Multilayer electronic component

Abstract

The present disclosure provides a multilayer electronic component. The multilayer electronic component includes: a body including a dielectric layer and an internal electrode; and an external electrode disposed on the body, in which the dielectric layer includes a second phase including Si when an average thickness of the dielectric layer is defined as td [mu] m, and the second phase includes five or more first second phases within a td [mu] m * td [mu] m region, and each of the five or more first and second phases includes Si and has a cross-sectional area of 0.01 [mu] m2 or more.

Description

[0001] This application claims the benefit of priority to Korean Patent Application No. 10-2023-0185093, filed with the Korean Intellectual Property Office on December 18, 2023, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. Technical Field

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

[0003] A multi-layer ceramic capacitor (MLCC), which is a multi-layer electronic component, may be a chip capacitor that is mounted on a printed circuit board of various electronic products, including image display devices such as liquid crystal displays (LCDs) and plasma display panels (PDPs), computers, smartphones, mobile phones, etc., to charge or discharge therefrom.

[0004] Since multi-layer ceramic capacitors may have a small size and a high capacitance and may be easily mounted, such multi-layer ceramic capacitors can be used as components of various electronic devices. As various electronic devices such as computers and mobile devices have been designed to have a smaller size and a higher output, the demand for miniaturization and increased capacitance of multi-layer ceramic capacitors has increased.

[0005] As the markets for MLCCs for IT and MLCCs for automobiles have expanded, the demand for products having a high rated voltage and excellent reliability within the same capacitance range has increased. Generally, as the grain size decreases and the grain boundaries increase, the reliability of the dielectric can increase. Among the elements added to the MLCC dielectric composition, the effects of transition metal elements (such as fixed-valence acceptor elements and variable-valence acceptor elements) and rare earth elements on reliability are known. Generally, conditions with good reliability can be selected by optimizing the component ratios of the elements added to the dielectric composition including the above elements. For more than 30 years since the industrialization of base metal electrode (BME) MLCCs, the optimization of the component ratios has been continuously carried out to improve reliability, and this has been mentioned in patents. Recently, it has been reported that even with the same dielectric composition, significant differences in reliability may exist depending on the microstructure, the distribution and solid solution degree of the added elements, and the process conditions, and thus, related research is being actively conducted. Summary of the Invention

[0006] An embodiment of the present disclosure is to provide a multi-layer electronic component having improved reliability.

[0007] An embodiment of the present disclosure is to provide a multi-layer electronic component satisfying X7R properties or X7S properties.

[0008] Embodiments of the present disclosure are directed to a multi-layer electronic component having improved accelerated life at high temperature and high pressure.

[0009] Embodiments of the present disclosure are directed to a multi-layer electronic component having increased capacitance.

[0010] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, a multi-layer electronic component includes: a body including a dielectric layer and internal electrodes; and external electrodes disposed on the body, wherein when the average thickness of the dielectric layer is defined as td μm, the dielectric layer includes a second phase containing Si, and in a td μm × td μm region, the second phase includes five or more first second phases, and each of the five or more first second phases includes Si and has a cross-sectional area of 0.01 μm 2 or greater. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0011] The above and other aspects, features, and advantages of the present disclosure will be more clearly understood from the following detailed description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a perspective view showing a multi-layer electronic component according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; Figure 2 is an exploded perspective view showing a stacked structure of internal electrodes according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; Figure 3 is along Figure 1 a cross-sectional view taken along line I-I' in; Figure 4 is along Figure 1 a cross-sectional view taken along line II-II' in; Figure 5 is showing Figure 3 an enlarged view of region P in; Figure 6 is showing Figure 5 an enlarged view of region PM in; Figure 7 is a diagram showing a core-shell dielectric grain according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; and Figure 8 is an image of a cross-section of a capacitance forming portion according to an embodiment of the present disclosure using TEM and mapped to Si by EDS mode. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0012] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0013] These embodiments are described in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the present invention. It should be understood that the various embodiments of the present invention, although different, are not necessarily mutually exclusive. For example, without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure, the structures, shapes, and dimensions described as examples in the embodiments in the present disclosure can be implemented in another embodiment. In addition, without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure, the position or arrangement of the elements in the embodiments can be modified. Therefore, the following detailed description should not be construed as limiting, and the scope of the present disclosure is defined only by the properly construed claims and the full scope of equivalents of the claims.

[0014] In the drawings, the same elements will be denoted by the same reference numerals. In addition, redundant descriptions and detailed descriptions of known functions and elements that may unnecessarily obscure the gist of the present disclosure will be omitted. In the drawings, some elements may be exaggerated, omitted, or shown briefly, and the dimensions of the elements do not necessarily reflect the actual dimensions of these elements. The terms "comprising", "including", "configured to", etc. in the specification are used to indicate the presence of features, quantities, steps, operations, elements, parts, or combinations thereof, and do not exclude the possibility of combining or adding one or more features, quantities, steps, operations, elements, parts, or combinations thereof.

