Multilayer electronic component

Abstract

The present disclosure provides a multilayer electronic component including a body including a dielectric layer and an inner electrode, and an outer electrode, comprising a nickel electrode layer connected to the inner electrode, a glass layer extending from the nickel electrode layer onto a portion of the first surface and a portion of the second surface of the body, and a copper electrode layer disposed on the nickel electrode layer and the glass layer.

Description

[0001] This application claims the benefit of priority from Korean Patent Application No. 10-2023-0162240 filed on November 21, 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 (MLCCs), a type of multilayer electronic component, are chip capacitors mounted on printed circuit boards of various types of electronic products, such as image display devices including liquid crystal displays (LCDs) and plasma display panels (PDPs), computers, smart phones, and mobile phones, and used to charge or discharge 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. With the miniaturization and high output power of various electronic devices such as computers and mobile devices, the demand for miniaturization and high capacitance of multilayer ceramic capacitors has also increased.

[0005] In addition, the inner electrodes of a typical multilayer electronic component mainly include nickel, and the outer electrodes mainly include copper, but diffusion occurs between different metals to form an alloy, and when copper over-diffuses into nickel during high-temperature heat treatment, there may be a risk of radiation cracks in the ceramic body.

[0006] In addition, glass may be added to the external electrode to improve the bonding strength between the external electrode and the ceramic body, and when glass is excessively provided in a region where the internal electrode and the external electrode are connected, there may be a risk that electrical connectivity may be deteriorated. Summary of the invention

[0007] An aspect of the present disclosure is to prevent cracks from being generated in a ceramic body by suppressing alloy formation between internal and external electrodes.

[0008] An aspect of the present disclosure is to improve electrical connectivity between internal and external electrodes of a multilayer electronic component.

[0009] An aspect of the present disclosure is to improve moisture-proof reliability by suppressing penetration of external moisture and plating solution.

[0010] However, aspects of the present disclosure are not limited to the above and may be more easily understood in describing specific example embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0011] A multilayer electronic component according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure may include: a main body including a dielectric layer and internal electrodes alternately arranged with the dielectric layer in a first direction, and the main body including 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 to the fourth surface and opposite to each other in the third direction; and an external electrode including a nickel electrode layer and a glass layer, the nickel electrode layer being arranged on the third surface and the fourth surface and connected to the internal electrode, the glass layer extending from the nickel electrode layer to a portion of the first surface and a portion of the second surface, wherein the external electrode also includes a copper electrode layer arranged on the nickel electrode layer and the glass layer.

[0012] A multilayer electronic component according to another example embodiment of the present disclosure may include: a body including a dielectric layer and internal electrodes alternately arranged with the dielectric layer in a first direction, and the body including 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 to the fourth surface and opposite to each other in a third direction; an external electrode including a first electrode layer and a glass layer, the first electrode layer being arranged on the third surface and the fourth surface and connected to the internal electrode, the glass layer extending from the first electrode layer to a portion of the first surface and a portion of the second surface, wherein the external electrode also includes a second electrode layer arranged on the first electrode layer and the glass layer, and a main component metal included in the first electrode layer and a main component metal included in the internal electrode are the same as each other.

[0013] One of various effects of the present disclosure is to improve reliability by suppressing the formation of cracks in the ceramic body.

[0014] One of the various effects of the present disclosure is to improve the electrical connectivity between the inner electrode and the outer electrode.

[0015] One of the various effects of the present disclosure is to improve moisture-proof reliability by suppressing penetration of external moisture and plating solution.

[0016] However, the advantages and effects of the present disclosure are not limited to the foregoing and may be more easily understood in the course of describing specific exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0017] 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 1is a perspective view schematically illustrating a multilayer electronic component according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure; Figure 2 is along Figure 1 A schematic cross-sectional view taken along line II' of ; Figure 3 is along Figure 1 A schematic cross-sectional view taken along line II-II'; and Figure 4 In a multilayer electronic component according to another exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, Figure 1 A cross-sectional view taken along line II'. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0018] Hereinafter, the example embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to specific example embodiments and the accompanying drawings. However, the example 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 enable those skilled in the art to better understand 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 represent the same or similar elements.

[0019] In addition, in order to clearly describe the present disclosure in the drawings, contents irrelevant to the description are omitted, and since the size (e.g., thickness) of each component shown in the drawings is arbitrarily shown for the convenience of description, the present disclosure is not limited thereto. In addition, the same reference numerals are used to describe components having the same functions within the scope of the same concept. Throughout the specification, unless otherwise specified, when a part "includes" or "contains" a component, this indicates that other components are not excluded and other components may be further included.

[0020] 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.

[0021] Multilayer electronic components Figure 1 is a perspective view schematically illustrating a multilayer electronic component according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0022] Figure 2 is along Figure 1 Schematic cross-sectional view taken along line II'.

[0023] Figure 3 is along Figure 1 Schematic cross-sectional view taken along line II-II'.

[0024] Figure 4In a multilayer electronic component according to another exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, Figure 1 A cross-sectional view taken along line II'.

[0025] In the following, reference will be made to Figures 1 to 4 A multilayer electronic component according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure is described in detail. Hereinafter, a multilayer ceramic capacitor will be described as an example of a multilayer electronic component, but the multilayer electronic component of the present disclosure may also be applicable to various electronic products using a dielectric composition, such as an inductor, a piezoelectric element, a varistor, or a thermistor.

