of the first surface 1 and a portion of the second surface 2. The first upper electrode layer 131b may be disposed to extend over a portion of the fifth surface 5 and a portion of the sixth surface 6. The second upper electrode layer 132b may be disposed on the second lower electrode layer 132a, and may be disposed to extend over a portion of the first surface 1 and a portion of the second surface 2. The second upper electrode layer 132b may be disposed to extend over a portion of the fifth surface 5 and a portion of the sixth surface 6. The first upper electrode layer 131b and the second upper electrode layer 132b may extend mainly toward the band portion to perform connection between the external electrodes 131 and 132 and a board on which the multilayer electronic component 100 is mounted.

[0052] Each of the first upper electrode layer 131b and the second upper electrode layer 132b may include a second metal and a second glass. The second metal included in the first upper electrode layer 131b and the second upper electrode layer 132b may include Cu. More specifically, the second metal may include Cu as a main element. Here, the second metal including Cu as a main element may mean that the ratio of the number of moles of Cu included in the second metal to the total number of moles of metal elements is greater than or equal to 70%.

[0053] Cu may have excellent wettability for metal plating. Therefore, the first and second upper electrode layers 131b and 132b may include Cu, thereby improving plating characteristics of plating layers 131d and 132d to be described below.

[0054] The method of forming the first upper electrode layer 131b and the second upper electrode layer 132b is not particularly limited. However, the first upper electrode layer 131b and the second upper electrode layer 132b can be formed, for example, by dipping the body 110 on which the first lower electrode layer 131a and the second lower electrode layer 132a are formed in a conductive paste including second metal powder particles (including Cu), a second glass, a binder, and an organic solvent, and then sintering the body 110.

[0055] The first glass layer 131c may be formed at an interface between the first lower electrode layer 131a and the first upper electrode layer 131b, and the second glass layer 132c may be formed at an interface between the second lower electrode layer 132a and the second upper electrode layer 132b. The glass layers 131c and 132c may be used to prevent external moisture and / or plating solution from penetrating into the body 110 at an interface between the lower electrode layers 131a and 132a and the upper electrode layers 131b and 132b.

[0056] The glass layers 131c and 132c may be formed only at the interfaces between the lower electrode layers 131a and 132a and the upper electrode layers 131b and 132b, and therefore, the glass layers 131c and 132c may not be configured to extend onto the first surface 1, the second surface 2, the fifth surface 5, and the sixth surface 6, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto.

[0057] The glass layers 131c and 132c may include the same composition as that of the first glass and / or the second glass. The glass layers 131c and 132c may include one or more of Ba, Zn, Al, Si, and B, for example.

[0058] During the process of coating and sintering the conductive paste for forming the upper electrode layers 131b and 132b, the glass layers 131c and 132c may be formed by the first glass and / or the second glass moving toward the interface between the lower electrode layers 131a and 132a and the upper electrode layers 131b and 132b.

[0059] The plating layers 131d and 132d can improve the mounting characteristics. The type of each of the plating layers 131d and 132d is not particularly limited, and the plating layers 131d and 132d can be a plating layer including one or more of Ni, Sn, Pd and alloys thereof, and can be formed using multiple layers. Each of the plating layers 131d and 132d can be, for example, a Ni plating layer or a Sn plating layer, or can be a Ni plating layer and a Sn plating layer formed in sequence. In addition, each of the plating layers 131d and 132d can include multiple Ni plating layers and / or multiple Sn plating layers. The method for forming the plating layers 131d and 132d is not particularly limited, and an electrolytic plating method and / or an electroless plating method can be used.

[0060] Although the drawings show a structure in which the multilayer electronic component 100 has two external electrodes 131 and 132 , the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and the number or shape of the external electrodes 131 and 132 may vary according to the shapes of the internal electrodes 121 and 122 or other purposes.

[0061] In the following, reference will be made to Figure 5The first external electrode 131 of the multilayer electronic component 100 according to the example embodiment of the present disclosure is described in more detail. However, the first external electrode 131 may be similar to the second external electrode 132 in configuration, but may be different from the second external electrode 132 in that the first external electrode 131 is connected to the first internal electrode 121, and the second external electrode 132 is connected to the second internal electrode 122. Therefore, the following description of the first external electrode 131 may be applied to the second external electrode 132.

