Multilayer electronic component

Abstract

The present disclosure provides a multilayer electronic component including a body including a dielectric layer, and first and second internal electrodes alternately disposed in a first direction, the external electrode includes a band portion disposed on a first surface and a second surface of the main body, and a connecting portion disposed on the third surface and the fourth surface of the main body, and an edge portion connecting the band portion and the connecting portion, and disposed at an edge of the main body connecting the third surface with the first surface and the second surface, and connecting the fourth surface with the first surface and the second surface, the external electrode includes a first external electrode layer and a second external electrode layer, the first external electrode layer is connected to the first and second internal electrodes, respectively, and includes a first glass, the second external electrode layer is disposed on a region of the first external electrode layer located at the edge portion and includes a second glass, and wherein the second glass includes Fe, and the first glass does not include Fe.

Description

[0001] This application claims the benefit of priority from Korean Patent Application No. 10-2023-0163028 filed in the Korean Intellectual Property Office on November 22, 2023, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein in its entirety by reference. Technical Field

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

[0003] Multilayer ceramic capacitors (MLCC, a type of multilayer electronic component) are chip capacitors that are mounted on printed circuit boards of various types of electronic products (such as image display devices including liquid crystal displays (LCDs), plasma display panels (PDPs), etc., computers, smart phones, and mobile phones, etc.) and are used to charge or discharge them.

[0004] Since multilayer ceramic capacitors have a small size and high capacitance and are easy to mount, such multilayer ceramic capacitors can be used as components of various electronic devices. As various electronic devices such as computers, mobile devices, etc. have been miniaturized and implemented with high output, the demand for miniaturization and high capacitance of multilayer ceramic capacitors has increased.

[0005] When the thickness of the sintered electrode decreases from the center of the body toward the edge of the body, the sintered electrode, which may be mainly used as a base electrode of a multilayer ceramic capacitor, may serve as a main permeation path of external moisture or a plating solution.

[0006] Therefore, it is necessary to sufficiently ensure the thickness of the portion of the sintered electrode located at the edge of the body. Summary of the invention

[0007] An aspect of the present disclosure is to provide a multilayer electronic component having excellent moisture resistance reliability and high temperature reliability.

[0008] An aspect of the present disclosure is to provide a multilayer electronic component that suppresses an increase in equivalent series resistance (ESR).

[0009] The purpose of the present disclosure is not limited to the above contents and can be more easily understood in the process of explaining specific embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0010] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, a multilayer electronic component includes: a body including a dielectric layer and first and second inner electrodes alternately arranged in a first direction, the dielectric layer being interposed between the first and second inner electrodes, and 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 and second surfaces 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 band portion arranged on the first and second surfaces and / or the fifth and sixth surfaces, a connecting portion arranged on the third and fourth surfaces, and a connecting portion arranged on the fifth and sixth surfaces. The band portion and the connecting portion are arranged at an edge connecting the third surface with the first surface and the second surface, and connecting the fourth surface with the first surface and the second surface, and / or at an edge connecting the third surface with the fifth surface and the sixth surface, and connecting the fourth surface with the fifth surface and the sixth surface, wherein the external electrode includes a first external electrode layer and a second external electrode layer, the first external electrode layer is respectively connected to the first internal electrode and the second internal electrode and includes a first glass, the second external electrode layer is arranged on a region of the first external electrode layer located at the edge portion and includes a second glass, and wherein the second glass includes Fe and the first glass does not include Fe. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0011] The above and other aspects, features and advantages of the present disclosure will be more clearly understood through the following detailed description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 A perspective view of a multilayer electronic assembly according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is schematically shown.

[0012] Figure 2 Schematically shows the Figure 1 A cross-sectional view taken along line II' in FIG.

[0013] Figure 3 In a multilayer electronic component according to another embodiment, Figure 1 The line I-I' in Figure 2 The corresponding cross-sectional view.

[0014] Figure 4 yes Figure 2 Magnified view of section P1 in .

[0015] Figure 5 yes Figure 2 Magnified view of part P2 in .

[0016] Figure 6 It is along Figure 1 A cross-sectional view taken along line II-II'. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0017] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, embodiments of the present disclosure may be modified into various other forms, and the scope of the present disclosure is not limited to the embodiments described below. In addition, embodiments of the present disclosure may be provided to more completely describe the present disclosure to those of ordinary skill. Therefore, for the sake of clarity of description, the shapes, sizes, etc. of the elements in the accompanying drawings may be exaggerated, and the elements represented by the same reference numerals in the accompanying drawings may be the same elements.

[0018] In addition, in order to clearly explain the present disclosure, in the accompanying drawings, parts that are not related to the description will be omitted, and the thickness may be magnified to clearly show the layers and regions. The same reference numerals will be used to represent the same components. In addition, throughout the specification, unless otherwise specifically stated, when an element is referred to as "comprising" or "including" a component, it means that the element may further include other components without excluding other elements.

[0019] In the drawings, a first direction may be defined as a stacking direction or a thickness direction (ie, T direction), a second direction may be defined as a length direction (ie, L direction), and a third direction may be defined as a width direction (ie, W direction).

[0020] Figure 1 A perspective view of a multilayer electronic assembly according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is schematically shown.

[0021] Figure 2 Schematically shows the Figure 1 A cross-sectional view taken along line II' in FIG.

[0022] Figure 3 In a multilayer electronic component according to another embodiment, Figure 1 The line I-I' in Figure 2 The corresponding cross-sectional view.

[0023] Figure 4 yes Figure 2 Magnified view of section P1 in .

[0024] Figure 5 yes Figure 2 Magnified view of part P2 in .

