Multilayer electronic component

Abstract

The present disclosure provides a multilayer electronic component, which may include: a body including dielectric layers and internal electrodes alternately disposed with the dielectric layers; a connection portion provided at an end portion of the inner electrode; an interface plating layer disposed in contact with at least a portion of an end portion of the dielectric layer disposed between the inner electrodes and disposed to cover the connection portion; and an external electrode disposed on the interface plating layer, in which the connection portion may have a crystal structure different from a crystal structure of the internal electrode.

Description

[0001] This application claims the benefit of priority from Korean Patent Application No. 10-2023-0135880 filed on October 12, 2023 in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. Technical Field

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

[0003] Multilayer ceramic capacitors (MLCC, a type of multilayer electronic component) are chip capacitors mounted on printed circuit boards of various electronic products (such as image display devices including liquid crystal displays (LCDs) and plasma display panels (PDPs), computers, smartphones, and mobile phones) for charging or discharging therefrom.

[0004] Multilayer ceramic capacitors are used as components in various electronic devices because they have a small size, ensure high capacitance, and are easy to mount.

[0005] Recently, as electronic devices are miniaturized and achieve higher levels of performance, multilayer ceramic capacitors are also trending toward miniaturization and higher capacitance, and in accordance with this trend, the importance of ensuring high reliability of multilayer ceramic capacitors is increasing.

[0006] Generally, in order to make the inner electrode thinner, it is necessary to use finer metal powder particles than before, and when fine metal powder particles are used, because the shrinkage start temperature moves to a lower temperature, a difference in shrinkage behavior may occur between the inner electrode and the dielectric layer. In this case, because the shrinkage rate of the inner electrode is greater than the shrinkage rate of the dielectric layer, there may be a problem that the connectivity between the inner electrode and the outer electrode may be deteriorated.

[0007] In addition, when the outer electrodes are formed, metal included in the outer electrodes may diffuse into the inner electrodes, and radiation cracks may be formed due to volume expansion of the inner electrodes.

[0008] Improvement of the connectivity between the inner and outer electrodes and suppression of radiation cracks are generally considered to be a trade-off relationship. Therefore, there is a need for a new method for suppressing radiation cracks while improving the connectivity between the inner and outer electrodes. Summary of the invention

[0009] An aspect of the present disclosure is to provide a multilayer electronic component having excellent reliability.

[0010] An aspect of the present disclosure is to improve electrical connectivity between inner and outer electrodes.

[0011] One aspect of the present disclosure is to inhibit radiation cracking in multi-layer electronic components.

[0012] However, aspects of the present disclosure are not limited to the above and may be more easily understood in the course of describing specific embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0013] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, a multilayer electronic component may include: a main body, including dielectric layers and internal electrodes alternately arranged with the dielectric layers; a connecting portion arranged at the ends of the internal electrodes; an interface coating, arranged to contact at least a portion of the ends of the dielectric layers arranged between the internal electrodes and arranged to cover the connecting portion; and an external electrode arranged on the interface coating, wherein the connecting portion has a crystal structure different from that of the internal electrodes.

[0014] As one of various effects of the present disclosure, a connection portion may be provided at an end of an internal electrode, and an interface plating layer may be provided to contact at least a portion of the end of a dielectric layer and may be provided to cover the connection portion, thereby improving reliability of a multilayer electronic component.

[0015] As one of various effects of the present disclosure, electrical connectivity between internal electrodes and external electrodes may be improved.

[0016] As one of various effects of the present disclosure, radiation cracks in a multilayer electronic component can be suppressed.

[0017] However, the advantages and effects of the present disclosure are not limited to the above and may be more easily understood in the course of describing specific embodiments of the present disclosure. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0018] 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 illustrating a multilayer electronic component according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure; Figure 2 It is along Figure 1 A schematic cross-sectional view taken along line II' of ; Figure 3 It is along Figure 1 A schematic cross-sectional view taken along line II-II'; Figure 4 It is shown in Figure 1 A diagram of a third surface of a main body observed after removing an external electrode and an interface plating layer in a multilayer electronic component of FIG. Figure 5 It is schematically shown Figure 2 a diagram of a portion of a subject; Figure 6 It is shown Figure 2 An enlarged view of area K1; Figure 7It is shown Figure 2 An enlarged view of area K2; Figure 8 It is shown Figure 4 An enlarged view of area K3; Fig. 9 According to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure Figure 6 The corresponding diagram; Fig.10 According to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure Figure 6 The corresponding diagram; Fig.11 According to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure Figure 6 The corresponding diagram; Fig.12 According to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure Figure 8 The corresponding diagram; Fig.13 According to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure Figure 8 The corresponding diagram; Fig.14 According to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure Figure 8 The corresponding diagram; Fig.15 According to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure Figure 8 The corresponding diagram; Fig.16 According to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure Figure 2 The corresponding diagram; Fig.17 According to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure Figure 2 The corresponding diagram; Fig.18 is a diagram showing a twin structure of a connection portion; and Fig.19 is a diagram showing the crystal structure of an internal electrode. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0019] Hereinafter, example embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to specific example embodiments and the accompanying drawings. However, the embodiments of 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. The example embodiments disclosed herein are provided to those skilled in the art in order to better explain the present disclosure. Therefore, in the accompanying drawings, for the sake of clarity, the shapes and sizes of the elements may be exaggerated, and the same or similar reference numerals will always be used to indicate the same or similar elements.