[0026] A multilayer electronic component 100 according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure may include a body 110 including a dielectric layer 111 and internal electrodes 121 and 122 arranged alternately with the dielectric layer 111 in a first direction, and including a first surface 1 and a second surface 2 opposite to each other in the first direction, a third surface 3 and a fourth surface 4 connected to the first surface 1 and the second surface 2 and opposite to each other in the second direction, and a fifth surface 1 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. 5 and a sixth surface 6; and external electrodes 131 and 132, including: first electrode layers or nickel electrode layers 131a and 132a, which are arranged on the third surface 3 and the fourth surface 4 and connected to the internal electrodes 121 and 122; glass layers 131b and 132b, extending from the first electrode layers or nickel electrode layers 131a and 132a to a portion of the first surface and a portion of the second surface; and second electrode layers or copper electrode layers 131c and 132c, which are arranged on the nickel electrode layers 131a and 132a and the glass layers 131b and 132b.

[0027] The body 110 may include dielectric layers 111 and internal electrodes 121 and 122 that are alternately stacked.

[0028] More specifically, the body 110 may include a capacitance forming part Ac disposed inside the body 110 and including first and second internal electrodes 121 and 122 alternately arranged to face each other with the dielectric layer 111 interposed therebetween to form capacitance.

[0029] There is no particular limitation on the specific shape of the body 110, but Figure 1 As shown in FIG, the body 110 may have a hexahedral shape or a shape similar to the hexahedral shape. Due to shrinkage of ceramic powder particles included in the body 110 during a sintering process, the body 110 may not have a hexahedral shape having completely straight lines but may generally have a hexahedral shape.

[0030] The main body 110 may have a first surface 1 and a second surface 2 that face each other in a first direction, a third surface 3 and a fourth surface 4 that are connected to the first surface 1 and the second surface 2 and face each other in a second direction, and a fifth surface 5 and a sixth surface 6 that are connected to the first surface 1, the second surface 2, the third surface 3, and the fourth surface 4 and face each other in a third direction.

[0031] In a state where a plurality of dielectric layers 111 included in the main body 110 are sintered, adjacent dielectric layers 111 may be integrated such that it is difficult to identify the boundary between adjacent dielectric layers 111 without using a scanning electron microscope (SEM).

[0032] The material included in the dielectric layer 111 is not limited as long as a sufficient electrostatic capacitance can be obtained using it. Generally, perovskite (ABO 3 )-based materials can be used. For example, barium titanate-based materials, lead composite perovskite-based materials, or strontium titanate-based materials can be used. The barium titanate-based materials may include BaTiO 3 -based ceramic particles, and examples of the BaTiO 3 -based ceramic particles may include BaTiO 3 and (Ba 3 Ca 1-x )TiO x formed by partially substituting calcium (Ca) and zirconium (Zr) in BaTiO 3 (0 < x < 1), Ba(Ti 1-y Ca y )O 3 (0 < y < 1), (Ba 1-x Ca x ) (Ti 1-y Zr y )O 3 (0 < x < 1, 0 < y < 1) or Ba(Ti 1-y Zr y )O 3 (0 < y < 1).

[0033] In addition, various ceramic additives, organic solvents, binders, dispersants, etc. can be added to particles such as barium titanate (BaTiO 3 ) as the material included in the dielectric layer 111 according to the purpose of the present disclosure.

[0034] The thickness td of the dielectric layer 111 is not limited.

[0035] However, in order to achieve high capacitance of the multilayer electronic component, the thickness of the dielectric layer 111 may be less than or equal to 3.0 μm, and in order to more easily achieve miniaturization and high capacitance of the multilayer electronic component, the thickness of the dielectric layer 111 may be less than or equal to 1.0 μm, preferably less than or equal to 0.6 μm, and more preferably less than or equal to 0.4 μm.

[0036] Here, the thickness td of the dielectric layer 111 may refer to a thickness td of the dielectric layer 111 disposed between the first and second internal electrodes 121 and 122 .

[0037] In addition, the thickness td of the dielectric layer 111 may refer to the first direction dimension of the dielectric layer 111. In addition, the thickness td of the dielectric layer 111 may refer to the average thickness td of the dielectric layer 111, and may refer to the average dimension of the dielectric layer 111 in the first direction.

[0038] The average size of the dielectric layer 111 in the first direction can be measured by scanning the first and second direction cross-sections of the body 110 with a scanning electron microscope (SEM) at a magnification of 10,000 times to obtain a scanned image. More specifically, the average size of one dielectric layer 111 in the first direction can be: in the scanned image, the average value calculated by measuring the first direction size of one dielectric layer 111 at 30 points spaced apart from each other at equal intervals in the second direction. 30 points spaced apart from each other at equal intervals can be specified in the capacitor forming portion Ac. In addition, when the average value is measured by extending the average value measurement to 10 dielectric layers 111, the average thickness of the dielectric layer 111 in the first direction can be more generalized.

[0039] The internal electrodes 121 and 122 may be alternately stacked with the dielectric layers 111 .

[0040] The internal electrodes 121 and 122 may include a first internal electrode 121 and a second internal electrode 122, and the first internal electrodes 121 and the second internal electrodes 122 are alternately arranged to face each other with the dielectric layer 111 included in the body 110 interposed therebetween, and the first internal electrodes 121 and the second internal electrodes 122 may be exposed to the third surface 3 and the fourth surface 4 of the body 110, respectively.