[0025] Figure 6 It is along Figure 1 A cross-sectional view taken along line II-II'.

[0026] In the following, reference will be made to Figures 1 to 6The multilayer electronic component 100 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is described in detail. In addition, a multilayer ceramic capacitor may be described as an example of the multilayer electronic component, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto.

[0027] The multilayer electronic component 100 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure may include: a body 110 including a dielectric layer 111 and first and second internal electrodes 121 and 122 alternately arranged in a first direction, with the dielectric layer 111 interposed between the first and second internal electrodes 121 and 122, 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 and second surfaces and opposite to each other in the second direction, and a fifth surface 5 and a sixth surface 6 connected to the first to fourth surfaces and opposite to each other in the third direction; and external electrodes 130 and 140 including band portions B1 and B2 arranged on the first and second surfaces and / or the fifth and sixth surfaces, and band portions B1 and B2 arranged on the third and fourth surfaces. The connecting portions A1 and A2 on the four surfaces, and the edge portions C1 and C2 connecting the band portions and the connecting portions and arranged at the edges connecting the third surface with the first surface and the second surface and connecting the fourth surface with the first surface and the second surface and / or connecting the third surface with the fifth surface and the sixth surface and connecting the fourth surface with the fifth surface and the sixth surface, wherein the external electrode includes: first external electrode layers 131 and 141, which are arranged on the band portions, the connecting portions and the edge portions and connected to the internal electrode and include first glass; and second external electrode layers 132 and 142, which are arranged on the areas of the first external electrode layers 131 and 141 located at the edge portions C1 and C2 and include second glass, wherein the second glass includes Fe and the first glass does not include Fe.

[0028] Hereinafter, a configuration included in the multilayer electronic component 100 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure will be described.

[0029] The body 110 may include dielectric layers 111 and internal electrodes 121 and 122 that are alternately stacked.

[0030] Although the specific shape of the body 110 is not particularly limited, the body 110 may have a hexahedral shape, etc. Figures 1 to 6 Due to shrinkage of ceramic powder particles included in the body 110 during a sintering process, the body 110 may not have a perfectly straight hexahedral shape but may have a substantially hexahedral shape.

[0031] The body 110 may include 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.

[0032] Since the edge regions of the dielectric layer 111 on which the internal electrodes 121 and 122 are not disposed overlap in the first direction, a step difference may occur due to the thickness of the internal electrodes 121 and 122. Therefore, when viewed from the first surface or the second surface, the edge connecting the first surface with the third surface to the sixth surface and / or the edge connecting the second surface with the third surface to the sixth surface may have a shape that shrinks toward the center of the body 110 in the first direction. Optionally, due to the shrinkage behavior during the sintering process of the body, when viewed from the first surface or the second surface, the edge connecting the first surface 1 with the third surface 3, the fourth surface 4, the fifth surface 5, and the sixth surface 6 and / or the edge 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, etc., each of the vertices of the surface connecting the body 110 may be rounded by performing a separate process, so that the edge connecting the first surface with the third surface to the sixth surface and / or the edge connecting the second surface with the third surface to the sixth surface may be rounded.

[0033] The plurality of dielectric layers 111 forming the body 110 may be in a sintered state, and adjacent dielectric layers 111 may be integrated to the extent that it may be difficult to identify the boundaries therebetween without using a scanning electron microscope (SEM). The number of stacked dielectric layers does not need to be particularly limited, and may be determined in consideration of the size of the multilayer electronic component. For example, the body may be formed by stacking 400 or more dielectric layers.

[0034] The dielectric layer 111 may be formed by preparing a ceramic slurry including ceramic powder particles, an organic solvent, and a binder, applying the slurry on a carrier film and drying it to prepare a ceramic green sheet, and then sintering the ceramic green sheet. The ceramic powder particles are not particularly limited as long as sufficient capacitance can be obtained. For example, as the ceramic powder particles, barium titanate (BaTiO 3 For a more specific example, the ceramic powder particles may include barium titanate (BaTiO 3 ) based powder particles, CaZrO 3 For a more specific example, barium titanate (BaTiO 3 )-based powder particles may include BaTiO 3 、(Ba1-x Ca x )TiO 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) and Ba(Ti 1-y Zr y )O 3 (0 < y < 1) selected from the group consisting of one or more, and CaZrO 3 -based paraelectric powder particles may be (Ca 1-x Sr x )(Zr 1-y Ti y )O 3 (0 < x < 1, 0 < y < 1).

[0035] Therefore, the dielectric layer 111 may include one or more selected from the group consisting of BaTiO 3 , (Ba 1-x Ca x )TiO 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), Ba(Ti 1-y Zr y )O 3 (0 < y < 1) and (Ca 1-x Sr x )(Zr 1-y Ti y )O 3 (0 < x < 1, 0 < y < 1).

[0036] The average thickness td of the dielectric layer 111 is not particularly limited.

[0037] For the purpose of miniaturization and high capacitance of the multilayer electronic component 100, the average thickness td of the dielectric layer 111 may be less than or equal to 0.35 μm, and for the purpose of improving the reliability of the multilayer electronic component 100 under high temperature and high pressure, the average thickness td of the dielectric layer 111 may be greater than or equal to 3 μm.

[0038] The average thickness td of the dielectric layer 111 may be obtained by scanning images of cross sections (L direction-T direction plane) of the body 110 in the second direction and the first direction using a scanning electron microscope (SEM).