[0020] In addition, in order to clearly describe the present disclosure, the contents irrelevant to the description are omitted, and the size (e.g., thickness) of each component shown in the drawings is arbitrarily shown for the convenience of description, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto. In addition, the same reference numerals are used to describe components having the same functions within the same conceptual scope. Throughout the specification, unless otherwise specified, when a specific part "includes" or "contains" a specific component, this indicates that other components are not excluded and other components may also be included.

[0021] 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.

[0022] Multilayer electronic components

[0023] Figure 1 is a perspective view schematically illustrating a multilayer electronic component according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0024] Figure 2 It is along Figure 1 Schematic cross-sectional view taken along line II'.

[0025] Figure 3 It is along Figure 1 Schematic cross-sectional view taken along line II-II'.

[0026] Figure 4 It is shown in Figure 1 Schematic diagram of the third surface of the body observed after removing the external electrodes and the interface plating layer in the multilayer electronic component.

[0027] Figure 5 It is schematically shown Figure 2 Illustration of a portion of a subject.

[0028] Figure 6 It is shown Figure 2 Magnified view of area K1.

[0029] Figure 7 It is shown Figure 2 Magnified view of area K2.

[0030] Figure 8 It is shown Figure 4 Magnified view of area K3.

[0031] In the following, reference will be made to Figures 1 to 8A multilayer electronic component 100 according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure is described in detail. In addition, as an example of a multilayer electronic component, a multilayer ceramic capacitor (hereinafter referred to as "MLCC") will be described, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and the description of the multilayer electronic component 100 herein may also be applied to various multilayer electronic components using ceramic materials, such as an inductor, a piezoelectric element, a varistor, or a thermistor.

[0032] A multilayer electronic component 100 according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure may include: a main body 110 including a dielectric layer 111 and internal electrodes 121 and 122 alternately arranged with the dielectric layer 111; a connection portion DP arranged at the ends of the internal electrodes 121 and 122; interface plating layers 141 and 142 arranged to contact at least a portion of the end of the dielectric layer 111 arranged between the internal electrodes 121 and 122 and cover the connection portion DP; and external electrodes 131 and 132 arranged on the interface plating layers 141 and 142.

[0033] Since the inner electrode and the dielectric layer are formed using different materials, a difference in shrinkage behavior may occur between the inner electrode and the dielectric layer during sintering. Generally, when the shrinkage start temperature of the inner electrode is lower than the shrinkage start temperature of the dielectric layer, the connectivity between the inner electrode and the outer electrode may be reduced because the shrinkage rate of the inner electrode is greater than the shrinkage rate of the dielectric layer.

[0034] In addition, when the outer electrodes are formed, metal included in the outer electrodes may diffuse into the inner electrodes, thereby forming radiation cracks due to volume expansion of the inner electrodes.

[0035] However, according to the present disclosure, the connectivity between the inner electrode and the outer electrode can be improved by providing a connecting portion DP at the end of the inner electrode, and the interface plating layers 141 and 142 provided on the connecting portion DP can improve the connectivity between the inner electrode and the outer electrode, thereby suppressing radiation cracks by suppressing the diffusion of metal included in the outer electrode into the inner electrode.

[0036] Hereinafter, each configuration included in the multilayer electronic component 100 according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure will be described.

[0037] The body 110 may include dielectric layers 111 and internal electrodes 121 and 122 that are alternately stacked.

[0038] There is no particular limitation on the specific shape of the body 110, but as shown in the figure, the body 110 may have a hexahedral shape or a shape similar to a hexahedral shape. Due to the shrinkage of the ceramic powder particles included in the body 110 during the sintering process, the body 110 may not have a hexahedral shape having straight lines, but may have a substantially hexahedral shape.

[0039] 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 and the second surface 2, connected to the third surface 3 and the fourth surface 4 and opposite to each other in a third direction.

[0040] Since the edge regions of the dielectric layer where the internal electrodes 121 and 122 are not provided overlap each other, a step portion due to the thickness of the internal electrodes 121 and 122 may occur, so that when viewed from the first surface, a corner connecting the first surface with the third surface to the fifth surface may have a shape that shrinks toward the center of the body 110 in the first direction, and / or when viewed from the second surface, a corner connecting the second surface with the third surface to the fifth surface may have a shape that shrinks toward the center of the body 110 in the first direction. Alternatively, due to shrinkage behavior during the sintering process of the body, when viewed from the first surface, a corner connecting the first surface 1 with the third surface 3, the fourth surface 4, the fifth surface 5, and the sixth surface 6 may have a shape that shrinks toward the center of the body 110 in the first direction, and / or when viewed from the second surface, a corner connecting the second surface 2 with the third surface 3, the fourth surface 4, the fifth surface 5, and the sixth surface 6 may have a shape that shrinks toward the center of the body 110 in the first direction. Optionally, in order to prevent chipping defects, the corners of each surface of the connecting body 110 can be rounded by performing a separate process so that the corners connecting the first surface and the third surface to the sixth surface and / or the corners connecting the second surface and the third surface to the sixth surface can have a rounded shape.