[0041] More specifically, the first inner electrode 121 may be spaced apart from the fourth surface 4 and may be exposed through the third surface 3, and the second inner electrode 122 may be spaced apart from the third surface 3 and may be exposed through the fourth surface 4. The first outer electrode 131 may be disposed on the third surface 3 of the body 110 and may be connected to the first inner electrode 121, and the second outer electrode 132 may be disposed on the fourth surface 4 of the body 110 and may be connected to the second inner electrode 122.

[0042] That is, the first internal electrode 121 may be connected to the first external electrode 131 without being connected to the second external electrode 132, and the second internal electrode 122 may be connected to the second external electrode 132 without being connected to the first external electrode 131. In this case, 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.

[0043] In addition, the body 110 may be formed by alternately stacking ceramic green sheets on which the conductive paste for the first internal electrode 121 is printed and ceramic green sheets on which the conductive paste for the second internal electrode 122 is printed, and then sintering the ceramic green sheets.

[0044] The material included in the internal electrodes 121 and 122 is not particularly limited, and any material having excellent conductivity may be used. For example, the internal electrodes 121 and 122 may include one or more selected from the group consisting of nickel (Ni), copper (Cu), palladium (Pd), silver (Ag), gold (Au), platinum (Pt), tin (Sn), tungsten (W), titanium (Ti), and alloys thereof.

[0045] In addition, the internal electrodes 121 and 122 may be formed by printing a conductive paste for internal electrodes including one or more selected from the group consisting of nickel (Ni), copper (Cu), palladium (Pd), silver (Ag), gold (Au), platinum (Pt), tin (Sn), tungsten (W), titanium (Ti), and alloys thereof on a ceramic green sheet. The printing method of the conductive paste for internal electrodes may be a screen printing method or a gravure printing method, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto.

[0046] In addition, the thickness te of the internal electrodes 121 and 122 does not need to be particularly limited.

[0047] However, in order to achieve high capacitance of the multilayer electronic components, the thickness of the internal electrodes 121 and 122 may be less than or equal to 1.0 μm, and in order to more easily achieve miniaturization and high capacitance of the multilayer electronic components, the thickness of the internal electrodes 121 and 122 may be less than or equal to 0.6 μm, and more preferably less than or equal to 0.4 μm.

[0048] Here, the thickness te of the internal electrodes 121 and 122 may refer to the first direction size of the internal electrodes 121 and 122. In addition, the thickness te of the internal electrodes 121 and 122 may refer to the average thickness te of the internal electrodes 121 and 122 and may refer to the average size of the internal electrodes 121 and 122 in the first direction.

[0049] The average size of the internal electrodes 121 and 122 in the first direction can be measured by scanning the first and second direction cross-sections of the body 110 with a scanning electron microscope (SEM) at a magnification of 10,000 times to obtain a scanned image. More specifically, the average size of one internal electrode in the first direction can be: in the scanned image, the first direction size of one internal electrode is measured at 30 points spaced apart from each other at equal intervals in the second direction. The 30 points spaced apart from each other at equal intervals can be specified in the capacitor forming portion Ac. In addition, when the average value is measured by extending the average value measurement to 10 internal electrodes, the average thickness of the internal electrode in the first direction can be more generalized.

[0050] In addition, in the example embodiment of the present disclosure, an average thickness td of at least one of the plurality of dielectric layers 111 and an average thickness te of at least one of the plurality of internal electrodes 121 and 122 may satisfy 2×te <td。

[0051] In other words, the average thickness td of one dielectric layer 111 may be greater than twice the average thickness te of one internal electrode 121 or 122. In some embodiments, the average thickness td of the plurality of dielectric layers 111 may be greater than twice the average thickness te of the plurality of internal electrodes 121 and 122.

[0052] Typically, the main problem with high voltage electronic components is reliability issues due to the reduction of breakdown voltage (BDV) in high voltage environments.

[0053] Therefore, in order to prevent the breakdown voltage from decreasing under a high voltage environment, the average thickness td of the dielectric layer 111 may be made greater than twice the average thickness te of the internal electrodes 121 and 122 so that the thickness of the dielectric layer as the distance between the internal electrodes may be increased, thereby improving the breakdown voltage (BDV) characteristics.

[0054] When the average thickness td of the dielectric layer 111 is less than or equal to twice the average thickness te of the internal electrodes 121 and 122 , the average thickness of the dielectric layer as a distance between the internal electrodes may be thin, which may reduce a breakdown voltage and a short circuit may occur between the internal electrodes.

[0055] In addition, the body 110 may include cover parts 112 and 113 disposed on both surfaces of the capacitance forming part Ac in the first direction.

[0056] Specifically, the main body 110 may include a first covering portion 112 disposed on one surface of the capacitor forming portion Ac in the first direction and a second covering portion 113 disposed on another surface of the capacitor forming portion Ac in the first direction, and more specifically, the main body 110 may include an upper covering portion 112 (i.e., the first covering portion 112) disposed above the capacitor forming portion Ac in the first direction and a lower covering portion 113 (i.e., the second covering portion 113) disposed below the capacitor forming portion Ac in the first direction.

[0057] The upper covering portion 112 and the lower covering portion 113 may be formed by stacking a single dielectric layer 111 or two or more dielectric layers 111 on the upper and lower surfaces of the capacitor forming portion Ac in the first direction, respectively, and may be substantially used to prevent damage to the internal electrodes 121 and 122 due to physical stress or chemical stress.