[0039] For example, the average thickness td of the dielectric layer 111 can be determined as follows: among the dielectric layers extracted from an image obtained by scanning a cross section in the length direction and the thickness direction (L direction-T direction) cut from the central part of the body 110 in the width direction using a scanning electron microscope (SEM), based on one dielectric layer set at the point where the length direction center line of the body and the thickness direction center line of the body intersect, for a total of five dielectric layers including the one dielectric layer, two dielectric layers located above the one dielectric layer, and two dielectric layers located below the one dielectric layer, based on the point where the length direction center line of the body and the thickness direction center line of the body intersect as a reference point, five points (the reference point, two points located at equal intervals on the left side thereof and two points located at equal intervals on the right side thereof) are defined, the thicknesses of the five dielectric layers at these points are measured, and an average value is calculated through them.

[0040] The body 110 may include a capacitor forming portion Ac and covering portions 112 and 113, wherein the capacitor forming portion Ac is disposed in the body 110 and includes a dielectric layer 111 and first and second internal electrodes 121 and 122 alternately arranged facing each other to form a capacitor, and the covering portions 112 and 113 are respectively disposed on opposite surfaces of the capacitor forming portion Ac in a first direction.

[0041] The capacitance forming portion Ac may be a portion that contributes 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 between the first internal electrode 121 and the second internal electrode 122. In addition, the first internal electrode 121 may be disposed on the uppermost end of the capacitance forming portion Ac in the first direction, and the second internal electrode 122 may be disposed on the lowermost end of the capacitance forming portion Ac in the first direction.

[0042] The internal electrodes 121 and 122 may include first and second internal electrodes 121 and 122. The first and second internal electrodes 121 and 122 may be alternately disposed to face each other with the dielectric layer 111 interposed therebetween, and may be exposed from the third and fourth surfaces 3 and 4 of the body 110, respectively.

[0043] 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 130 may be disposed on the third surface 3 of the body and may be connected to the first inner electrode 121, and the second outer electrode 140 may be disposed on the fourth surface 4 of the body and may be connected to the second inner electrode 122.

[0044] For example, the first internal electrode 121 may not be connected to the second external electrode 140 but may be connected to the first external electrode 130, and the second internal electrode 122 may not be connected to the first external electrode 130 but may be connected to the second external electrode 140. Therefore, the first internal electrode 121 may be formed to be spaced apart from the fourth surface 4 by a certain distance, and the second internal electrode 122 may be formed to be spaced apart from the third surface 3 by a certain distance. In addition, the first internal electrode 121 and the second internal electrode 122 may be arranged to be spaced apart from the fifth surface and the sixth surface of the body 110.

[0045] The conductive metal included in the internal electrodes 121 and 122 may include one or more selected from the group consisting of Ni, Cu, Pd, Ag, Au, Pt, Sn, W, Ti, and alloys thereof, and more preferably may include Ni, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto.

[0046] The average thickness te of the internal electrodes 121 and 122 is not particularly limited and may vary according to the purpose. In order to miniaturize the multilayer electronic component 100, the average thickness te of the internal electrodes 121 and 122 may be less than or equal to 0.35 μm, and in order to improve the reliability of the multilayer electronic component 100 under high temperature and high pressure, the average thickness te of the internal electrodes 121 and 122 may be greater than or equal to 3 μm.

[0047] The average thickness te of the internal electrodes 121 and 122 can be determined in the following manner: among the internal electrode layers extracted from an image obtained by scanning a cross section in the length direction and the thickness direction (L direction-T direction) cut from the central part of the body 110 in the width direction using a scanning electron microscope (SEM), based on an internal electrode layer set at the point where the center line of the length direction of the body and the center line of the thickness direction of the body intersect, for a total of five internal electrode layers including the one internal electrode layer, two internal electrode layers located above the one internal electrode layer, and two internal electrode layers located below the one internal electrode layer, based on the point where the center line of the length direction of the body and the center line of the thickness direction of the body intersect as a reference point, five points (the reference point, two points located on the left side of the reference point at equal intervals and two points located on the right side of the reference point at equal intervals) are defined, the thicknesses of the five internal electrode layers at these points are measured, and an average value is calculated through them.

[0048] The covering portions 112 and 113 may be disposed above and below the capacitance forming portion Ac in the first direction.

[0049] The covering parts 112 and 113 may mainly serve to prevent the internal electrodes from being damaged due to physical stress or chemical stress.

[0050] The cover parts 112 and 113 may include the same material as that of the dielectric layer 111. For example, the cover parts 112 and 113 may include a ceramic material, such as barium titanate (BaTiO 3 ) based ceramic materials.

[0051] The thickness of the covering parts 112 and 113 does not need to be particularly limited. For example, the thickness tc of the covering parts 112 and 113 may be less than or equal to 20 μm, respectively.

[0052] The average thickness tc of the covering parts 112 and 113 may refer to a dimension in the first direction, and may be an average value of the dimensions of the covering parts 112 and 113 in the first direction measured at five points spaced at equal intervals in the length direction of the body.

[0053] In addition, edge portions 114 and 115 may be provided on the side surfaces of the capacitance forming portion Ac.

[0054] The edge portion may include a first edge portion 114 disposed on one side surface of the capacitance forming portion Ac in the third direction and a second edge portion 115 disposed on the other side surface of the capacitance forming portion Ac in the third direction to respectively form the fifth surface 5 and the sixth surface 6 of the body 110. For example, the edge portions 114 and 115 may be disposed on both surfaces of the capacitance forming portion Ac in the width direction to form both surfaces of the body 110 in the width direction.

[0055] like Figure 6 As shown in , the edge portions 114 and 115 may refer to the areas between the ends of the first and second internal electrodes 121 and 122 in the width direction (third direction) and the outer surface of the body 110 in the width direction (third direction) in a cross section of the body 110 in the width direction-thickness direction (W direction-T direction).