[0041] In addition, in order to suppress the step portion caused by the internal electrodes 121 and 122, the stacked body may be cut after stacking so that the cut stacked body includes the capacitor forming portion Ac and the internal electrodes 121 and 122 in the cut stacked body are exposed to both surfaces of the capacitor forming portion Ac in the third direction, and then, edge portions 114 and 115 are formed by stacking a single dielectric layer or two or more dielectric layers on both surfaces of the cut stacked body in the third direction (width direction), so that the portion connecting the first surface to the fifth surface and the sixth surface and the portion connecting the second surface to the fifth surface and the sixth surface may not have a contracted shape.

[0042] In a state where the plurality of dielectric layers 111 forming the body 110 are sintered, the adjacent dielectric layers 111 may be integrated to such an extent that it is difficult to identify the boundaries between the adjacent dielectric layers 111 without using a scanning electron microscope (SEM). The number of dielectric layers is not particularly limited and may be determined in consideration of the size of the stacked electronic components. For example, the body may be formed by stacking 400 or more dielectric layers.

[0043] The dielectric layer 111 can be formed by preparing a ceramic slurry including ceramic powder particles, an organic solvent, and a binder, coating the ceramic slurry on a carrier film and drying it to prepare a green ceramic sheet, and then sintering the green ceramic sheet. There is no particular limitation on the ceramic powder particles as long as sufficient electrostatic capacitance can be obtained. However, for example, barium titanate (BaTiO3)-based powder particles can be used as the ceramic powder particles. For a more specific example, the ceramic powder particles can be at least one selected from the group consisting of 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), and Ba(Ti 1- y Zr y )O3 (0 < y < 1).

[0044] There is no particular limitation on the average thickness td of the dielectric layer 111 in the first direction, but it can be, for example, 0.01 μm to 10 μm. Additionally, the average thickness td of the dielectric layer 111 can be arbitrarily set according to desired characteristics or purposes. And for example, in the case of small information technology (IT) electronic components, in order to achieve miniaturization and high capacitance, the average thickness td of at least one of the plurality of dielectric layers 111 can be 0.4 μm or less.

[0045] Here, the average thickness td of the dielectric layer 111 can refer to the first-direction dimension of the dielectric layer 111 disposed between the inner electrodes 121 and 122. The average thickness of the dielectric layer 111 can be measured by scanning the cross-sections of the main body 110 in the first direction and the second direction with a scanning electron microscope (SEM) at a magnification of 10,000 times. More specifically, the average thickness of the dielectric layer 111 can be obtained by measuring the thicknesses at a plurality of regions (for example, 30 regions spaced apart from each other at equal intervals in the second direction) of one dielectric layer 111 and averaging the measured thicknesses. The 30 regions with equal intervals can be specified in the capacitance forming portion Ac described below. Additionally, when the average thickness is measured by extending the measurement to 10 dielectric layers 111, the average thickness of the dielectric layer 111 can be further generalized.

[0046] The body 110 may include a capacitor forming portion Ac and covering portions 112 and 113, wherein the capacitor forming portion Ac is disposed inside the body 110 and is configured to form a capacitor by including a first internal electrode 121 and a second internal electrode 122 disposed to face each other and having a dielectric layer 111 interposed between the first internal electrode 121 and the second internal electrode 122, and the covering portions 112 and 113 are formed above and below the capacitor forming portion Ac in a first direction.

[0047] In addition, the capacitance forming part Ac is a portion contributing to forming the capacitance of the capacitor and may be formed by repeatedly stacking a plurality of first internal electrodes 121 and a plurality of second internal electrodes 122 with the dielectric layer 111 interposed therebetween.

[0048] The cover portions 112 and 113 may include an upper cover portion 112 disposed above the capacitance forming portion Ac in the first direction, and a lower cover portion 113 disposed below the capacitance forming portion Ac in the first direction.

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

[0050] The upper cover 112 and the lower cover 113 do not include an internal electrode, and may include the same material as that of the dielectric layer 111 .

[0051] That is, the upper cover 112 and the lower cover 113 may include a ceramic material, for example, a barium titanate (BaTiO 3 )-based ceramic material.

[0052] Furthermore, the thickness of the covers 112 and 113 in the first direction does not need to be particularly limited. However, in order to more easily achieve miniaturization and high capacitance of the multilayer electronic component, the average thickness of the covers 112 and 113 in the first direction may be 15 μm or less.

[0053] The average thickness tc of the covering portions 112 and 113 may refer to a first direction dimension, and is a value obtained by averaging the first direction dimensions of the covering portions 112 and 113 measured at five regions spaced apart from each other at equal intervals in the upper portion or the lower portion of the capacitance forming portion Ac.

[0054] In addition, edge portions 114 and 115 may be provided on the side surfaces of the capacitance forming portion Ac.

[0055] The edge portions 114 and 115 may include a first edge portion 114 disposed on one surface of the cut stack in the width direction and a second edge portion 115 disposed on the other surface of the cut stack in the width direction. That is, the edge portions 114 and 115 may be formed on both surfaces of the body 110 in the width direction.

[0056] like Figure 3 As shown, the edge portions 114 and 115 may refer to regions between both ends of the first and second internal electrodes 121 and 122 and the outer surface of the body 110 in a cross section obtained by cutting the body 110 in a width-thickness direction.

[0057] The edge portions 114 and 115 may substantially serve to prevent the inner electrodes from being damaged due to physical stress or chemical stress.