[0058] The upper cover 112 and the lower cover 113 do not include the internal electrodes 121 and 122, and may include the same material as the dielectric layer 111. That is, the upper cover 112 and the lower cover 113 may include a ceramic material, and may include, for example, barium titanate (BaTiO 3 ) based ceramic materials.

[0059] In addition, the thickness tc of the covering portions 112 and 113 does not need to be particularly limited.

[0060] However, to more easily achieve miniaturization and high capacitance of multilayer electronic components, the thickness tc of the covers 112 and 113 may be 100 μm or less, preferably 30 μm or less, and more preferably 20 μm or less in ultra-small products.

[0061] Here, the thickness tc of the covering parts 112 and 113 may refer to the first direction dimension of the covering parts 112 and 113 in the first direction. In addition, the thickness tc of the covering parts 112 and 113 may refer to the average thickness tc of the covering parts 112 and 113, and may refer to the average dimension of the covering parts 112 and 113 in the first direction.

[0062] The average size of the covering portions 112 and 113 in the first direction may be measured by scanning an image obtained by scanning the first and second direction cross sections of the body 110 with a scanning electron microscope (SEM) at a magnification of 10,000 times. More specifically, the average size of one covering portion in the first direction may refer to an average value calculated by measuring the first direction size of one covering portion at 30 points equally spaced from each other in the second direction in the scanning image.

[0063] In addition, the average size of the covering portion in the first direction measured by the above method may have substantially the same size as the average size of the covering portion in the first direction and the third direction cross-sections of the body 110 in the first direction.

[0064] In addition, the multilayer electronic component 100 may include side edge portions 114 and 115 disposed on both side surfaces of the capacitance forming portion Ac in the third direction.

[0065] More specifically, the side edge portion may include a first side edge portion 114 disposed on a side surface of the capacitor forming portion Ac in the third direction (close to the fifth surface 5 of the main body 110) and a second side edge portion 115 disposed on the other side surface of the capacitor forming portion Ac in the third direction (close to the sixth surface 6 of the main body 110).

[0066] like Figure 3 As shown in , the side margin parts 114 and 115 may refer to regions between both ends of the first and second internal electrodes 121 and 122 in the third direction and the outer surface of the body 110 based on first and third direction sections of the body 110 .

[0067] The side edge portions 114 and 115 may be formed by coating a conductive paste on portions of the ceramic green sheets except for the positions where the side edge portions 114 and 115 are to be formed to form the internal electrodes 121 and 122. Alternatively, in order to suppress the step difference caused by the internal electrodes 121 and 122, the side edge portions 114 and 115 may be formed by stacking the ceramic green sheets, then cutting the ceramic green sheet stack thus formed so that the internal electrodes 121 and 122 are exposed to both side surfaces of the capacitance forming portion Ac in the third direction, and then stacking a single dielectric layer 111 or two or more dielectric layers 111 on both side surfaces of the capacitance forming portion Ac in the third direction.

[0068] The side margin parts 114 and 115 may basically serve to prevent damage to the internal electrodes 121 and 122 due to physical stress or chemical stress.

[0069] The first side margin portion 114 and the second side margin portion 115 do not include the internal electrodes 121 and 122, and may include the same material as the dielectric layer 111. That is, the first side margin portion 114 and the second side margin portion 115 may include a ceramic material, and may include, for example, barium titanate (BaTiO 3 ) based ceramic materials.

[0070] In addition, the width wm of the first side margin portion 114 and the second side margin portion 115 does not need to be particularly limited.

[0071] However, in order to more easily achieve miniaturization and high capacitance of the multilayer electronic component 100 , the width wm of the side margins 114 and 115 may be 100 μm or less, preferably 30 μm or less, and more preferably 20 μm or less in ultra-small products.

[0072] Here, the width wm of the side margin portions 114 and 115 may refer to the third direction dimension of the side margin portions 114 and 115. In addition, the width wm of the side margin portions 114 and 115 may refer to the average width wm of the side margin portions 114 and 115 and may refer to the average dimension of the side margin portions 114 and 115 in the third direction.

[0073] The average size of the side edge portions 114 and 115 in the third direction may be measured by scanning an image obtained by scanning the first and third direction cross sections of the body 110 with a scanning electron microscope (SEM) at a magnification of 10,000 times. More specifically, the average size of one side edge portion in the third direction may refer to an average value calculated by measuring the third direction size of one side edge portion at 10 points equally spaced from each other in the first direction in the scanning image.

[0074] In some example embodiments of the present disclosure, 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.

[0075] The external electrodes 131 and 132 may be disposed on the body 110 , and may be connected to the internal electrodes 121 and 122 .

[0076] More specifically, the external electrodes 131 and 132 may be disposed on the third surface 3 and the fourth surface 4 of the body 110, respectively, and may be connected to the first internal electrode 121 and the second internal electrode 122, respectively. That is, the first external electrode 131 may be disposed on the third surface 3 of the body 110 and may be connected to the first internal electrode 121, and the second external electrode 132 may be disposed on the fourth surface 4 of the body 110 and may be connected to the second internal electrode 122.