[0056] The edge portions 114 and 115 may mainly serve to prevent the inner electrodes from being damaged due to physical stress or chemical stress.

[0057] The edge portions 114 and 115 may be prepared by applying a conductive paste on a region of the ceramic green sheet except for a region where the edge portions are to be formed to form an internal electrode.

[0058] The width of the edge portions 114 and 115 (ie, the length of the edge portions 114 and 115 in the third direction) does not need to be particularly limited. For example, the average width of the edge portions 114 and 115 may be less than or equal to 20 μm, respectively.

[0059] The average width of the edge portions 114 and 115 may refer to the average size of an area in which the inner electrode is spaced apart from the fifth surface in the third direction, and the average size of an area in which the inner electrode is spaced apart from the sixth surface in the third direction, and may be the average value of the sizes of the edge portions 114 and 115 in the third direction measured at five points spaced apart at equal intervals on the side surface of the capacitor forming portion Ac.

[0060] The external electrodes 130 and 140 may be disposed on the third surface 3 and the fourth surface 4 of the body 110 , respectively.

[0061] The external electrodes 130 and 140 may be disposed on the third surface 3 and the fourth surface 4 of the body 110 , respectively, and may include a first external electrode 130 and a second external electrode 140 connected to the first internal electrode 121 and the second internal electrode 122 , respectively.

[0062] Reference Figure 1 , the external electrodes 130 and 140 may be arranged to cover both end surfaces of the body 110 in the second direction.

[0063] In the present embodiment, a structure in which the multilayer electronic component 100 has two external electrodes 130 and 140 is illustrated, but the number and shape of the external electrodes 130 and 140 may be changed according to the shapes of the internal electrodes 121 and 122 or other purposes.

[0064] Reference Figure 2 , the external electrodes 130 and 140 may include band portions B1 and B2 , connection portions A1 and A2 , and edge portions C1 and C2 .

[0065] Specifically, the external electrodes 130 and 140 may include band portions B1 and B2 arranged on the first surface 1 and the second surface 2 and / or the fifth surface 5 and the sixth surface 6, connecting portions A1 and A2 arranged on the third surface 3 and the fourth surface 4, and edge portions C1 and C2 connecting the band portions B1 and B2 and the connecting portions A1 and A2 and arranged at the edges connecting the third surface with the first surface and the second surface and connecting the fourth surface with the first surface and the second surface and / or connecting the third surface with the fifth surface and the sixth surface and connecting the fourth surface with the fifth surface and the sixth surface.

[0066] Reference Figure 2 and Figure 4, the connection portions A1 and A2 may represent the region between the extension line E1 of the first surface and the extension line E2 of the second surface, the band portion B1 may represent the region between the extension line E3 of the third surface and the end of the first external electrode 130 in contact with the body 110, and the band portion B2 may represent the region between the extension line E4 of the fourth surface and the end of the second external electrode 140 in contact with the body 110. The edge portion C1 may represent the region between the extension line E3 of the third surface and the extension line E1 of the first surface and the region between the extension line E3 of the third surface and the extension line E2 of the second surface, and the edge portion C2 may represent the region between the extension line E4 of the fourth surface and the extension line E1 of the first surface and the region between the extension line E4 of the fourth surface and the extension line E2 of the second surface.

[0067] exist Figure 2 , although only the edge portions C1 and C2 are shown to be disposed at the edges connecting the third surface with the first surface and the second surface and connecting the fourth surface with the first surface and the second surface, the edge portions C1 and C2 may also be disposed at the edges connecting the third surface with the fifth surface and the sixth surface and connecting the fourth surface with the fifth surface and the sixth surface. Similarly, the band portions B1 and B2 may be disposed not only on the first surface 1 and the second surface 2, but also on the fifth surface 5 and the sixth surface 6.

[0068] The external electrodes 130 and 140 may include first external electrode layers 131 and 141 connected to the internal electrodes 121 and 122, respectively, and including first glass. The first external electrode layers 131 and 141 may be directly connected to the first and second internal electrodes 121 and 122, respectively, to ensure connectivity.

[0069] The first external electrode layers 131 and 141 may include a first glass. The first glass may include one or more selected from the group consisting of Ba, Zn, B, Si, and Al. As will be described later, the first glass included in the first external electrode layers 131 and 141 may not include Fe.

[0070] The second external electrode layers 132 and 142 including the second glass may be disposed on regions of the first external electrode layers 131 and 141 located at the edge portions C1 and C2. The second external electrode layers 132 and 142 may be used to prevent penetration of external moisture or a plating solution that may occur as the thickness of portions of the first external electrode layers 131 and 141 located at the edge portions C1 and C2 decreases during sintering of the first external electrode layers 131 and 141.

[0071] The second external electrode layers 132 and 142 may include a second glass. The second glass may include one or more selected from the group consisting of Ba, Zn, B, Si, and Al. As will be described later, the second glass included in the second external electrode layers 132 and 142 may include Fe.

[0072] The first external electrode layers 131 and 141 and the second external electrode layers 132 and 142 may include a conductive metal. As the conductive metal, any material having excellent conductivity may be used without particular limitation. For example, the conductive metal may be one or more selected from the group consisting of nickel (Ni), copper (Cu), and alloys thereof.

[0073] According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, the external electrodes 130 and 140 may include first external electrode layers 131 and 141 connected to the first internal electrode 121 and the second internal electrode 122, respectively, and including first glass, and second external electrode layers 132 and 142 disposed on regions of the first external electrode layers 131 and 141 at edge portions C1 and C2, respectively, and including second glass, wherein the second glass may include Fe and the first glass may not include Fe.