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

[0016] Multi-layer electronic component Figure 1 is a perspective view showing a multilayer electronic component according to an embodiment.

[0017] Figure 2 is an exploded perspective view showing the stacked structure of the internal electrodes according to an embodiment.

[0018] Figure 3 is along Figure 1 in the line I-I' of

[0019] Figure 4 is along Figure 1 in the line II-II' of

[0020] Figure 5 is showing Figure 3 an enlarged view of the region P in

[0021] Figure 6 is showing Figure 5 an enlarged view of the region PM in

[0022] Figure 7It is a diagram showing a core-shell dielectric grain according to an embodiment.

[0023] Hereinafter, reference will be made to Figures 1 to 7 A multilayer electronic component according to an embodiment will be described in more detail. A multilayer ceramic capacitor will be described as an example of the multilayer electronic component, but the embodiments are not limited thereto, and the description of the multilayer ceramic capacitor can be applied to various multilayer electronic components such as inductors, piezoelectric elements, varistors, or thermistors.

[0024] The multilayer electronic component 100 according to an embodiment may include: a main body 110 including a dielectric layer 111 and inner electrodes 121 and 122; and outer electrodes 131 and 132 provided on the main body 110, wherein when the average thickness of the dielectric layer 111 is defined as td μm, in the td μm × td μm region, the dielectric layer 111 may include five or more second phases having a cross-sectional area of 0.01 μm 2 or more and containing Si.

[0025] In the main body 110, the dielectric layer 111 and the inner electrodes 121 and 122 may be alternately laminated.

[0026] More specifically, the main body 110 may include a capacitance forming portion Ac provided in the main body 110 and forming a capacitance by including a first inner electrode 121 and a second inner electrode 122 that are alternately arranged to face each other with the dielectric layer 111 interposed therebetween.

[0027] The shape of the main body 110 is not limited to any specific shape, but as Figure 1 shown, the main body 110 may have a hexahedral shape or a shape similar to a hexahedral shape. Due to the shrinkage of the ceramic powder included in the main body 110 during the firing process, the main body 110 may not have an exact hexahedral shape formed by straight lines, but may generally have a hexahedral shape.

[0028] The main body 110 may have a first surface 1 and a second surface 2 that are opposite to 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 are opposite to 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 are opposite to each other in a third direction.

[0029] The plurality of dielectric layers 111 forming the main body 110 may be in a sintered state, and adjacent dielectric layers 111 may be integrated with each other such that it is difficult to identify the boundary between them without using a scanning electron microscope (SEM).

[0030] The raw material for forming the dielectric layer 111 is not limited as long as sufficient capacitance can be obtained therefrom. Generally, perovskite (ABO3) 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 BaTiO3-based ceramic particles, and examples of the BaTiO3-based ceramic particles may include BaTiO3, (Ba 1-x Ca x )TiO3 (0 < x < 1), Ba(Ti 1-y Ca y )O3 (0 < y < 1), (Ba 1-x Ca x )(Ti 1-y Zr y )O3 (0 < x < 1, 0 < y < 1) or Ba(Ti 1-y Zr y )O3 (0 < y < 1).

[0031] In addition, as the raw material for forming the dielectric layer 111, various ceramic additives, organic solvents, binders, and dispersants can be added to particles such as barium titanate (BaTiO3) according to the purpose of the embodiment.

[0032] Since the dielectric layer 111 can be formed of a dielectric material such as barium titanate (BaTiO3), the dielectric layer 111 may include a dielectric microstructure after firing. The dielectric microstructure may include a plurality of grains, grain boundaries disposed between adjacent grains, and triple points in the grain boundaries where three or more of them are in contact with each other, and the dielectric microstructure may include a plurality of triple points.

[0033] In addition, at least one of the plurality of grains may include a core-shell dielectric grain 10 having a structure including a core 11 and a shell 12 surrounding at least a part of the core 11, and the plurality of grains may further include dielectric grains without a core-shell structure, but the embodiments are not limited thereto.

[0034] The thickness td of the dielectric layer 111 is not limited to any specific example.

[0035] To ensure the reliability of the multilayer electronic component 100 in a high-voltage environment, the thickness of the dielectric layer 111 may be 10.0 μm or less. In addition, to achieve miniaturization and high capacitance of the multilayer electronic component 100, the thickness of the dielectric layer 111 may be 3.0 μm or less. To easily achieve ultra-miniaturization and high capacitance, the thickness of the dielectric layer 111 may be 1.0 μm or less, preferably 0.6 μm or less, and more preferably 0.4 μm or less.

[0036] Here, the thickness td of the dielectric layer 111 may refer to the thickness td of at least one of the plurality of dielectric layers 111.