[0077] In addition, the external electrodes 131 and 132 may be provided to extend to a portion of the first surface 1 and a portion of the second surface 2 of the body 110, and may also be provided to extend to a portion of the fifth surface 5 and a portion of the sixth surface 6 of the body 110. That is, the first external electrode 131 may be provided on the third surface 3 and provided on 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 by extending from a region provided on the third surface 3 of the body 110, and the second external electrode 132 may be provided on the fourth surface 4 and provided on 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 by extending from a region provided on the fourth surface 4 of the body 110.

[0078] More specifically, the external electrode 131 may include a connection portion disposed on the third surface 3 and a band portion contacting the connection portion and disposed on a portion of the first surface 1 and a portion of the second surface 2, and the external electrode 132 may include a connection portion disposed on the fourth surface 4 and a band portion contacting the connection portion and disposed on a portion of the first surface 1 and a portion of the second surface 2. In addition, the band portions of the external electrodes 131 and 132 may also be disposed at corners between the third surface 3 and the fourth surface 4 and the first surface 1 and the second surface 2. In addition, the band portions of the external electrodes 131 and 132 may also be disposed on a portion of the fifth surface 5 and a portion of the sixth surface 6.

[0079] In addition, the external electrodes 131 and 132 may be formed using any material such as metal as long as the material has conductivity, and a specific material may be determined in consideration of electrical characteristics, structural stability, etc., and may also have a multi-layer structure.

[0080] In some example embodiments of the present disclosure, the external electrodes 131 and 132 may include: a first electrode layer connected to the internal electrodes 121 and 122, respectively, and disposed in the connection portion, respectively contacting the third surface 3 and the fourth surface 4 of the body 110; glass layers 131b and 132b contacting the first electrode layer and disposed in the band portion, contacting a portion of the first surface 1 and a portion of the second surface 2 of the body 110; and a second electrode layer disposed on the first electrode layer and the glass layers 131b and 132b. In some example embodiments of the present disclosure, the main component metal included in the first electrode layer may be the same as the main component metal included in the internal electrodes 121 and 122.

[0081] In the present disclosure, as an example of a more specific method of measuring the content of elements included in each component of the multilayer electronic component 100, in the case of a destructive method, an energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) mode of a scanning electron microscope (SEM), an EDS mode of a transmission electron microscope (TEM), or an EDS mode of a scanning transmission electron microscope (STEM) may be used to analyze the components. First, a thin sliced ​​analysis sample is prepared using a focused ion beam (FIB) device in a region to be measured. Then, a damaged layer on the surface of the thinned sample is removed by milling using xenon (Xe) ions or argon (Ar) ions, and then, a qualitative / quantitative analysis is performed by mapping each component to be measured in an image obtained using SEM-EDS, TEM-EDS, or STEM-EDS. In this case, the qualitative / quantitative analysis graph of each component may be expressed in terms of mass percentage (wt%), atomic percentage (at%), or molar percentage (mol%) of each element. In this case, the qualitative / quantitative analysis graph of each component may be expressed by converting the number of moles of another specific component into the number of moles of a specific component.

[0082] As another method of measuring the content of elements included in each component of the multilayer electronic component 100, the multilayer electronic component 100 may be crushed and a region to be measured may be selected, and in the region including the selected dielectric microstructure, a device such as inductively coupled plasma spectroscopy (ICP-OES) and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) may be used to analyze the composition of the corresponding region.

[0083] In addition, in the present disclosure, "main component" may refer to a component occupying a relatively large weight ratio or atomic percentage compared to other components, and may mean at least 50% by weight of the component based on the weight of the entire composition or the entire external electrode, or at least 50at% by atomic percentage.

[0084] When the main component metal of the internal electrodes 121 and 122 and the main component metal of the external electrodes 131 and 132 (especially the first electrode layer) are the same as each other, alloy formation due to mutual diffusion may not occur during the high-temperature heat treatment process, and radiation cracks caused by the diffusion of the main component metal of the first electrode layer into the internal electrodes 121 and 122 can be suppressed, thereby improving the reliability and life of the multilayer electronic component 100.

[0085] For example, the main metal component of the internal electrodes 121 and 122 may be nickel (Ni), and the first electrode layer may be nickel electrode layers 131a and 132a whose main component metal is nickel (Ni), but the present disclosure is not particularly limited thereto. For example, as described above, the internal electrodes 121 and 122 may use any material as long as the material has excellent conductivity, and specifically, examples of the materials included in the internal electrodes 121 and 122 may include one or more selected from the group consisting of nickel (Ni), copper (Cu), palladium (Pd), silver (Ag), gold (Au), platinum (Pt), tin (Sn), tungsten (W), titanium (Ti), and alloys thereof. In addition, the main component metal of the first electrode layer may include one or more selected from the group consisting of nickel (Ni), copper (Cu), palladium (Pd), silver (Ag), gold (Au), platinum (Pt), tin (Sn), tungsten (W), titanium (Ti), and alloys thereof.

[0086] The first electrode layer may be disposed in the connection part, and may include a first conductive metal and glass.

[0087] More specifically, the first external electrode 131 may include a first electrode layer disposed in a connection portion on the third surface, and the first electrode layer of the first external electrode may include a first conductive metal and glass. The second external electrode 132 may include a first electrode layer disposed in a connection portion on the fourth surface, and the first electrode layer of the second external electrode may include a first conductive metal and glass. The main component in the first electrode layers of the first external electrode and the second external electrode is the first conductive metal.

[0088] That is, the first electrode layer may be formed by applying a conductive paste including a first conductive metal and glass to regions of the third and fourth surfaces 3 and 4 of the body 110 corresponding to the connection portion and then sintering the conductive paste.