[0074] The first external electrode layers 131 and 141 including the first glass may be corroded when exposed to an acidic plating solution or moisture. When the thickness of the first external electrode layers 131 and 141 is thick, even when the first glass on some surfaces is corroded, the first glass therein may prevent the penetration of the plating solution or moisture. When the first glass is corroded in a thin portion of the first external electrode layers 131 and 141, the plating solution or moisture may penetrate through the thin portion of the first external electrode layers 131 and 141, which may deteriorate the moisture resistance reliability and high temperature reliability of the multilayer electronic component.

[0075] Therefore, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure, the second external electrode layers 132 and 142 including the second glass may be disposed on regions of the first external electrode layers 131 and 141 having a relatively thin thickness at the edge portions C1 and C2 to prevent penetration of a plating solution or moisture, thereby improving moisture resistance reliability and high temperature reliability of the multilayer electronic component 100.

[0076] To improve moisture resistance reliability and high temperature reliability, the second glass included in the second external electrode layers 132 and 142 may include Fe. When the first glass included in the first external electrode layers 131 and 141 includes Fe, connectivity between the internal electrodes 121 and 122 and the first external electrode layers 131 and 141 may be reduced.

[0077] Therefore, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure, the second external electrode layers 132 and 142 disposed on the regions of the first external electrode layers 131 and 141 located at the edge portions C1 and C2 (which may be the main penetration paths of the plating solution and external moisture) may include a second glass containing Fe, and the first external electrode layers 131 and 141 may include a first glass not containing Fe, so as to suppress the phenomenon that the connectivity between the internal electrodes 121 and 122 and the first external electrode layers 131 and 141 is degraded.

[0078] The method of confirming the characteristics that the second glass includes Fe and the first glass does not include Fe is not particularly limited, but will refer to Figure 4 and Figure 5 Describe an example.

[0079] Reference Figure 4 , the presence of Fe in the second glass can be determined by the following method: in a cross section in the first and second directions polished to pass through the center of the multilayer electronic component 100 in the third direction, a point where an extension line E3 of the third surface and an extension line E2 of the second surface intersect is called point CP, and a scanning electron microscope-energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM-EDS) analysis is performed on an area R1 with a width × length = 15 μm × 15 μm based on the point CP as the center under an accelerating voltage of 5 kV to 20 kV and a magnification greater than 1500 times.

[0080] Reference Figure 5 , a method for determining whether the first glass does not contain Fe may be performed by the following steps: in a cross section in the first and second directions polished to pass through the center of the multilayer electronic component 100 in the third direction, a SEM-EDS analysis is performed under conditions of an accelerating voltage of 5 kV to 20 kV and a magnification greater than 1500 times on an area R2 having a width × length = 15 μm × 15 μm based on a straight line CL parallel to the second direction and passing through the center of the multilayer electronic component 100 in the first direction as a center line.

[0081] As in Figure 4 and Figure 5 In the measurement method shown in , Fe can be detected in region R1, but Fe cannot be detected in region R2.

[0082] In some embodiments, the thickness of the first external electrode layers 131 and 141 at the edge portions C1 and C2 may be smaller than the thickness of the first external electrode layers at the connection portions A1 and A2 and the thickness of the first external electrode layers at the band portions B1 and B2.

[0083] Since the first external electrode layers 131 and 141 include the first glass, when the first external electrode layers 131 and 141 are formed on the body 110, the thickness of the portions of the first external electrode layers 131 and 141 located at the edge portions C1 and C2 may be formed to be thinner than the thickness of the portions of the first external electrode layers located at the connection portions A1 and A2 and the thickness of the portions of the first external electrode layers located at the band portions B1 and B2. As described above, when the thickness of the portions of the first external electrode layers 131 and 141 located at the edge portions C1 and C2 is thinner than the thickness of the first external electrode layers 131 and 141 located at other regions, the portions of the first external electrode layers 131 and 141 located at the edge portions may be a main penetration path of external moisture or a plating solution. According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, the second external electrode layers 132 and 142 may be disposed on regions of the first external electrode layers 131 and 141 located at the edge portions C1 and C2, the second external electrode layers 132 and 142 may include a second glass containing Fe, and the first external electrode layers 131 and 141 may include a first glass not containing Fe, to improve moisture resistance reliability and high temperature reliability. Therefore, even when the thickness of the first external electrode layers 131 and 141 located at the edge portions C1 and C2 is formed to be thinner than the thickness of the first external electrode layers located at the connection portions A1 and A2 and the thickness of the first external electrode layers located at the band portions B1 and B2, the moisture resistance reliability and high temperature reliability of the multilayer electronic component may be ensured.

[0084] The first external electrode layers 131 and 141 may have the thinnest thickness at the edge portions C1 and C2, but may not be formed with a sufficient thickness to prevent penetration of external moisture or plating solution at portions of the connection portions A1 and A2 adjacent to the edge portions C1 and C2 or portions of the band portions B1 and B2 adjacent to the edge portions C1 and C2. Figure 2 and Figure 4 According to some embodiments, the second external electrode layers 132 and 142 may be disposed on a portion of the first external electrode layers 131 and 141 located at the connection portions A1 and A2 (e.g., portions of the connection portions A1 and A2 adjacent to the edge portions C1 and C2) or on a portion of the first external electrode layers 131 and 141 located at the band portions B1 and B2 (e.g., portions of the band portions B1 and B2 adjacent to the edge portions C1 and C2) to further improve the moisture resistance reliability and high temperature reliability of the multilayer electronic component 100.

[0085] The thickness of the second external electrode layers 132 and 142 is not particularly limited. In order to ensure sufficient moisture resistance reliability and high temperature reliability, the maximum thickness of the second external electrode layers 132 and 142 may be greater than or equal to 1 μm, for example, the thickness of the second external electrode layers 132 and 142 at the thickest position is greater than or equal to 1 μm, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto.