[0058] The edge portions 114 and 115 may be formed by forming internal electrodes by coating a conductive paste on regions of the ceramic green sheet except for regions where the edge portions are to be formed.

[0059] In addition, in order to suppress the step portion caused by the internal electrodes 121 and 122, the stacked body can be cut after stacking, so that the cut stacked body includes the capacitor forming portion Ac and the internal electrodes 121 and 122 in the cut stacked body are exposed to the two surfaces of the capacitor forming portion Ac in the third direction, and then the edge portions 114 and 115 can be formed by stacking a single dielectric layer or two or more dielectric layers on the two surfaces of the cut stacked body in the third direction (width direction).

[0060] In addition, the width of the edge portions 114 and 115 in the third direction is not particularly limited. However, in order to more easily achieve miniaturization and high capacitance of the multilayer electronic component, the average width of the edge portions 114 and 115 in the third direction may be 15 μm or less.

[0061] The average width of the edge portions 114 and 115 may refer to: the average size of the area where the inner electrode is spaced apart from the fifth surface in the third direction, or the average size of the area where the inner electrode is spaced apart from the sixth surface in the third direction, and may be an average value obtained by averaging the third direction sizes of the edge portions 114 and 115 measured at five areas spaced apart from each other at equal intervals on the side surface of the capacitor forming portion Ac.

[0062] Thus, in some example embodiments, each of an average size of a region of the internal electrodes 121 and 122 spaced apart from the fifth surface in the third direction and an average size of a region of the internal electrodes 121 and 122 spaced apart from the sixth surface in the third direction may be 15 μm or less.

[0063] On the other hand, when a magnetic material is applied to the body 110 instead of a dielectric material, the multilayer electronic component can be used as an inductor. The magnetic material can be, for example, ferrite and / or metal magnetic particles. In the case where the multilayer electronic component is used as an inductor, the inner electrode can be a wound conductor.

[0064] In addition, the multilayer electronic component may function as a piezoelectric element when a piezoelectric material is applied to the body 110 instead of the dielectric material. The piezoelectric material may be, for example, PZT (lead zirconate titanate).

[0065] In addition, when a ZnO-based or SiC-based material is applied to the body 110 instead of a dielectric material, the multilayer electronic component may function as a variable resistor, and when a spinel-based material is applied to the body 110 instead of a dielectric material, the multilayer electronic component may function as a thermistor.

[0066] That is, by appropriately changing the material or structure of the body 110 , the multilayer electronic component 100 according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure may be used not only as a multilayer ceramic capacitor but also as an inductor, a piezoelectric element, a varistor, or a thermistor.

[0067] The internal electrodes 121 and 122 may be alternately disposed with the dielectric layer 111, and, for example, the first internal electrode 121 and the second internal electrode 122 as a pair of electrodes having different polarities may be disposed to face each other with the dielectric layer 111 interposed therebetween. The first internal electrode 121 and the second internal electrode 122 may be electrically separated from each other by the dielectric layer 111 disposed therebetween. In this case, the internal electrodes 121 and 122 may be alternately disposed with the dielectric layer 111 in the first direction.

[0068] The first inner electrode 121 may be spaced apart from the fourth surface 4, and may extend toward the third surface 3. The second inner electrode 122 may be spaced apart from the third surface 3, and may extend toward the fourth surface 4. The first inner electrode 121 may be electrically connected to the first outer electrode 131 on the third surface 3, and the second inner electrode 122 may be electrically connected to the second outer electrode 132 on the fourth surface 4.

[0069] The conductive metal included in the internal electrodes 121 and 122 may be one or more selected from the group consisting of Ni, Cu, Pd, Ag, Au, Pt, Sn, W, Ti, and alloys thereof, and may include Ni, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto.

[0070] The method of forming the internal electrodes 121 and 122 is not particularly limited. For example, the internal electrodes 121 and 122 may be formed by coating a conductive paste for internal electrodes (the conductive paste includes a conductive metal) on a ceramic green sheet and sintering the conductive paste. The conductive paste for internal electrodes may be coated using a screen printing method or a gravure printing method, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto.

[0071] The average thickness te of the internal electrodes 121 and 122 in the first direction is not particularly limited, but may be, for example, 0.01 μm to 3 μm. In addition, the average thickness te of the internal electrodes 121 and 122 may be arbitrarily set according to desired characteristics or purposes, and for example, in the case of a small IT electronic component, in order to achieve miniaturization and high capacitance, the average thickness te of at least one of the plurality of internal electrodes 121 and 122 may be 0.4 μm or less.

[0072] Here, the average thickness te of the internal electrode can be measured by scanning the cross section of the first direction and the second direction of the body 110 with a scanning electron microscope (SEM) at a magnification of 10000 times. More specifically, the average thickness of the internal electrode can be obtained by measuring the thickness at multiple regions of one internal electrode 121 or 122 (for example, 30 regions spaced apart from each other at equal intervals in the second direction) and averaging the measured thicknesses. 30 regions with equal intervals can be specified in the capacitor forming part Ac. In addition, when the average thickness of the internal electrode is obtained by extending the measurement of the average thickness to 10 internal electrodes 121 and 122, the average thickness of the internal electrodes 121 and 122 can be further generalized.

[0073] The external electrodes 131 and 132 may be disposed on the body 110 and connected to the internal electrodes 121 and 122 , respectively.