[0037] The thickness td of the dielectric layer 111 may refer to the dimension of the dielectric layer 111 in the first direction. Additionally, 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 dimension of the dielectric layer 111 in the first direction can be measured by scanning cross-sections of the main body 110 in the first and second directions at a magnification of 10,000 using a scanning electron microscope (SEM). More specifically, the average dimension of the dielectric layer 111 in the first direction can be obtained by measuring the dimension of the dielectric layer 111 in the first direction at 10 points equally spaced along the second direction in the scanned image and calculating the average value. The 10 equally spaced points can be specified in the capacitance forming portion Ac. Additionally, by extending the measurement of the thickness to 10 dielectric layers 111, the average dimension of the dielectric layer 111 in the first direction can be made more general. Other methods and / or tools understood by those of ordinary skill in the art can also be used even if not described in the present disclosure.

[0039] The inner electrodes 121 and 122 may be alternately laminated with the dielectric layer 111.

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

[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 main 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 main body 110 and may be connected to the second inner electrode 122.

[0042] That is, the first inner electrode 121 may not be connected to the second outer electrode 132 and may be connected to the first outer electrode 131, and the second inner electrode 122 may not be connected to the first outer electrode 131 and may be connected to the second outer electrode 132. In this case, the first inner electrode 121 and the second inner electrode 122 may be electrically separated from each other by the dielectric layer 111 disposed therebetween.

[0043] The main body 110 can be formed by alternately laminating a green ceramic sheet printed with a conductive paste for the first internal electrode 121 and a green ceramic sheet printed with a conductive paste for the second internal electrode 122 and firing the laminate.

[0044] The materials for forming the internal electrodes 121 and 122 are not limited to any specific examples, and materials with excellent conductivity can be used. For example, the internal electrodes 121 and 122 can include one or more of nickel (Ni), copper (Cu), palladium (Pd), silver (Ag), gold (Au), platinum (Pt), tin (Sn), tungsten (W), titanium (Ti), and their alloys.

[0045] In addition, the internal electrodes 121 and 122 can be formed by printing a conductive paste for the internal electrodes, which includes one or more of nickel (Ni), copper (Cu), palladium (Pd), silver (Ag), gold (Au), platinum (Pt), tin (Sn), tungsten (W), titanium (Ti), and their alloys, on the green ceramic sheet. The screen printing method or the gravure printing method can be used as the method for printing the conductive paste for the internal electrodes, but the embodiments are not limited thereto.

[0046] The thickness te of the internal electrodes 121 and 122 is not limited to any specific example.

[0047] To ensure the reliability of the multilayer electronic component 100 in a high-voltage environment, the thickness te of the internal electrodes 121 and 122 can be 3.0 μm or less. In addition, to achieve miniaturization and high capacitance of the multilayer electronic component 100, the thickness of the internal electrodes 121 and 122 can be 1.0 μm or less. To easily achieve ultra-miniaturization and high capacitance, the thickness of the internal electrodes 121 and 122 can be 0.6 μm or less, and more preferably 0.4 μm or less.

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

[0049] The average size of the inner electrodes 121 and 122 in the first direction can be measured by scanning the cross-sections of the main body 110 in the first and third directions at a magnification of 10,000 using a scanning electron microscope (SEM). More specifically, the average size of the inner electrodes 121 and 122 in the first direction can be obtained by measuring the size of the inner electrodes in the first direction at 10 points spaced equidistantly along the third direction in the scanned image and calculating the average value. The 10 points spaced equidistantly can be specified in the capacitance forming portion Ac. In addition, by extending the measurement of the thickness to 10 inner electrodes, the average size of the inner electrodes 121 and 122 can be made more general.

[0050] In an embodiment, the average thickness td of at least one of the plurality of dielectric layers 111 and the average thickness te of at least one of the plurality of inner electrodes 121 and 122 may satisfy 2×te < td.

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

[0052] Generally, due to the reduction of the breakdown voltage (BDV) in a high-voltage environment, high-voltage electronic components may have problems in terms of reliability.

[0053] Therefore, in order to prevent the reduction of the breakdown voltage in a high-voltage environment, by constructing the average thickness td of the dielectric layer 111 to be greater than twice the average thickness te of the inner electrodes 121 and 122, the thickness of the dielectric layer (the distance between the inner electrodes) can be increased, and the breakdown voltage property can be improved.

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

[0055] The main body 110 may include covering portions 112 and 113 provided on two surfaces of the capacitance forming portion Ac in the first direction.

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

[0057] The upper covering portion 112 and the lower covering portion 113 may be formed by laminating a single dielectric layer 111 or two or more dielectric layers 111 on the upper surface and the lower surface of the capacitance forming portion Ac in the first direction, and may prevent damage to the inner electrodes 121 and 122 due to physical stress and / or chemical stress.

[0058] The upper covering portion 112 and the lower covering portion 113 do not include the inner electrodes 121 and 122, and may include the same material as the dielectric layer 111. That is, the upper covering portion 112 and the lower covering portion 113 may include a ceramic material, for example, a barium titanate (BaTiO3)-based ceramic material.

[0059] The thickness tc of the covering portions 112 and 113 may not be limited to any specific example.

[0060] However, in order to easily achieve miniaturization and high capacitance of the multilayer electronic component, the thickness tc of the covering portions 112 and 113 may be 100 μm or less, preferably 30 μm or less. More preferably, in the case of a super-small product, the thickness may be 20 μm or less.