[0086] The method of forming the first external electrode layers 131 and 141 and the second external electrode layers 132 and 142 is not particularly limited. For example, the first external electrode layers 131 and 141 may be formed by transferring a sheet including a conductive metal and a first glass onto the body. Likewise, the second external electrode layers 132 and 142 may be formed by masking a region other than where the second external electrode layers are to be formed and transferring a sheet including a conductive metal and a second glass onto the exposed portions of the first external electrode layers 131 and 141.

[0087] The external electrodes 130 and 140 may further include plating layers 133 and 134 disposed on the first and second external electrode layers 131 and 132 and plating layers 143 and 144 disposed on the first and second external electrode layers 141 and 142 .

[0088] The type of the plating layers 133 , 143 , 134 , and 144 is not particularly limited, and may be a plating layer including one or more selected from the group consisting of Ni, Sn, Pd, and alloys thereof, and may be formed in a multilayer.

[0089] Reference Figure 2 The plating layers may include first plating layers 133 and 143 and second plating layers 134 and 144 disposed on the first plating layers 133 and 143 , respectively.

[0090] The first plating layers 133 and 143 may be used to improve the sealing characteristics and increase the mechanical strength of the external electrodes. To this end, the first plating layers 133 and 143 may be plating layers including one or more selected from the group consisting of Ni, Pd, and alloys thereof. The second plating layers 134 and 144 may be the outermost layers of the external electrodes 130 and 140, and may be Sn plating layers for improving packaging characteristics.

[0091] In some embodiments, the first plating layer 133 may simultaneously cover the portion of the first external electrode layer 131 not covered by the second external electrode layer 132 and the second external electrode layer 132, and the first plating layer 143 may simultaneously cover the portion of the first external electrode layer 141 not covered by the second external electrode layer 142 and the second external electrode layer 142. Therefore, the sealing characteristics of the multilayer electronic component 100 may be further improved.

[0092] The size of the multilayer electronic component 100 does not need to be particularly limited.

[0093] For example, in order to achieve both miniaturization and high capacitance, the multilayer electronic component 100 may have a size of 0201 (length×width, 0.2 mm×0.1 mm) or larger, and a product for which reliability under high temperature and high pressure environments is important may have a size of 3216 (length×width, 3.2 mm×1.6 mm) or larger, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto.

[0094] In this case, the length of the multilayer electronic component 100 may refer to the maximum dimension of the multilayer electronic component 100 in the second direction, the thickness of the multilayer electronic component 100 may refer to the maximum dimension of the multilayer electronic component 100 in the first direction, and the width of the multilayer electronic component 100 may refer to the maximum dimension of the multilayer electronic component 100 in the third direction.

[0095] Reference Figure 3 According to some embodiments, the external electrodes 130' and 140' of the multilayer electronic component 100' may include first external electrode layers 131' and 141' connected to the internal electrodes 121 and 122, respectively, and including a first glass, and second external electrode layers 132' and 142' respectively disposed on regions of the first external electrode layers 131' and 141' located at edge portions C1 and C2 and including a second glass, wherein the second glass may include Fe and the first glass may not include Fe.

[0096] In addition, the external electrodes 130' and 140' of the multilayer electronic component 100' according to some embodiments may further include conductive resin layers 135' and 145', respectively, which cover the areas of the first external electrode layers 131' and 141' that are not covered by the second external electrode layers 132' and 142'. Therefore, the bending strength of the multilayer electronic component 100' may be improved.

[0097] The conductive resin layers 135' and 145' may include a conductive filler and a resin. The conductive filler may include one or more selected from the group consisting of Cu, Ni, Ag, Sn and Cr, and the conductive filler may be present in the resin of the conductive resin layers 135' and 145' in a dispersed form. The resin may include a resin having strong heat resistance. For example, one or more selected from the group consisting of a phenolic resin, a urea resin, a diallyl phthalate resin, a melanin resin, a guanamine resin, an unsaturated polyester resin, a polyurethane resin, an epoxy resin, an acrylic resin, an ethyl cellulose resin, an aminoalkyl resin, a melamine-urea co-condensation resin, a silicone resin and a polysiloxane resin, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto.

[0098] Since the hardness of the conductive resin layers 135' and 145' is weaker than that of the electrode layer including glass, plating defects may occur due to stress generated during the plating process. In addition, since the conductive filler is present in the resin in a dispersed form, the conductive resin layers 135' and 145' may have a problem of difficulty in reducing ESR compared to the electrode layer.

[0099] Accordingly, in some embodiments, the conductive resin layers 135' and 145' may be arranged to cover a portion of the second outer electrode layers 132' and 142' so that the second outer electrode layer 132' is directly connected to the first plating layer 133' and the second outer electrode layer 142' is directly connected to the first plating layer 143'. Accordingly, the plating properties and ESR characteristics of the multilayer electronic component 100' can be improved.

[0100] Specifically, referring to Figure 3 , the outer electrodes 130' and 140' may further include first plating layers 133' and 143', the first plating layers 133' and 143' are disposed on the portions of the second outer electrode layers 132' and 142' not covered by the conductive resin layers 135' and 145' and on the conductive resin layers 135' and 145', and a portion of the first plating layers 133' and 143' may be in contact with the portions of the second outer electrode layers 132' and 142' not covered by the conductive resin layers 135' and 145'. Accordingly, the plating properties and ESR characteristics of the multilayer electronic component 100' can be improved.