[0089] As described above, the first conductive metal may include one or more selected from the group consisting of nickel (Ni), copper (Cu), palladium (Pd), silver (Ag), gold (Au), platinum (Pt), tin (Sn), tungsten (W), titanium (Ti), and alloys thereof, but the present disclosure is not particularly limited thereto.

[0090] The first electrode layer may include glass, and the type of glass is not particularly limited. The glass included in the first electrode layer may serve to improve adhesion to the body 110.

[0091] However, the glass layers 131 b and 132 b may be disposed in the band portions of the external electrodes 131 and 132 , thereby providing excellent adhesion between the glass layers 131 b and 132 b and the body 110 .

[0092] That is, the glass layers 131 b and 132 b may be disposed in the band portion, thereby improving adhesion between the body 110 and the second electrode layer and further preventing delamination between the body 110 and the external electrodes 131 and 132 .

[0093] In addition, in the bonding interface between the external electrodes 131 and 132 and the body 110, the glass layers 131b and 132b may be disposed in regions adjacent to the ends of the external electrodes 131 and 132, which serve as external moisture penetration paths, thereby improving moisture-proof reliability by suppressing penetration of moisture or plating solution.

[0094] The glass layers 131b and 132b may be disposed in the band portion and may include glass.

[0095] More specifically, the first external electrode 131 may include a glass layer 131b disposed in the band portion, and the glass layer 131b of the first external electrode 131 may include: a first glass layer 131b-1 disposed on a portion of the first surface 1 and a corner between the first surface 1 and the third surface 3; and a second glass layer 131b-2 disposed on a portion of the second surface 2 and a corner between the second surface 2 and the third surface 3.

[0096] The second external electrode 132 may include a glass layer 132b arranged in the band portion, and the glass layer 132b of the second external electrode 132 may include: a first glass layer 132b-1, arranged on a portion of the first surface 1 and a corner between the first surface 1 and the fourth surface 4; and a second glass layer 132b-2, arranged on a portion of the second surface 2 and a corner between the second surface 2 and the fourth surface 4.

[0097] Here, the glass included in the glass layers 131b and 132b may include, for example, borosilicate glass, and the glass layers 131b and 132b may include at least one of sodium (Na), barium (Ba), zinc (Zn), calcium (Ca), iron (Fe), and tin (Sn). Here, the main component of the glass layers 131b and 132b may be glass, and may be, for example, borosilicate glass.

[0098] Borosilicate glass is a low melting point glass, and the melting point can be further lowered by including at least one of Na, Ba, Zn, Ca, Fe and Sn, thereby further promoting the formation of glass layers 131b and 132b, and the shape of glass layers 131b and 132b can be more easily controlled during the manufacturing process.

[0099] The method of forming the glass layers 131b and 132b is not particularly limited. For example, the glass layers 131b and 132b can be formed by forming a first electrode layer disposed in the connection portion, then applying a conductive paste including a second conductive metal and glass to the first electrode layer, and applying a conductive paste including a second conductive metal and glass to a position corresponding to the tape portion. Here, the conductive paste including the second conductive metal and glass can form the second electrode layer described below.

[0100] In this case, when the glass included in the second electrode layer is a low melting point glass such as borosilicate glass, the glass layers 131b and 132b can be formed at positions corresponding to the tape portion in contact with the main body 110 except for the connection portion where the first electrode layer is formed. In other words, during the sintering process of the conductive paste including the second conductive metal and glass, since the wettability of the glass to the main body is higher than that to the first electrode layer, the glass can aggregate at the positions corresponding to the tape portion to form the glass layers 131b and 132b.

[0101] The glass layers 131b and 132b disposed in the tape portion can be formed in layers along the surface of the main body 110, but the present disclosure is not particularly limited thereto, and the glass layers 131b and 132b can have a convex shape and can be disposed to cover the corners of the main body 110. Here, the corners of the main body 110 can be located near the region where the first surface and the second surface of the main body 110 intersect with the third surface and the fourth surface of the main body 110, and can refer to the curved region at the corners based on Figure 2 In addition, the shapes of the glass layers 131b and 132b can vary according to the size of the multilayer electronic component and the length and width of the tape portion, and can also vary according to the glass content (wt%) in the conductive paste including the second conductive metal and glass.

[0102] In addition, referring to Figure 2 , for example, the glass layers 131b and 132b can be in contact with the first electrode layer disposed in the connection portion and can be disposed in the tape portion by extending from the first electrode layer. In this case, the glass layers 131b and 132b can be disposed to contact the main body 110, including the corners of the main body 110 as described above, but the present disclosure is not particularly limited thereto.

[0103] When described with reference to Figure 4 according to another exemplary embodiment, the glass layers 231b and 232b may not be disposed between the extension line EL1 of the first surface 1 and the extension line EL2 of the second surface 2.

[0104] More specifically, the first glass layer 231b-1 of the first external electrode 231 may be disposed only below the extension line EL1 of the first surface 1 and may not be disposed above the extension line EL1 of the first surface 1, and the second glass layer 231b-2 of the first external electrode 231 may be disposed only above the extension line EL2 of the second surface 2 and may not be disposed below the extension line EL2 of the second surface 2. That is, the glass layer 231b of the first external electrode 231 may not be disposed between the extension line EL1 of the first surface 1 and the extension line EL2 of the second surface 2 in the first direction and may not be located on the third surface 3.