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

[0062] The average dimension of the covering portions 112 and 113 may be measured by scanning a cross-section of the main body 110 in the first direction and the third direction at a magnification of 10,000 using a scanning electron microscope (SEM). More specifically, the average dimension of the covering portion may be obtained by measuring the dimension of the covering portion in the first direction at 10 points equally spaced along the third direction in the scanned image and calculating the average value thereof.

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

[0064] The multilayer electronic component 100 may include side edge portions 114 and 115 provided on two surfaces of the capacitance forming portion Ac in the third direction.

[0065] More specifically, the side edge portions 114 and 115 may include a first side edge portion 114 provided on one surface of the capacitance forming portion Ac in the third direction and a second side edge portion 115 provided on the other surface of the capacitance forming portion Ac in the third direction.

[0066] As Figure 4 shown, the side edge portions 114 and 115 may refer to: a region between the two ends of the first inner electrode 121 and the second inner electrode 122 in the third direction and the outer surface of the main body 110 with respect to the cross-section of the main body 110 in the first direction and the third direction.

[0067] In order to prevent the step difference caused by the inner electrodes 121 and 122, the side edge portions 114 and 115 may be formed by: coating a conductive paste on a region of the green sheet ceramic except for the region where the side edge portions 114 and 115 are to be formed to form the inner electrodes 121 and 122, laminating the green sheet ceramics with the conductive paste coated thereon to form a laminate, cutting the laminate to expose the inner electrodes 121 and 122 to the two surfaces of the capacitance forming portion Ac in the third direction, and laminating a single dielectric layer 111 or two or more dielectric layers 111 in the third direction on the two surfaces of the capacitance forming portion Ac.

[0068] The side edge portions 114 and 115 may prevent damage to the inner electrodes 121 and 122 caused by physical stress and / or chemical stress.

[0069] The first side edge portion 114 and the second side edge portion 115 do not include the inner electrodes 121 and 122, and may include the same material as that of the dielectric layer 111. That is, the first side edge portion 114 and the second side edge portion 115 may include a ceramic material, for example, a barium titanate (BaTiO3)-based ceramic material.

[0070] The width wm of the first side edge portion 114 and the second side edge portion 115 may not be limited to any specific example.

[0071] However, in order to easily achieve miniaturization and high capacitance of the multilayer electronic component 100, the widths wm of the side edge portions 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 widths wm of the side edge portions 114 and 115 may refer to the dimensions of each of the side edge portions 114 and 115 in the third direction. In addition, the widths wm of the side edge portions 114 and 115 may refer to the average widths wm of the side edge portions 114 and 115, and the average dimensions of the side edge portions 114 and 115 in the third direction.

[0073] The average dimensions of the side edge portions 114 and 115 in the third direction can be measured by scanning a cross-section of the main body 110 in the first and third directions at a magnification of 10,000 using a scanning electron microscope (SEM). More specifically, the average dimensions of the side edge portions in the third direction can be obtained by measuring the dimensions of the side edge portions in the third direction at 10 points equally spaced along the first direction in the scanned image and calculating their average value.

[0074] In an embodiment, the multilayer electronic component 100 may have two external electrodes 131 and 132, but the number or shape of the external electrodes may vary according to the form of the internal electrodes or other purposes.

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

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

[0077] In addition, the outer electrodes 131 and 132 may extend and be disposed on a part of the first surface 1 and a part of the second surface 2 of the main body 110, or may extend and be disposed on a part of the fifth surface 5 and a part of the sixth surface 6 of the main body 110. That is, the first outer electrode 131 may be disposed on a part of the first surface 1, a part of the second surface 2, a part of the fifth surface 5, a part of the sixth surface 6, and the third surface 3 of the main body 110, and the second outer electrode 132 may be disposed on a part of the first surface 1, a part of the second surface 2, a part of the fifth surface 5, a part of the sixth surface 6, and the fourth surface 4 of the main body 110.

[0078] The outer electrodes 131 and 132 may be formed of any conductive material, such as a metal, and a specific material may be determined in consideration of electrical properties and structural stability, and the outer electrodes 131 and 132 may have a multilayer structure.

[0079] For example, the outer electrodes 131 and 132 may include an electrode layer disposed on the main body 110 and a plating layer disposed on the electrode layer.

[0080] For a more specific example of the electrode layer, the electrode layer may include first electrode layers 131a and 132a and / or second electrode layers 131b and 132b. The first electrode layers 131a and 132a may be fired electrodes including a first conductive metal and glass, and the second electrode layers 131b and 132b may be resin-based electrodes including a second conductive metal and resin.

[0081] Here, the conductive metal included in the first electrode layers 131a and 132a may be referred to as the first conductive metal, and the conductive metal included in the second electrode layers 131b and 132b may be referred to as the second conductive metal. In this case, the first conductive metal and the second conductive metal may be the same as or different from each other. For example, when the first conductive metal and the second conductive metal each include a plurality of conductive metals, only a part of the first conductive metal and the second conductive metal is the same conductive metal, but the embodiments are not limited thereto.