[0101] Second plating layers 134' and 144' may be provided on the first plating layers 133' and 143', and in this case, since the components of the first plating layers 133' and 143' and the components of the second plating layers 134' and 144 may be the same as the components of the first plating layers 133 and 143 and the second plating layers 134 and 144 as described above, the repeated description thereof will be omitted.

[0102] (Experimental Example) Table 1 below illustrates the number of defective samples by evaluating the high-temperature reliability and moisture resistance reliability of Comparative Example 1 and Inventive Example 1.

[0103] Comparative Example 1 is a case where the second outer electrode layer is not formed and Fe is not detected in the entire region of the outer electrode. Inventive Example 1 is a case including a first outer electrode layer and a second outer electrode layer as in some embodiments of the present disclosure, the glass of the second outer electrode layer includes Fe, and the glass of the first outer electrode layer does not include Fe.

[0104] For the high-temperature reliability, evaluation was carried out for 12 hours under the conditions of 105 °C and 1 Vr, and for the moisture resistance reliability, evaluation was carried out for 12 hours under the conditions of 85 °C, 85 RH% (relative humidity), and 0.6 Vr, and the number of samples to be evaluated was 400. Samples in which the resistance value measured at the end of the evaluation decreased by 10 3 Ω or more were determined to be NG (i.e., defective).

[0105] [Table 1]

[0106] Referring to Table 1, it can be seen that the high temperature reliability and the moisture resistance reliability of Inventive Example 1 are superior to those of Comparative Example 1.

[0107] Therefore, in Invention Example 1 including a first external electrode layer and a second external electrode layer, the glass of the second external electrode layer including Fe and the glass of the first external electrode layer not including Fe as in some embodiments of the present disclosure, it can be seen that high temperature reliability and moisture resistance reliability are improved.

[0108] The numbers of samples in which plating layer fracture defects occurred in Comparative Example 2 and Inventive Example 2 are listed in Table 2 below.

[0109] Comparative Example 2 is a case where the second external electrode layer is not formed and Fe is not detected in the entire region of the external electrode. Inventive Example 2 is a case where the first external electrode layer and the second external electrode layer are included as in some embodiments of the present disclosure, the glass of the second external electrode layer includes Fe, and the glass of the first external electrode layer does not include Fe. Both Comparative Example 2 and Inventive Example 2 include a Ni plating layer and a Sn plating layer provided on the Ni plating layer.

[0110] The surfaces of the bodies from which the Sn plating was peeled off in the first direction and the third direction of the 30 samples of Inventive Example 2 and the 30 samples of Comparative Example 2 were observed, and the number of plating fractures occurring at the points (triple points) where the three surfaces of the body intersected was confirmed. Since there were four triple points for each sample, the following Table 2 shows the number of plating fractures occurring based on 120 triple points (30 samples).

[0111] [Table 2]

[0112] Referring to Table 2, it can be seen that Comparative Example 2 has more plating fracture defects than Inventive Example 2. In Comparative Example 2, the second external electrode layer as in the present disclosure is not formed, and as a result, the electrode layer of the external electrode is not formed with sufficient thickness at the triple point, resulting in plating peeling or fracture. Inventive Example 2 is a case where the first external electrode layer and the second external electrode layer are included, the glass of the second external electrode layer includes Fe, and the glass of the first external electrode layer does not include Fe as in some embodiments of the present disclosure, and it is expected that the thickness of the portion of the electrode layer at the edge portion is sufficiently ensured to be thick and the glass includes Fe to improve the plating performance by preventing corrosion of the plating solution.

[0113] Table 3 below compares the capacitance characteristics, contact performance, and ESR characteristics of Comparative Example 3 and Inventive Example 3.

[0114] Comparative Example 3 is a case where the glass containing Fe is uniformly distributed in the electrode layer and Fe is detected even in the central portion of the electrode layer in the thickness direction. Inventive Example 3 is a case where the first outer electrode layer and the second outer electrode layer are included as in some embodiments of the present disclosure, the glass of the second outer electrode layer includes Fe and Fe is not detected in the central portion of the first outer electrode layer in the thickness direction.

[0115] The capacitance measurement may be the result of heat treatment under the conditions of 150° C., 1Hr treatment and 2Hr aging. (n=50) When the capacitance percentage does not fall within the 10% deviation in consideration of aging, the capacitance is judged as NG.

[0116] In the contact performance, when the percentage relative to the reference capacitance is 70% or less, it is judged to be present, and when the percentage is less than 70%, it is judged to be defective. In the ESR characteristics, 100 samples are mounted on a dedicated board and measured at 1MHz.

[0117] [Table 3]

[0118] Referring to Table 3, it can be seen that, compared with Comparative Example 3, Inventive Example 3 has a smaller number of capacitance NGs and a smaller number of contact defects, and the ESR characteristics of Inventive Example 3 are superior to those of Comparative Example 3.

[0119] It is expected that in Comparative Example 3 where Fe exists in the central portion of the electrode layer in the thickness direction, the connection between the internal electrode and the electrode layer is broken, causing a decrease in capacitance and poor contact, and deteriorating the ESR characteristics.

[0120] Table 4 below illustrates a comparison of plating fracture defects and ESR characteristics of Comparative Example 4 and Inventive Example 4.

[0121] Inventive Example 4 is a case where a first external electrode layer and a second external electrode layer are included as in some embodiments of the present disclosure, and a conductive resin layer, a Ni plating layer, and a Sn plating layer are sequentially arranged on the second external electrode layer and the first external electrode layer, and the conductive resin layer covers a portion of the second external electrode layer so that another portion of the second external electrode layer is in direct contact with a portion of the Ni plating layer. Comparative Example 4 is a case where a first external electrode layer and a second external electrode layer are included, and a conductive resin layer, a Ni plating layer, and a Sn plating layer are sequentially arranged on the second external electrode layer and the first external electrode layer, and the conductive resin layer completely covers the second external electrode layer.