[0074] like Figure 2 As shown, the external electrodes 131 and 132 may include a first external electrode 131 disposed on the third surface 3 of the body 110 and connected to the first internal electrode 121 via an interface plating layer 141 and a connecting portion DP, and a second external electrode 132 disposed on the fourth surface 4 of the body 110 and connected to the second internal electrode 122 via an interface plating layer 142 and a connecting portion DP.

[0075] In some example embodiments, a structure in which the multilayer electronic component 100 has two external electrodes 131 and 132 is described, but the number or shape of the external electrodes 131 and 132 may be changed according to the shapes of the internal electrodes 121 and 122 or other purposes.

[0076] Figure 6 It is shown Figure 2 Magnified view of area K1.

[0077] The region K1 is shown by enlarging a portion of the region where the first external electrode 131 is provided, but the first external electrode 131 and the second external electrode 132 may differ only in that the first external electrode 131 is provided on the third surface and the second external electrode 132 is provided on the fourth surface, and the configurations of the first external electrode 131 and the second external electrode 132 may be similar to each other, and therefore, hereinafter, a description will be provided based on the first external electrode 131, but this may be considered to include a description of the second external electrode 132. In addition, the interface plating layers 141 and 142 are also described based on the first interface plating layer 141, but this may be considered to include a description of the second interface plating layer 142.

[0078] The connection portion DP may have a composition different from that of the internal electrodes 121 and 122 and / or may have a crystal structure different from that of the internal electrodes 121 and 122, and may be disposed at ends of the internal electrodes 121 and 122 for improving electrical connectivity between the internal electrodes 121 and 122 and the external electrodes 131 and 132. In addition, the connection portion DP may be used to suppress radiation cracks by improving mechanical properties.

[0079] In some example embodiments, the body 110 includes groove portions G1 and G2, ends of the internal electrodes 121 and 122 are spaced apart from an outer surface of the body 110 by the groove portions G1 and G2, and the connection portion DP may include a first region disposed in the groove portions G1 and G2 and a second region protruding from the outer surface of the body.

[0080] The grooves G1 and G2 may be formed by a difference in shrinkage behavior between the internal electrodes 121 and 122 and the dielectric layer 111 in the sintering process of the body 110. When the sintering shrinkage rate of the internal electrodes 121 and 122 is greater than the sintering shrinkage rate of the dielectric layer 111, a problem may occur in which the connectivity between the internal electrodes 121 and 122 and the external electrodes 131 and 132 is reduced due to the grooves G1 and G2. Generally, in order to solve such a problem, a process of removing the protruding dielectric layer using a polishing process (e.g., a sandblasting method) is added. However, according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure, since the connection portion DP includes a first region disposed in the grooves G1 and G2 and a second region protruding from the outer surface of the body, the connectivity between the internal electrodes 121 and 122 and the external electrodes 131 and 132 may be improved without a separate polishing process. In addition, the connection portion DP protruding from the outer surface of the body can further improve connectivity between the internal electrodes 121 and 122 and the external electrodes 131 and 132 compared to a case where the connection portion DP does not protrude from the outer surface of the body.

[0081] Reference Figure 6, the length L1 of the groove portions G1 and G2 is not particularly limited, and because the difference in shrinkage behavior between the internal electrodes 121 and 122 and the dielectric layer 111 may vary depending on the position of the body, the lengths of the groove portions at different positions may be different.

[0082] In some example embodiments, the connection portion DP may have a twin structure, and the internal electrodes 121 and 122 may have a polycrystalline structure.

[0083] Here, the twin structure may refer to a structure including two or more crystals in a symmetrical relationship formed using the same material, and the polycrystalline structure may refer to a structure including a plurality of crystals having different orientations.

[0084] Fig.18 is a diagram schematically showing a cross section of a connection portion DP having a twin structure, and Fig.19 1 is a diagram schematically illustrating a cross section of internal electrodes 121 and 122 having a polycrystalline structure.

[0085] Reference Fig.18 , a twin (TW) structure arranged in a horizontal interlayer shape can be observed in the cross section of the connection portion DP, and a structure of a polymerized twin (a structure in which the bonding surfaces of the crystals are repeated in parallel to each other) can be observed. This structure can be confirmed in an ion image of a focused ion beam (FIB)-transmission electron microscope (TEM) obtained using FIB. On the other hand, referring to Fig.19 , in the cross section of the internal electrodes 121 and 122 , a structure formed with a plurality of crystal grains GN having different orientations may be observed.

[0086] Since the connection portion DP has a twin structure, strength and ductility may be improved at the same time, and mechanical properties may be further improved.

[0087] In addition, since the connection portion DP has a twin structure, when the interface plating layers 141 and 142 are formed by plating, the interface plating layers 141 and 142 may grow uniformly. When plating is performed directly on the inner electrode having a polycrystalline structure, since the plating layer grows in a dendrite shape, it may be difficult to grow the plating layer uniformly, but when plating is performed on the connection portion DP having a twin structure, the plating layer may grow uniformly, so that the interface plating layers 141 and 142 may be more easily formed.

[0088] In some example embodiments, the connection portion DP and the internal electrodes 121 and 122 include Ni, the Ni included in the connection portion DP may have a twin structure, and the Ni included in the internal electrodes 121 and 122 may have a polycrystalline structure.