[0082] In addition, the electrode layers 131a and 132a, 131b and 132b may be formed by sequentially forming a fired electrode and a resin-based electrode on the main body 110.

[0083] In addition, the electrode layers 131a and 132a, 131b and 132b may be formed by transferring a sheet including a conductive metal onto the main body, or may be formed by transferring a sheet including a conductive metal onto the fired electrode.

[0084] Materials with excellent electrical conductivity can be used as the conductive metals included in electrode layers 131a and 132a, 131b and 132b. For example, the conductive metal may include one or more selected from the group consisting of nickel (Ni), copper (Cu), palladium (Pd), silver (Ag), gold (Au), platinum (Pt), tin (Sn), tungsten (W), titanium (Ti), and their alloys, but the embodiments are not limited thereto.

[0085] In an embodiment, electrode layers 131a and 132a, 131b and 132b may have a bilayer structure including a first electrode layer 131a and 132a and a second electrode layer 131b and 132b. Thus, outer electrodes 131 and 132 may include the first electrode layer 131a and 132a and the second electrode layer 131b and 132b. The first electrode layer 131a and 132a includes a first conductive metal and glass, and the second electrode layer 131b and 132b is disposed on the first electrode layer 131a and 132a and includes a second conductive metal and resin.

[0086] The first electrode layer 131a and 132a can improve the adhesion to the main body 110 by including glass, and the second electrode layer 131b and 132b can improve the warpage strength by including resin.

[0087] The first conductive metal included in the first electrode layer 131a and 132a is not limited to any specific example as long as the material can be electrically connected to the inner electrodes 121 and 122 to form a capacitor. For example, 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 their alloys.

[0088] The first electrode layer 131a and 132a can be formed by coating a conductive paste and firing the conductive paste, and the conductive paste is prepared by adding a glass frit to the first conductive metal particles.

[0089] The second conductive metal included in the second electrode layer 131b and 132b can electrically connect the second electrode layer 131b and 132b to the first electrode layer 131a and 132a.

[0090] The conductive metal included in the second electrode layer 131b and 132b is not limited to any specific example as long as the material can be electrically connected to the electrode layers 131a and 132a, and 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 their alloys.

[0091] The second conductive metal included in the second electrode layers 131b and 132b may include one or more of spherical particles and flake-shaped particles. In other words, the conductive metal may include only flake-shaped particles, only spherical particles, or may be a mixture of flake-shaped particles and spherical particles. Here, the spherical particles may include shapes that are not completely spherical, for example, shapes having a length ratio (major axis / minor axis) between the major axis and the minor axis of 1.45 or greater. The flake-shaped particles may refer to particles having a flat and elongated shape and are not limited to any specific example. For example, the length ratio (major axis / minor axis) of the major axis to the minor axis may be 1.95 or greater. The lengths of the major axis and the minor axis of the spherical particles and the flake-shaped particles may be measured from an image obtained by scanning a cross-section in the first direction and the second direction of the central portion in the third direction of the multilayer electronic component using a scanning electron microscope (SEM).

[0092] The resin included in the second electrode layers 131b and 132b may ensure adhesiveness and may absorb shock. The resin included in the second electrode layers 131b and 132b is not limited to any specific example as long as the resin has adhesiveness and shock absorption properties and can be mixed with the second conductive metal particles to prepare a conductive paste. For example, the resin included in the second electrode layers 131b and 132b may include an epoxy resin.

[0093] In addition, the second electrode layers 131b and 132b may include a plurality of metal particles, intermetallic compounds, and a resin. By including intermetallic compounds, the electrical connectivity with the first electrode layers 131a and 132a can be improved. The intermetallic compounds can improve the electrical connectivity by connecting the plurality of metal particles to each other and can surround the plurality of metal particles and connect the metal particles to each other.

[0094] In this case, the intermetallic compound may include a metal having a melting point lower than the curing temperature of the resin. Since the intermetallic compound may include a metal having a melting point lower than the curing temperature of the resin, the metal having a melting point lower than the curing temperature of the resin may melt during the drying and curing process, may form an intermetallic compound with a part of the metal particles, and may surround the metal particles. In this case, the intermetallic compound may include a low melting point metal, preferably including a low melting point metal having a melting point lower than 300 °C.

[0095] For example, Sn having a melting point of 213 °C - 220 °C may be included. During the drying and curing process, Sn may melt, and the melted Sn may wet metal particles having a high melting point (such as Ag, Ni, or Cu) by capillary action, may react with a part of the Ag, Ni, or Cu metal particles, and may form intermetallic compounds (such as Ag3Sn, Ni3Sn4, Cu6Sn5, or Cu3Sn). The Ag, Ni, or Cu that did not participate in the reaction may be retained in the form of metal particles.

[0096] Accordingly, the plurality of metal particles may include one or more of Ag, Ni, and Cu, and the intermetallic compound may include one or more of Ag3Sn, Ni3Sn4, Cu6Sn5, and Cu3Sn.