[0122] The surfaces of the main body from which the Sn plating was peeled off in the first direction and the third direction were observed for 30 samples of Inventive Example 4 and 30 samples of Comparative Example 4, and the number of plating fractures occurring at points (triple points) where three surfaces of the main body intersect was confirmed. Since there are four triple points for each sample, the number of plating fractures occurring based on 120 triple points (30 samples) is shown in Table 4 below.

[0123] In ESR, 30 samples were mounted on a dedicated board and measured at 1 MHz.

[0124] [Table 4]

[0125] Referring to Table 4, it can be seen that, in Inventive Example 4, a smaller number of plating breakage defects occurred than in Comparative Example 4, and the ESR characteristics were also excellent.

[0126] It is expected that in Inventive Example 4, the second external electrode layer is not completely covered with the conductive resin layer but a portion thereof is exposed and in direct contact with the Ni plating layer to prevent plating cracks due to glass corrosion and improve ESR characteristics.

[0127] The present disclosure is not limited by the above-mentioned embodiments and drawings, but is intended to be limited by the appended claims. Therefore, within the scope of the technical spirit of the present disclosure described in the claims, those skilled in the art will be able to make various forms of replacement, modification and change, and this will also be considered to fall within the scope of the present disclosure.

[0128] In addition, the expressions "embodiment" or "some embodiments" used in this specification do not mean the same embodiment, and may be provided to emphasize and describe different unique features. However, the embodiments presented above may not exclude implementation in combination with features of another embodiment. For example, unless otherwise described or contradictory to another embodiment, even if the description in a specific embodiment is not described in another embodiment, it may also be understood as an explanation related to another embodiment.

[0129] The terms used in the present disclosure are only used to illustrate various examples and are not intended to limit the inventive concept. Unless the context clearly dictates otherwise, a singular expression includes a plural expression.

[0130] One of the many effects of the present disclosure is to provide a multilayer electronic component having excellent moisture resistance reliability and high temperature reliability.

[0131] One of the many effects of the present disclosure is to provide a multilayer electronic component that suppresses an increase in equivalent series resistance (ESR).

[0132] However, various advantages and effects of the present disclosure are not limited to the above contents and can be more easily understood in the process of explaining specific embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0133] While example embodiments have been shown and described above, it will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art that modifications and variations may be made without departing from the scope of the present disclosure as defined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A multilayer electronic component comprising: a body, comprising a dielectric layer and first and second inner electrodes alternately arranged in a first direction, wherein the dielectric layer is interposed between the first and second inner electrodes, and comprises 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 and second surfaces and opposite to each other in the second direction, and a fifth surface and a sixth surface connected to the first to fourth surfaces and opposite to each other in the third direction; as well as an external electrode, comprising a band portion disposed on the first surface and the second surface and / or the fifth surface and the sixth surface, a connecting portion disposed on the third surface and the fourth surface, and an edge portion connecting the band portion and the connecting portion and disposed at an edge of the body connecting the third surface with the first surface and the second surface and connecting the fourth surface with the first surface and the second surface and / or connecting the third surface with the fifth surface and the sixth surface and connecting the fourth surface with the fifth surface and the sixth surface, wherein the external electrode comprises a first external electrode layer and a second external electrode layer, the first external electrode layer being connected to the first internal electrode and the second internal electrode respectively and comprising a first glass, the second external electrode layer being disposed on a region of the first external electrode layer located at the edge portion and comprising a second glass, and The second glass includes Fe, and the first glass does not include Fe.

2. The multilayer electronic component of claim 1, wherein: The thickness of at least one of the first external electrode layers at the edge portion is smaller than the thickness of the corresponding first external electrode layer in the first external electrode layers at the connection portion and the thickness of the corresponding first external electrode layer in the first external electrode layers at the band portion.

3. The multilayer electronic component of claim 1, wherein: The second external electrode layer is also provided on a portion of a region of the first external electrode layer at the connection portion or a portion of a region of the first external electrode layer at the band portion.

4. The multilayer electronic component of claim 1, wherein: The first glass includes one or more selected from the group consisting of Ba, Zn, B, Si, and Al, and the second glass further includes one or more selected from the group consisting of Ba, Zn, B, Si, and Al.

5. The multilayer electronic component of claim 1, wherein: At least one of the second external electrode layers has a thickness greater than or equal to 1 μm at a location where the thickness is the thickest.

6. The multilayer electronic component of claim 1, wherein: The external electrode further includes a first plating layer and a second plating layer, wherein the first plating layer is disposed on the second external electrode layer, and the second plating layer is disposed on the first plating layer.

7. The multilayer electronic component of claim 6, wherein: The first plating layer also covers a portion of the first external electrode layer that is not covered by the second external electrode layer.

8. The multilayer electronic component of claim 1, wherein: The external electrode further includes a conductive resin layer covering a portion of the first external electrode layer that is not covered by the second external electrode layer.

9. The multilayer electronic component of claim 8, wherein: The conductive resin layer covers a portion of the second external electrode layer.

10. The multilayer electronic component of claim 9, wherein: The external electrode further includes a first plating layer disposed on the conductive resin layer, A portion of the first plating layer is in contact with a portion of the second external electrode layer that is not covered by the conductive resin layer.

11. The multilayer electronic component of claim 10, wherein: The external electrode further includes a second plating layer disposed on the first plating layer.

12. The multilayer electronic component of claim 8, wherein: The conductive resin layer includes a conductive filler and a resin.

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