[0105] The first glass layer 232b-1 of the second external electrode 232 may be disposed only below the extension line EL1 of the first surface 1 and may not be disposed above the extension line EL1 of the first surface 1, and the second glass layer 232b-2 of the second external electrode 232 may be disposed only above the extension line EL2 of the second surface 2 and may not be disposed below the extension line EL2 of the second surface 2. That is, the glass layer 232b of the second external electrode 232 may not be disposed between the extension line EL1 of the first surface 1 and the extension line EL2 of the second surface 2 in the first direction and may not be disposed on the fourth surface 4.

[0106] Therefore, the glass layers 231b and 232b may not be disposed between the extension line EL1 of the first surface 1 and the extension line EL2 of the second surface 2 and may not be disposed on the third surface 3 and the fourth surface 4. Figure 4 The body 210, the first internal electrode 221, the second internal electrode 222, the dielectric layer 211, the first cover 212, the second cover 213, the nickel electrode layers 231a and 232a, the copper electrode layers 231c and 232c, and the plating layers 231d, 232d, 231e and 232e shown in FIG. Figure 2 The body 110, the first internal electrode 121, the second internal electrode 122, the dielectric layer 111, the first cover 112, the second cover 113, the nickel electrode layers 131a and 132a, the copper electrode layers 131c and 132c, and the plating layers 131d, 132d, 131e and 132e (described below) shown in FIG. 1 have the same structure.

[0107] The external electrodes 131 and 132 may include a second electrode layer disposed on the first electrode layer and the glass layers 131 b and 132 b , and the second electrode layer may include a second conductive metal and glass.

[0108] The second conductive metal may include one or more selected from the group consisting of nickel (Ni), copper (Cu), palladium (Pd), silver (Ag), gold (Au), platinum (Pt), tin (Sn), tungsten (W), titanium (Ti), and alloys thereof, but the present disclosure is not particularly limited thereto.

[0109] The second conductive metal included in the second electrode layer may be different from the first conductive metal included in the first electrode layer, but the present disclosure is not particularly limited thereto, and the first conductive metal and the second conductive metal may be the same as each other, and when the first conductive metal and the second conductive metal include multiple conductive metals, at least one conductive metal may be the same.

[0110] Even if the first conductive metal and the second conductive metal are different from each other, an alloy may not be formed between the first conductive metal and the second conductive metal. The metal included in the first electrode layer may be oxidized during the sintering process of the first electrode layer, so that a metal oxide of the first electrode layer may be formed on a surface of the first electrode layer, and the metal oxide of the first electrode layer may be disposed between the first electrode layer and the second electrode layer, corresponding to an interface between the first electrode layer and the second electrode layer.

[0111] For example, when the main component of the first conductive metal of the first electrode layer is nickel (Ni) and the main component of the second conductive metal of the second electrode layer is copper (Cu), in the case where the electrode layers 131a and 132a are first sintered and formed, an oxide layer, such as a nickel (Ni) oxide layer, may be formed on the surface of the first electrode layer, and the second electrode layer may be provided on the nickel (Ni) oxide layer. In other words, the nickel (Ni) oxide layer may be formed between the first electrode layer and the second electrode layer. Therefore, the nickel (Ni) of the first electrode layer may not react with the copper (Cu) of the second electrode layers 131c and 132c, and a Cu-Ni alloy layer may not be formed between the first electrode layer and the second electrode layer, but the present disclosure is not particularly limited thereto.

[0112] Glass included in the second electrode layer is not particularly limited, but may include borosilicate-based glass, and may be the same as glass included in the glass layers 131 b and 132 b .

[0113] Here, the glass included in the second electrode layer may further include at least one of sodium (Na), barium (Ba), zinc (Zn), calcium (Ca), iron (Fe), and tin (Sn).

[0114] Borosilicate glass is a low melting point glass, and the melting point may be further lowered by further including at least one of Na, Ba, Zn, Ca, Fe, and Sn.

[0115] The method of forming the second electrode layer is not particularly limited, and for example, the second electrode layer may be formed by coating the first electrode layer disposed in the connection portion, and then coating the conductive paste including the second conductive metal and glass to the first electrode layer and the position corresponding to the band portion. Here, the glass may form the above-mentioned glass layers 131b and 132b, and the conductive paste including the second conductive metal and glass may become the second electrode layer disposed on the first electrode layer and the glass layers 131b and 132b.

[0116] In addition, the content of glass included in the second electrode layer may be greater than or equal to 8 wt % and less than or equal to 25 wt %.

[0117] The method of measuring the content of glass included in the second electrode layer is not particularly limited, for example, in the first direction and the second direction cross section based on the third direction center of the multilayer electronic component 100, the area of ​​the second electrode layer can be measured using a scanning electron microscope (SEM) or a transmission electron microscope (TEM). For example, the content of glass can be obtained by measuring the content of elements included in the area where glass is observed compared to the total content of elements included in a 10μm×10μm area of ​​the cross section of the second electrode layer. Here, glass may refer to an area where a high content of silicon (Si) is observed, or may be an area including a second phase of silicon (Si).

[0118] The external electrodes 131 and 132 may include a plated layer disposed on the second electrode layer.

[0119] Plating can be used to improve mounting characteristics.