[0089] Although the connection portion DP has a different crystal structure from the internal electrodes 121 and 122 , since the same metal Ni is included, the connection portion DP may be more easily formed and electrical connectivity may be improved.

[0090] Figure 4 It is shown Figure 1 A diagram of a third surface of a body of a multilayer electronic component after removing the outer electrodes and the interface plating layer, Figure 8 yes Figure 4 is an enlarged view of region K3, and Figure 6 yes Figure 2 An enlarged view of area K1. Figure 6 and Figure 8 In some example embodiments, the connection portion DP may be provided to fill the entire groove portions G1 and G2.

[0091] However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto. Fig. 9 As shown, in example embodiments, the connection portion DP may be spaced apart from the dielectric layer 111 .

[0092] In addition, if Fig.10 and Fig.11 As shown, in some example embodiments, the second region of the connection portion DP may have a semicircular shape in a cross section of the multilayer electronic component in the first direction and the second direction. In this case, the first region of the connection portion DP may be configured to completely fill the groove portions G1 and G2 (eg, Fig.10 ), or the first region of the connection portion DP may be spaced apart from the dielectric layer 111 (as shown Fig.11 as shown).

[0093] When the connection portion DP is spaced apart from the dielectric layer 111 (eg Fig. 9 and Fig.11 When observing the third surface of the main body, the connection portion DP may be configured as a stripe shape (as shown in FIG. Fig.12 as shown).

[0094] In addition, if Figures 13 to 15 As shown, the connection portion DP may be provided in an island shape in which a plurality of connection portions spaced apart from each other are provided on the end of the inner electrode. In this case, each of the plurality of connection portions may be viewed as Fig.13 and Fig.14 The square cross-sectional shape shown, i.e., may have a square column shape, or may be viewed as Fig.15 The circular cross-sectional shape shown, ie, may have a circular cylindrical shape.

[0095] The method of forming the connection portion DP is not particularly limited. However, in order to make the connection portion DP have a twin structure, it may be advantageous to form the connection portion DP by using a deposition method such as sputtering, atomic layer deposition (ALD), thermal evaporation, or electron beam evaporation and controlling the deposition rate. In addition, in order to form the connection portion DP of a desired shape among the various types of connection portions DP described above, photolithography or electron beam lithography may be used.

[0096] The interface plating layers 141 and 142 may be disposed to contact at least a portion of an end portion of the dielectric layer 111 disposed between the internal electrodes 121 and 122 and cover the connection portion DP.

[0097] The interface plating layers 141 and 142 may be connected to the connection portion DP and may be used to improve the electrical connectivity between the inner electrode 121 and the outer electrode 131 and between the inner electrode 122 and the outer electrode 132, respectively. In addition, the interface plating layers 141 and 142 may prevent the metal components of the outer electrode 131 from diffusing into the inner electrode 121 and the metal components of the outer electrode 132 from diffusing into the inner electrode 122, respectively, thereby suppressing radiation cracks caused by the volume expansion of the inner electrode. The interface plating layers 141 and 142 may include a first interface plating layer 141 disposed on at least a portion of the third surface and a second interface plating layer 142 disposed on at least a portion of the fourth surface. In addition, the first interface plating layer 141 may also cover the corner connecting the third surface to the first surface and the second surface, the second interface plating layer 142 may also cover the corner connecting the fourth surface to the first surface and the second surface, and each of the first interface plating layer 141 and the second interface plating layer 142 may also be flush with the extension line E1 of the first surface and the extension line E2 of the second surface.

[0098] In some example embodiments, the interface plating layers 141 and 142 may have an amorphous structure. A crystal structure refers to a structure having long-range periodicity in a three-dimensional lattice structure and expressing the lattice structure using symmetry elements such as translation, rotation, reflection, and inversion. The twin structure of the connecting portion and the polycrystalline structure of the inner electrode described above correspond to such a crystal structure.

[0099] On the other hand, the amorphous structure does not have long-range periodicity, but may refer to a structure in which atomic structures as basic units are connected and repeated in a short-range order.

[0100] Since the interface plating layers 141 and 142 have an amorphous structure, diffusion of metal components of the external electrode 131 into the internal electrode 121 and diffusion of metal components of the external electrode 132 into the internal electrode 122 may be more effectively suppressed.

[0101] In some example embodiments, the interface plating layers 141 and 142 may include Ni and P. Therefore, the interface plating layers 141 and 142 may be easily controlled to have an amorphous structure, and may easily prevent a metal of an external electrode from diffusing into an internal electrode.

[0102] In this case, the mass ratio of the P content to the Ni content included in the interface plating layers 141 and 142 may be about 8% or more and about 15% or less. When the mass ratio of the P content to the Ni content included in the interface plating layers 141 and 142 is greater than 15%, the equivalent series resistance (ESR) between the inner electrode and the outer electrode may increase, and when the mass ratio of the P content to the Ni content included in the interface plating layers 141 and 142 is less than 8%, since the thermal expansion coefficient of the interface plating layers 141 and 142 increases, the difference in thermal expansion coefficient with the main body at high temperature may increase, so that the bonding force between the interface plating layer and the main body may be weakened.

[0103] In some example embodiments, the interface plating layers 141 and 142 may include Ni and B. Therefore, the interface plating layers 141 and 142 may be easily controlled to have an amorphous structure, and diffusion of metal from the external electrode to the internal electrode may be easily suppressed.