[0097] The plating layers 131c and 132c may improve the mounting property.

[0098] The types of the plating layers 131c and 132c are not limited to any specific examples, and the plating layers 131c and 132c may be single-layer plating layers 131c and 132c including at least one of nickel (Ni), tin (Sn), palladium (Pd), and their alloys, and may be formed into multiple layers.

[0099] For more specific examples of the plating layers 131c and 132c, the plating layers 131c and 132c may be Ni plating layers or Sn plating layers, and may be a Ni plating layer and an Sn plating layer formed in sequence on the electrode layer, and may be an Sn plating layer, a Ni plating layer, and an Sn plating layer formed in sequence. In addition, the plating layers 131c and 132c may include multiple Ni plating layers and / or multiple Sn plating layers.

[0100] The size of the multilayer electronic component 100 is not limited to any specific example.

[0101] However, in order to achieve both miniaturization and high capacitance, it may be necessary to increase the number of laminations by reducing the thickness of the dielectric layer and the internal electrodes, such that the effects described in the embodiments may be significant in the multilayer electronic component 100 having a size of 3216 (length × width: 3.2 mm × 1.6 mm) or smaller.

[0102] Hereinafter, the multilayer electronic component 100 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described in more detail.

[0103] In an embodiment, the dielectric layer 111 may include a second phase 141 containing Si. More specifically, the second phase 141 containing Si may include a second phase 141a containing Si (e.g., a first second phase) having a cross-sectional area of 0.01 μm 2 or greater and a second phase 141b containing Si (e.g., a second second phase) having a cross-sectional area of less than 0.01 μm 2 . However, unless otherwise specified, the description of the second phase 141 containing Si may be applicable to the description of the second phase 141a containing Si having a cross-sectional area of 0.01 μm 2 or greater and the description of the second phase 141b containing Si having a cross-sectional area of less than 0.01 μm 2 .

[0104] In a multi-layer electronic component 100 according to an embodiment, when the average thickness of the dielectric layer 111 is defined as td μm, in a td μm × td μm region, the dielectric layer 111 may include five or more second phases 141a having a cross-sectional area of 0.01 μm 2 or greater and including Si.

[0105] Since the dielectric layer 111 includes five or more second phases 141a having a cross-sectional area of 0.01 μm 2 or greater and containing Si in the td μm × td μm region, the high-temperature accelerated life reliability can be improved. For a more specific example of the high-temperature accelerated life reliability, the property that the mean time to failure (MTTF) at a temperature of 150 °C and an electric field of 10 V / μm is 100 hours or longer can be satisfied.

[0106] In addition to improving the high-temperature accelerated life reliability, at least one of the following properties can be satisfied: the room-temperature dielectric constant is 2200 or greater, the dielectric loss is 10% or lower, the insulation resistance at 150 °C is 1.0E+6 Ω or greater, the absolute value of the capacitance change rate from -55 °C to 125 °C based on the capacitance at 25 °C is 15% or lower, the absolute value of the DC bias change rate at an electric field of 10 V / μm is 70% or lower, and the mean time to failure (MTTF) at a temperature of 150 °C and an electric field of 10 V / μm is 100 hours or longer.

[0107] To improve the high-temperature accelerated life reliability, the upper limit of the number of second phases 141a having a cross-sectional area of 0.01 μm 2 or greater and containing Si in the td μm × td μm region is not limited to any specific example, and in order to prevent deterioration of other properties, the upper limit of the number of second phases 141a having a cross-sectional area of 0.01 μm 2 or greater and containing Si in the td μm × td μm region can be 53 or less.

[0108] When the dielectric layer 111 has less than five second phases 141a having a cross-sectional area of 0.01 μm 2 or greater and containing Si in the td μm × td μm region, the high-temperature accelerated life reliability may deteriorate.

[0109] In an embodiment, as an example of a more specific method for measuring the content of elements included in each component of the multilayer electronic component 100, in the case of a destructive method, the energy-dispersive X-ray spectrometer (EDS) mode of a scanning electron microscope (SEM), the EDS mode of a transmission electron microscope (TEM), or the EDS mode of a scanning transmission electron microscope (STEM) can be used to analyze the components. First, a focused ion beam (FIB) device can be used to prepare a thin-section analysis sample in the region to be measured. Thereafter, a damaged layer on the surface of the thin-section analysis sample can be removed using xenon (Xe) ion milling or argon (Ar) ion milling. Thereafter, qualitative / quantitative analysis can be 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 map of each component can be represented by the weight percentage (wt%), atomic percentage (at%), or mole percentage (mol%) of each element. In this case, based on this qualitative / quantitative analysis map, the mole numbers of other components can be calculated by converting the mole number of a specific component.

[0110] As another method, the sheet can be crushed and the region to be measured can be selected, and a device such as an inductively coupled plasma spectrometer (ICP-OES) and an inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer (ICP-MS) can be used to analyze the components of the portion including the selected dielectric microstructure. Even if not described in the present disclosure, other methods and / or tools understood by those of ordinary skill in the art can be used.