[0120] The type of plating is not particularly limited, and Figure 2 and 4 2 shows two plating layers (first plating layers 131d and 231d and second plating layers 131e and 231e) for each external electrode, but each external electrode may be provided with only one plating layer, or each external electrode may be provided with two or more plating layers. For example, each plating layer may include one or more of nickel (Ni), tin (Sn), palladium (Pd), and alloys thereof.

[0121] For a more specific example of the plating layer, the plating layer may be a Ni plating layer or a Sn plating layer, or may be a form in which a Ni plating layer and a Sn plating layer are sequentially formed on the second electrode layer, or may be a form in which a Sn plating layer, a Ni plating layer, and a Sn plating layer are sequentially formed. In addition, the plating layer may include a plurality of Ni plating layers and / or a plurality of Sn plating layers.

[0122] The size of the multilayer electronic component 100 does not need to be particularly limited.

[0123] However, in order to achieve both miniaturization and high capacitance, since the thickness of the dielectric layer and the internal electrode must be thinned to increase the number of stacks, the effect according to the present disclosure may be more significant in a multilayer electronic component 100 having a size of 1005 (length×width: 1.0 mm×0.5 mm) or less.

[0124] 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, those of ordinary skill in the art may make various substitutions, modifications or changes without departing from the scope of the present disclosure defined by the appended claims, and these substitutions, modifications or changes should be interpreted as being included within the scope of the present disclosure.

[0125] In addition, the expression "exemplary embodiment" used in the present disclosure does not mean the same embodiment, and is provided to emphasize and explain different unique characteristics. However, the embodiment presented above does not exclude the combination of features with another embodiment. For example, although an item described in a specific embodiment is not described in another embodiment, unless there is a description contrary to or contradictory to the item in another embodiment, the item can be understood to be related to the other embodiment.

[0126] In the present disclosure, the terms are used only 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 body including a dielectric layer and inner electrodes alternately arranged with the dielectric layer in a first direction, and the body including 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 to the fourth surface and opposite to each other in a third direction; as well as an outer electrode comprising a nickel electrode layer and a glass layer, wherein the nickel electrode layer is disposed on the third surface and the fourth surface and connected to the inner electrode, and the glass layer extends from the nickel electrode layer to a portion of the first surface and a portion of the second surface, Wherein, the external electrode further includes a copper electrode layer arranged on the nickel electrode layer and the glass layer.

2. The multilayer electronic component according to claim 1, wherein The inner electrode includes nickel.

3. The multilayer electronic component according to claim 1, wherein: The glass layer includes borosilicate glass.

4. The multilayer electronic component according to claim 3, wherein: The main component of the glass layer is borosilicate glass.

5. The multilayer electronic component according to claim 3, wherein: The glass layer further includes at least one selected from the group consisting of sodium, barium, zinc, calcium, iron, and tin.

6. The multilayer electronic component according to claim 1, wherein The glass layer is not disposed between an extension line of the first surface and an extension line of the second surface.

7. The multilayer electronic component according to claim 1, wherein: A nickel oxide layer is formed between the nickel electrode layer and the copper electrode layer.

8. The multilayer electronic component according to claim 1, wherein The copper electrode layer includes glass.

9. The multilayer electronic component according to claim 8, wherein: The glass included in the copper electrode layer includes the same glass as that included in the glass layer.

10. The multilayer electronic component according to claim 9, wherein The glass included in the copper electrode layer includes borosilicate glass.

11. The multilayer electronic component according to claim 10, wherein: The glass included in the copper electrode layer further includes at least one selected from the group consisting of sodium, barium, zinc, calcium, iron, and tin.

12. The multilayer electronic component according to claim 8, wherein The content of the glass included in the copper electrode layer is greater than or equal to 8 wt % and less than or equal to 25 wt %.

13. The multilayer electronic component according to claim 1, wherein The external electrode further includes a plating layer disposed on the copper electrode layer.

14. The multilayer electronic component according to claim 13, wherein: The plating layer includes a first plating layer disposed on the copper electrode layer and a second plating layer disposed on the first plating layer.

15. The multilayer electronic component according to claim 1, wherein The glass layer is also disposed at corners of the third and fourth surfaces and the first and second surfaces.

16. The multilayer electronic component according to claim 1, wherein The glass layer also extends from the nickel electrode layer onto a portion of the fifth surface and a portion of the sixth surface.

17. A multilayer electronic component comprising: a body including a dielectric layer and inner electrodes alternately arranged with the dielectric layer in a first direction, and the body including 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 to the fourth surface and opposite to each other in a third direction; as well as an outer electrode comprising a first electrode layer and a glass layer, wherein the first electrode layer is disposed on the third surface and the fourth surface and connected to the inner electrode, and the glass layer extends from the first electrode layer to a portion of the first surface and a portion of the second surface, wherein the outer electrode further comprises a second electrode layer disposed on the first electrode layer and the glass layer, and A main component metal included in the first electrode layer and a main component metal included in the internal electrode are identical to each other.

18. The multilayer electronic component according to claim 17, wherein: A main component metal included in the first electrode layer and the internal electrode is one or more selected from the group consisting of nickel, copper, palladium, silver, gold, platinum, tin, tungsten, titanium, and alloys thereof.

19. The multilayer electronic component according to claim 17, wherein: The glass layer includes borosilicate glass.

20. The multilayer electronic component according to claim 19, wherein The glass layer further includes at least one selected from the group consisting of sodium, barium, zinc, calcium, iron, and tin.

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