[0104] In this case, the mass ratio of the B content to the Ni content included in the interface plating layers 141 and 142 may be about 2.5% or more and about 10% or less. Therefore, the charge transfer resistance of the interface plating layers 141 and 142 may be increased to improve corrosion resistance to external moisture exposure, moisture penetration, etc.

[0105] In addition, analysis of elements included in the interface plating layers 141 and 142 may be performed by measuring a cross section in the first direction and the second direction through the center of the body 110 in the third direction using a scanning electron microscope (SEM) and a dispersion spectrometer (EDS). After measuring the content of each element in five or more regions (e.g., including the center portion in the first direction) of the interface plating layers 141 and 142 using EDS, an average value of the content of each element may be obtained, and then, a mass ratio of the P content to the Ni content or a mass ratio of the B content to the Ni content may be obtained using the average value.

[0106] Reference Figure 6 and Figure 7, when the thickness of the interface plating layer 141 measured in the central region of the body 110 in the first direction is referred to as t1, and when the thickness of the interface plating layer 141 measured in the region adjacent to the outermost internal electrode 121 disposed based on the first direction among the internal electrodes is referred to as t2, t2 / t1 may be greater than or equal to 0.9 and less than or equal to 1.1. That is, the interface plating layer 141 may have a substantially uniform thickness based on the first direction. t1 and t2 may refer to the dimensions of the interface plating layers 141 and 142 in the second direction, and t1 and t2 may be measured from a cross section of the body 110 in the first direction and the second direction cut from the center of the body 110 in the third direction captured by a scanning electron microscope (SEM).

[0107] The average thickness of the interface plating layers 141 and 142 is not particularly limited. However, in some example embodiments, the average thickness to of the interface plating layers 141 and 142 may be greater than or equal to 0.5 μm and less than or equal to 3.0 μm. When the average thickness to of the interface plating layers 141 and 142 is less than 0.5 μm, there may be concerns about the metal of the external electrode diffusing into the internal electrode through the interface plating layer. In addition, when the average thickness to of the interface plating layers 141 and 142 is greater than 3.0 μm, it may be difficult to control the thickness of the internal electrode in a multilayer electronic component of an ultra-small model smaller than 0201 size.

[0108] The average thickness to of the interface plating layers 141 and 142 may refer to an average size of the interface plating layers 141 and 142 in the second direction, and may be a value obtained by averaging the second-direction sizes of the interface plating layers 141 and 142 measured at five regions spaced apart from each other at equal intervals in the first direction in a cross section of the first and second directions cut from the center of the body 110 in the third direction. Here, the thickness of the interface plating layers 141 and 142 may refer to a second-direction distance between an inner surface of the interface plating layers 141 and 142 in contact with one surface of the body 110 and an outer surface of the interface plating layers 141 and 142 in contact with the external electrodes 131 and 132.

[0109] Fig.16 and Fig.17 yes Figure 2 , and are cross-sectional views schematically illustrating a multilayer electronic component according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0110] Reference Fig.16 , the first interface plating layer 141' may cover a portion of the third surface 3, and the second interface plating layer 142' may cover a portion of the fourth surface 4. Therefore, the first interface plating layer 141' and the second interface plating layer 142' may be disposed between the extension line E1 of the first surface and the extension line E2 of the second surface.

[0111] In this case, the interface plating layers 141 ′ and 142 ′ may be effectively provided to ensure the effect of improving connectivity and suppressing cracks between the internal electrodes 121 and 122 and the external electrodes 131 and 132 .

[0112] Reference Fig.17 The first interface plating layer 141 ″ may cover the third surface 3 , and the second interface plating layer 142 ″ may cover the fourth surface 4 , and the first interface plating layer 141 ″ and the second interface plating layer 142 ″ may be configured to extend onto a portion of the first surface 1 and a portion of the second surface 2 .

[0113] In this case, when the interface plating layers 141 ″ and 142 ″ extend onto a portion of the first surface 1 and a portion of the second surface 2 , the corners of the body can be covered so that sufficient thickness of the external electrode can be easily ensured in the corners of the body, thereby improving moisture resistance reliability.

[0114] The external electrodes 131 and 132 may include electrode layers 131a and 132a disposed on the interface plating layers 141 and 142, and plating layers 131b and 132b disposed on the electrode layers 131a and 132a. That is, the first external electrode 131 may include a first electrode layer 131a and a first plating layer 131b disposed on the first electrode layer 131a, and the second external electrode 132 may include a second electrode layer 132a and a second plating layer 132b disposed on the second electrode layer 132a.

[0115] The electrode layers 131a and 132a may be, for example, sintered electrode layers including metal and glass. Alternatively, the electrode layers 131a and 132a may be conductive resin layers including metal and resin. Alternatively, the electrode layers 131a and 132a may be thin film layers formed by a thin film forming method such as sputtering or vapor deposition. Preferably, the electrode layers 131a and 132a may be the above-mentioned sintered electrode layers, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and the electrode layers 131a and 132a may include one or more of a sintered electrode layer, a conductive resin layer, and a thin film layer. However, when the electrode layers 131a and 132a are sintered electrode layers including metal and glass, the radiation crack suppression effect according to the present disclosure may be more significantly achieved.