[0062] In example embodiments, the first glass G1 included in the first lower electrode layer 131a may include one or more of Ba, Zn, and Si, and the second glass G2 included in the first upper electrode layer 131b may include one or more of Al and Si. The first glass G1 may be, for example, borosilicate glass including one or more of BaO and ZnO, and the second glass G2 may be, for example, aluminosilicate glass.

[0063] Ba and / or Zn included in the first glass G1 may lower the softening temperature of the first glass G1 to sufficiently fill the voids in the first lower electrode layer 131 a. That is, the first glass G1 may improve the sealing property of the first lower electrode layer 131 a covering the third surface 3 of the body 110 through which the first internal electrode 121 is exposed, thereby preventing penetration of external moisture and / or plating solution.

[0064] It may be important to ensure the sealing of the first lower electrode layer 131a disposed further inward than the first upper electrode layer 131b. Therefore, in example embodiments, the sum of the moles of Ba and the moles of Zn relative to the total moles of elements other than oxygen among the elements included in the first glass G1 may be greater than the sum of the moles of Ba and the moles of Zn relative to the total moles of elements other than oxygen among the elements included in the second glass G2. It should be understood that in the above description, the sum of the moles of Ba and Zn in the second glass G2 may be 0.

[0065] The first upper electrode layer 131b may be disposed in contact with the first plating layer 131d, so that the second glass G2 included in the first upper electrode layer 131b may have better corrosion resistance than the first glass G1 included in the first lower electrode layer 131a. The second glass G2 may include Al and / or Si having excellent corrosion resistance, thereby preventing erosion of the second glass G2 caused by the plating solution and the resulting penetration of the plating solution.

[0066] It may be important to ensure the corrosion resistance of the first upper electrode layer 131b that is further outwardly disposed than the first lower electrode layer 131a. Thus, in an exemplary embodiment, the molar number of Al relative to the total molar number of elements other than oxygen among the elements included in the second glass G2 may be greater than the molar number of Al relative to the total molar number of elements other than oxygen among the elements included in the first glass G1. It should be understood that in the above description, the molar number of Al in the first glass G1 may be 0.

[0067] The molar number of each element (e.g., Al, Ba, and Zn) included in the first glass G1 and the total molar number of elements (other than oxygen) and the molar number of each element (e.g., Al, Ba, and Zn) included in the second glass G2 and the total molar number of elements (other than oxygen) may be measured, for example, by the following method: Scanning the cross-sections of the multilayer electronic component 100 in the first and second directions at the center in the third direction of the main body 110 with an SEM to obtain an image of the cross-section, and then performing energy dispersive spectrometer (EDS) analysis on the region of the image where the first glass G1 is disposed and the region of the image where the second glass G2 is disposed. Even if not described in the present disclosure, other methods and / or tools understood by those of ordinary skill in the art may be used.

[0068] In an exemplary embodiment, the first glass layer 131c may have a discontinuous region R, and the first lower electrode layer 131a and the first upper electrode layer 131b may be in contact with each other in at least a part of the discontinuous region R. More specifically, in at least a part of the discontinuous region R, the first metal M1 and the second metal M2 may be in contact with each other.

[0069] Thus, an alloy including Ag and Cu may be disposed in at least a part of the discontinuous region R. The alloy may be formed by the mutual reaction between the first metal M1 of the first lower electrode layer 131a and the second metal M2 of the first upper electrode layer 131b. The alloy formed by the reaction of the first metal M1 and the second metal M2 may inhibit the penetration of external moisture.

[0070] To reduce the thickness of the first outer electrode 131, the first lower electrode layer 131a may preferably have a reduced and constant thickness. In an exemplary embodiment, in the cross-section of the multilayer electronic component 100 in the first and second directions, when the thickness of the central region of the first lower electrode layer 131a in the first direction is t1 and the thickness of the central region of the first upper electrode layer 131b in the first direction is t2, t1 and t2 may satisfy t1 < t2. Here, the thickness of the first lower electrode layer 131a may refer to the dimension of the first lower electrode layer 131a in the second direction, and the thickness of the first upper electrode layer 131b may refer to the dimension of the first upper electrode layer 131b in the second direction.

[0071] The method of making the thickness of the first lower electrode layer 131a smaller than that of the first upper electrode layer 131b and maintaining it constant is not particularly limited. However, the first lower electrode layer 131a may be formed by transferring a conductive sheet to the body 110 and then sintering the conductive sheet, and the first upper electrode layer 131b may be formed by dipping the body 110 in a conductive paste and then sintering the body 110, so that t1 may be satisfied. <t2。

[0072] There is no particular limitation on t1, but it may be greater than or equal to 5 µm and less than or equal to 7 µm. When t1 is less than 5 µm, the effect of improving moisture resistance reliability according to the present disclosure may not be significant. When t1 is greater than 7 µm, it may be disadvantageous to reduce the thickness of the first external electrode 131.