[0111] As an example, for Figure 5 a part of the cross-section of the capacitor forming portion of the illustrated embodiment, TEM is used for scanning to obtain a scanned image, and Si is mapped through the EDS mode. The method for measuring the second phase 141 containing Si will be described by using Figure 8 as an example. When Si is mapped using the EDS mode of SEM, TEM, or STEM in the cross-section in the first and second directions at the center of the main body 110 in the third direction, the Si aggregation region observed in the dielectric layer 111 can be defined as the second phase 141 containing Si.

[0112] In other words, assuming that the average thickness of the dielectric layer 111 is defined as td μm, where five or more with 0.01 μm are included in the td μm × td μm region 2A structure with a cross-sectional area of 0.01 μm² or larger and containing a second phase 141a of Si can be represented as follows: When the average thickness (average dimension in the first direction) of the dielectric layer 111 in an image obtained by scanning a cross-section of the main body 110 in the first and second directions at the center in the third direction using SEM, TEM, or STEM is defined as td μm, and Si is mapped in the EDS mode in the image obtained using SEM, TEM, or STEM, five or more regions (areas) with a cross-sectional area of 0.01 μm² or larger and containing the second phase 141a of Si may be included in a region (area) of the dielectric layer 111 having a dimension of td μm in the first direction and a dimension of td μm in the second direction. 2 or a cross-sectional area of 0.01 μm² or larger and containing a second phase 141a of Si.

[0113] In this case, it may not be necessary to satisfy the condition that five or more regions with a cross-sectional area of 0.01 μm² or larger and containing a second phase 141a of Si are included in the entire region of the dielectric layer 111 within a td μm × td μm region. 2 A structure with a cross-sectional area of 0.01 μm² or larger and containing a second phase 141a of Si, and when five or more regions with a cross-sectional area of 0.01 μm² or larger and containing a second phase 141a of Si are included in any td μm × td μm region of the dielectric layer 111, the high-temperature accelerated life reliability can be improved. However, preferably, in the entire region of the dielectric layer 111, five or more regions with a cross-sectional area of 0.01 μm² or larger and containing a second phase 141a of Si are included in the td μm × td μm region of the dielectric layer 111. 2 or a cross-sectional area of 0.01 μm² or larger and containing a second phase 141a of Si. 2 or a cross-sectional area of 0.01 μm² or larger and containing a second phase 141a of Si.

[0114] Here, after removing the noise of the surrounding Si except for the second phase 141a of Si with a cross-sectional area of 0.01 μm² or larger by applying the program filter function of the image analysis program "image pro plus", the cross-sectional area of the second phase 141a of Si with a cross-sectional area of 0.01 μm² or larger can be measured, but the embodiments are not limited thereto. Even if not described in the present disclosure, other methods and / or tools understood by those of ordinary skill in the art can be used. 2 After removing the noise of the surrounding Si except for the second phase 141a of Si with a cross-sectional area of 0.01 μm² or larger, the cross-sectional area of the second phase 141a of Si with a cross-sectional area of 0.01 μm² or larger can be measured. 2 or a cross-sectional area of 0.01 μm² or larger and containing a second phase 141a of Si, but the embodiments are not limited thereto. Even if not described in the present disclosure, other methods and / or tools understood by those of ordinary skill in the art can be used.

[0115] The method for measuring the cross-sectional area of the second phase 141a of Si with a cross-sectional area of 0.01 μm² or larger can be equally applicable to the second phase 141b of Si with a cross-sectional area of less than 0.01 μm². 2 or a cross-sectional area of 0.01 μm² or larger and containing a second phase 141a of Si can be equally applicable to a cross-sectional area of less than 0.01 μm² and containing a second phase 141b of Si. 2 or a cross-sectional area of less than 0.01 μm² and containing a second phase 141b of Si.

[0116] In addition, in the embodiments, the "second phase" may refer to particles or segregation having a composition or crystal lattice different from that of the perovskite (ABO3)-based dielectric particles, and may refer to an aggregation of components not dissolved in the dielectric grains, but the embodiments are not limited thereto.

[0117] In other words, the second phase may refer to a solid solution or aggregate of unsubstituted elements in the crystal lattice structure of the grains of the barium titanate (BaTiO3)-based dielectric material, and the second phase 141 containing Si may refer to an aggregate of a solid solution Si or unsubstituted Si elements in the crystal lattice structure of the dielectric grains mainly composed of barium titanate (BaTiO3).

[0118] In addition, within a 1 μm × 1 μm region, the dielectric layer 111 may further include a second phase 141b having a cross-sectional area of less than 0.01 μm 2 and containing Si.

[0119] Since the dielectric layer 111 further includes a second phase 141b having a cross-sectional area of less than 0.01 μm 2 and containing Si within a 1 μm × 1 μm region, the high-temperature accelerated life reliability can be improved. For a more specific example of the improved high-temperature accelerated life reliability, the property that the mean time to failure (MTTF) at a temperature of 150 °C and an electric field of 10 V / μm is 200 hours or longer can be satisfied.