[0116] The metal included in the first electrode layers 131 a and 132 a may include Cu, Ni, Sn, Pd, Pt, Au, Ag, Pb, and / or an alloy thereof, and more preferably, may include Cu, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto.

[0117] The plating layers 131b and 132b can improve the mounting characteristics. The types of the plating layers 131b and 132b are not particularly limited, and the plating layers 131b and 132b may be plating layers including Ni, Sn, Pd and / or alloys thereof, and may be formed using multiple layers. The plating layers 131b and 132b may be, for example, Ni plating layers or Sn plating layers, and may be in a form in which Ni plating layers and Sn plating layers are sequentially formed. In addition, the plating layers 131b and 132b may include multiple Ni plating layers and / or multiple Sn plating layers.

[0118] Although the exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure have been described in detail above, the present disclosure is not limited to the above embodiments and the accompanying drawings, but is defined by the appended claims. Therefore, without departing from the scope of the present disclosure defined by the appended claims, a person of ordinary skill in the art may make various substitutions, modifications or changes, and these substitutions, modifications or changes should be interpreted as being included within the scope of the present disclosure.

[0119] In addition, the expressions "exemplary embodiments" or "some exemplary embodiments" used in the present disclosure do not mean the same embodiment, and are provided to emphasize and explain different unique features. However, the embodiments presented above do not exclude implementation in combination with features of another embodiment. For example, although the content described in a particular embodiment is not described in another embodiment, unless there is a description contrary to or contradictory to the content in another embodiment, the content can be understood as a description related to another embodiment.

[0120] In the present disclosure, the terms are only used to describe specific embodiments and are not intended to limit the present disclosure. Unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, a singular form may also include a plural form.

Claims

1. A multilayer electronic component comprising: A main body, comprising a dielectric layer and inner electrodes arranged alternately with the dielectric layer; A connecting portion, disposed at an end of the inner electrode; an interface plating layer disposed on at least a portion of the end portion of the dielectric layer and the connecting portion; and An external electrode is disposed on the interface coating, The connection portion has a crystal structure different from a crystal structure of the internal electrode.

2. The multilayer electronic component according to claim 1, wherein The body includes a groove portion, the end of the inner electrode is spaced apart from the outer surface of the body by the groove portion, and The connection portion includes a first region disposed in the groove portion and a second region protruding from an outer surface of the body.

3. The multilayer electronic component according to claim 2, wherein: The connecting portion has a twin structure, and The inner electrode has a polycrystalline structure.

4. The multilayer electronic component according to claim 1, wherein: The connecting portion and the inner electrode include Ni, Ni included in the connection portion has a twin structure, and Ni included in the internal electrode has a polycrystalline structure.

5. The multilayer electronic component according to claim 2, wherein: The connecting portion is arranged to fill the entire groove portion.

6. The multilayer electronic component according to claim 2, wherein: The connection portion is spaced apart from the dielectric layer.

7. The multilayer electronic component according to claim 2, wherein: The body includes a plurality of the connection parts that are disposed on ends of the inner electrodes and are spaced apart from each other.

8. The multilayer electronic component according to claim 7, wherein: Each of the plurality of connection parts has a square column shape or a circular column shape.

9. The multilayer electronic component according to claim 2, wherein: The inner electrodes are alternately arranged with the dielectric layers in a first direction, and the body includes a first surface and a second surface opposite to each other in the first direction, a third surface and a fourth surface connected to the first surface and the second surface and opposite to each other in the second direction, and a fifth surface and a sixth surface connected to the first surface, the second surface, the third surface, and the fourth surface and opposite to each other in the third direction, In cross sections of the multilayer electronic component in the first direction and the second direction, the second region has a semicircular shape.

10. The multilayer electronic component according to claim 1, wherein The interface coating includes an amorphous structure.

11. The multilayer electronic component according to claim 1, wherein The interface plating layer includes Ni and P.

12. The multilayer electronic component according to claim 11, wherein The mass ratio of the P content to the Ni content included in the interface plating layer is greater than or equal to 8% and less than or equal to 15%.

13. The multilayer electronic component according to claim 1, wherein The interface coating includes Ni and B.

14. The multilayer electronic component according to claim 13, wherein: The mass ratio of the B content to the Ni content included in the interface plating layer is greater than or equal to 2.5% and less than or equal to 10%.

15. The multilayer electronic component according to claim 1, wherein The inner electrodes are alternately arranged with the dielectric layers in a first direction, and the body includes a first surface and a second surface opposite to each other in the first direction, a third surface and a fourth surface connected to the first surface and the second surface and opposite to each other in the second direction, and a fifth surface and a sixth surface connected to the first surface, the second surface, the third surface, and the fourth surface and opposite to each other in the third direction, and The interface coating is disposed on at least a portion of the third surface and at least a portion of the fourth surface of the body, such that the interface coating is disposed between an extension line of the second surface and an extension line of the first surface.

16. The multilayer electronic component according to claim 1, wherein The inner electrodes are alternately arranged with the dielectric layers in a first direction, and the body includes a first surface and a second surface opposite to each other in the first direction, a third surface and a fourth surface connected to the first surface and the second surface and opposite to each other in the second direction, and a fifth surface and a sixth surface connected to the first surface, the second surface, the third surface, and the fourth surface and opposite to each other in the third direction, and The interface plating is configured to extend onto a portion of the first surface and a portion of the second surface.

Images