[0073] The thickness of the first glass layer 131c is not particularly limited. However, in an example embodiment, the thickness t3 of the central region of the first glass layer 131c in the first direction may be greater than or equal to 1µm and less than or equal to 3µm. When t3 is less than 1µm, the effect of improving moisture-proof reliability according to the present disclosure may not be significant. In addition, when t3 is greater than 3µm, a side effect of increasing the ESR of the multilayer electronic component 100 may occur.

[0074] For example, t1, t2, and t3 may be measured in an image obtained by scanning a cross section of the multilayer electronic component 100 in the first and second directions through the center of the body 110 in the third direction with an SEM. Even if not described in the present disclosure, other methods and / or tools understood by those of ordinary skill in the art may be used.

[0075] Although the above embodiments show that both the first external electrode and the second external electrode have a lower electrode layer including a first metal and a first glass, an upper electrode layer including a second metal and a second glass, and a glass layer disposed between the lower electrode layer and the upper electrode layer, it can be understood by those skilled in the art that even if only one of the first external electrode and the second external electrode has the above structure, compared with the prior art, it is possible to prevent external moisture and / or plating solution from penetrating into the body to a certain extent, thereby improving the reliability of the multilayer electronic component. Therefore, the scope of the present disclosure includes a multilayer electronic component in which at least one external electrode has a lower electrode layer including a first metal and a first glass, an upper electrode layer including a second metal and a second glass, and a glass layer disposed between the lower electrode layer and the upper electrode layer.

[0076] In addition, the term "exemplary embodiment" used herein does not refer to the same exemplary embodiment, and is provided to emphasize a specific feature or characteristic that is different from the feature or characteristic of another exemplary embodiment. However, the exemplary embodiments provided herein are considered to be able to be implemented by combining with each other in whole or in part. For example, an element described in a specific exemplary embodiment may be understood as a description related to another exemplary embodiment even if it is not described in another exemplary embodiment, unless a contrary or contradictory description is provided therein.

[0077] As used herein, the terms "first," "second," etc. may be used to distinguish a component from another component, and may not limit the order and / or importance or otherwise associated with the components. In some cases, a first component may be referred to as a second component, and similarly, a second component may be referred to as a first component without departing from the scope of example embodiments.

[0078] 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 including a dielectric layer and first and second internal electrodes alternately arranged in a first direction with the dielectric layer interposed between the first and second internal electrodes, the body having 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 the second direction and connected to the first and second surfaces, and a fifth surface and a sixth surface opposite to each other in the third direction and connected to the first, second, third and fourth surfaces; a first outer electrode, comprising: a first lower electrode layer, disposed on the third surface and connected to the first inner electrode, the first lower electrode layer being disposed between an extension line of the first surface and an extension line of the second surface; a first upper electrode layer, disposed on the first lower electrode layer, the first upper electrode layer being disposed to extend to a portion of the first surface and a portion of the second surface; and a first glass layer, disposed between the first lower electrode layer and the first upper electrode layer, and a second outer electrode, comprising: a second lower electrode layer, disposed on the fourth surface and connected to the second inner electrode, the second lower electrode layer being disposed between an extension line of the first surface and an extension line of the second surface; a second upper electrode layer, disposed on the second lower electrode layer, the second upper electrode layer being disposed to extend to a portion of the first surface and a portion of the second surface; and a second glass layer, disposed between the second lower electrode layer and the second upper electrode layer, wherein each of the first lower electrode layer and the second lower electrode layer comprises Ag and a first glass, and Each of the first upper electrode layer and the second upper electrode layer includes Cu and a second glass.

2. The multilayer electronic component according to claim 1, wherein The first glass includes one or more of Ba, Zn and Si, and The second glass includes one or more of Al and Si.

3. The multilayer electronic component according to claim 2, wherein: The second glass includes Al, and a mole number of Al included in the second glass relative to a total mole number of elements excluding oxygen is greater than a mole number of Al included in the first glass relative to a total mole number of elements excluding oxygen.

4. The multilayer electronic component according to claim 2, wherein: The first glass includes Ba, Zn or both, and the sum of the molar number of Ba and the molar number of Zn included in the first glass relative to the total molar number of elements excluding oxygen is greater than the sum of the molar number of Ba and the molar number of Zn included in the second glass relative to the total molar number of elements excluding oxygen.

5. The multilayer electronic component according to claim 1, wherein The first glass layer has a discontinuous region, and The first lower electrode layer and the first upper electrode layer contact each other in at least a portion of the discontinuous region.

6. The multilayer electronic component according to claim 1, wherein: The first glass layer has a discontinuous region, and The multilayer electronic component includes an alloy including Ag and Cu disposed in at least a portion of the discontinuous region.

7. The multilayer electronic component according to claim 1, wherein: The body has first-third corners connecting the first surface and the third surface to each other, first-fourth corners connecting the first surface and the fourth surface to each other, second-third corners connecting the second surface and the third surface to each other, and second-fourth corners connecting the second surface and the fourth surface to each other, and The first lower electrode layer has a first end disposed on the first-third corner and a second end disposed on the second-third corner, and the second lower electrode layer has a third end disposed on the first-fourth corner and a fourth end disposed on the second-fourth corner.

8. The multilayer electronic component according to claim 1, wherein In cross sections of the multilayer electronic component in the first direction and the second direction, When the thickness of the central region of the first lower electrode layer in the first direction is t1 and the thickness of the central region of the first upper electrode layer in the first direction is t2, t1 and t2 satisfy t1 <t2。 9. The multilayer electronic component according to claim 8, wherein: t1 is greater than or equal to 5µm and less than or equal to 7µm.

10. The multilayer electronic component according to claim 1, wherein The first outer electrode further includes a first plating layer disposed on the first upper electrode layer, and The second external electrode further includes a second plating layer disposed on the second upper electrode layer.

11. A multilayer electronic component comprising: a body including a dielectric layer and first and second internal electrodes alternately arranged in a first direction with the dielectric layer interposed between the first and second internal electrodes, the body having 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 the second direction and connected to the first and second surfaces, and a fifth surface and a sixth surface opposite to each other in the third direction and connected to the first, second, third and fourth surfaces; a first outer electrode, comprising: a first lower electrode layer, disposed on the third surface and connected to the first inner electrode, the first lower electrode layer being disposed between an extension line of the first surface and an extension line of the second surface; a first upper electrode layer, disposed on the first lower electrode layer, the first upper electrode layer being disposed to extend to a portion of the first surface and a portion of the second surface; and a first glass layer, disposed between the first lower electrode layer and the first upper electrode layer, and a second outer electrode, comprising: a second lower electrode layer, disposed on the fourth surface and connected to the second inner electrode, the second lower electrode layer being disposed between an extension line of the first surface and an extension line of the second surface; a second upper electrode layer, disposed on the second lower electrode layer, the second upper electrode layer being disposed to extend to a portion of the first surface and a portion of the second surface; and a second glass layer, disposed between the second lower electrode layer and the second upper electrode layer, wherein each of the first lower electrode layer and the second lower electrode layer comprises Ag and a first glass, and Each of the first upper electrode layer and the second upper electrode layer includes Cu and a second glass including Al.

12. The multilayer electronic component according to claim 11, wherein The mole number of Al included in the second glass relative to the total mole number of elements excluding oxygen is greater than the mole number of Al included in the first glass relative to the total mole number of elements excluding oxygen.

13. The multilayer electronic component according to claim 12, wherein: A thickness of a central region of the first glass layer in the first direction is greater than or equal to 1 μm and less than or equal to 3 μm.

14. The multilayer electronic component according to claim 11, wherein In cross sections of the multilayer electronic component in the first direction and the second direction, When the thickness of the central region of the first lower electrode layer in the first direction is t1 and the thickness of the central region of the first upper electrode layer in the first direction is t2, t1 and t2 satisfy t1 <t2。 15. The multilayer electronic component according to claim 14, wherein t1 is greater than or equal to 5µm and less than or equal to 7µm.

16. A multilayer electronic component comprising: A body, comprising dielectric layers and inner electrodes arranged alternately, wherein the dielectric layers are interposed between the inner electrodes; as well as an external electrode disposed outside the body, and at least one of the external electrodes includes: a lower electrode layer disposed on the body and connected to the internal electrode; an upper electrode layer disposed on the lower electrode layer; and a glass layer disposed between the lower electrode layer and the upper electrode layer, Wherein, the lower electrode layer comprises Ag and a first glass, and The upper electrode layer includes Cu and a second glass.

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