[0120] To improve the high-temperature accelerated life reliability, the lower limit of the number of the second phase 141b having a cross-sectional area of less than 0.01 μm 2 and containing Si within a 1 μm × 1 μm region is not limited to any specific example, but to prevent property degradation, the lower limit of the number of the second phase 141b having a cross-sectional area of less than 0.01 μm 2 and containing Si within a 1 μm × 1 μm region may be one or more.

[0121] This structure may mean that when mapping Si in the image of the cross-section in the first and second directions at the center of the main body 110 in the third direction in EDS mode using SEM, TEM, or STEM, five or fewer second phases 141b having a cross-sectional area of less than 0.01 μm 2 and containing Si may be included in the region of the dielectric layer 111 having a size of 1 μm in the first direction and a size of 1 μm in the second direction.

[0122] In this case, it may not be necessary to satisfy that five or fewer second phases 141b having a cross-sectional area of less than 0.01 μm 2The cross-sectional area and the structure of the second phase 141b containing Si, and when including five or fewer with a cross-sectional area less than 0.01 μm within any 1 μm × 1 μm region of the dielectric layer 111 2 The cross-sectional area and the structure of the second phase 141b containing Si, the high-temperature accelerated life reliability can be improved. However, it is preferable that throughout the entire region of the dielectric layer 111, within the 1 μm × 1 μm region of the dielectric layer 111, there are five or fewer with a cross-sectional area less than 0.01 μm 2 The cross-sectional area and the structure of the second phase 141b containing Si.

[0123] In this case, when including five or more with a cross-sectional area of 0.01 μm 2 or larger and containing the second phase 141a of Si, and including five or fewer with a cross-sectional area less than 0.01 μm within the 1 μm × 1 μm region 2 The cross-sectional area and the structure of the second phase 141b containing Si, the high-temperature accelerated life reliability can be improved.

[0124] The second phase 141 containing Si can be different from the composition of the barium titanate (BaTiO3)-based dielectric grains, and can refer to another phase or another grain not dissolved in the lattice of the barium titanate (BaTiO3)-based dielectric grains.

[0125] For example, as described above, the dielectric layer 111 can include core-shell dielectric grains 10 having a structure including a core 11 and a shell 12 surrounding at least a part of the core 11, and the core 11 or the shell 12 can include Si. The average atomic percentage of Si in the second phase 141 containing Si can be higher than the average atomic percentage of Si in the core 11, or the average atomic percentage of Si in the second phase 141 containing Si can be higher than the average atomic percentage of Si in the shell 12. In addition, the average atomic percentages of Ba and Ti in the second phase 141 containing Si can be higher than the average atomic percentages of Ba and Ti in the core 11, or the average atomic percentages of Ba and Ti in the second phase 141 containing Si can be higher than the average atomic percentages of Ba and Ti in the shell 12. In addition, the core 11, the shell 12, or the second phase 141 containing Si can include Al, and the average atomic percentage of Al in the second phase 141 containing Si can be higher than the average atomic percentage of Al in the core 11, or the average atomic percentage of Al in the second phase 141 containing Si can be higher than the average atomic percentage of Al in the shell 12.

[0126] In addition, herein, the average atomic percentage of each element included in the second phase 141 containing Si may refer to the average value of the atomic percentages of each element measured at three or more points of the second phase 141 containing the same Si. The average atomic percentage of each element included in the core 11 or the shell 12 may refer to the average value of the atomic percentages of each element measured at more than five points included in the same core 11 or shell 12, but the embodiments are not limited thereto. Even if not described in the present disclosure, other methods and / or tools understood by those of ordinary skill in the art may be used.

[0127] More specifically, the average atomic percentage of Si in the second phase 141 containing Si may be greater than or equal to 5 at% and less than or equal to 20 at%, and preferably greater than or equal to 8 at% and less than or equal to 16 at%.

[0128] The average atomic percentage of Si in the second phase 141 containing Si may satisfy being greater than or equal to 5 at% and less than or equal to 20 at%, so that the high-temperature accelerated life reliability can be improved.

[0129] When the average atomic percentage of Si in the second phase 141 containing Si is less than 5 at%, the high-temperature accelerated life reliability may decrease or the insulation resistance may decrease, and when the average atomic percentage of Si in the second phase 141 containing Si exceeds 20 at%, the high-temperature accelerated life reliability may be excellent, but the room-temperature dielectric constant may deteriorate.

[0130] The average diameter LD of the plurality of dielectric grains included in the dielectric layer 111 may be greater than or equal to 150 nm and less than or equal to 220 nm.

[0131] This may correspond to the result of firing powder with a size of 100 nm of the base material, but the embodiments are not limited thereto.

[0132] Since the average diameter of the plurality of dielectric grains included in the dielectric layer 111 satisfies being greater than or equal to 150 nm and less than or equal to 220 nm, the high-temperature accelerated life reliability can be further improved, and the room-temperature dielectric constant, dielectric loss (DF), insulation resistance (IR), or DC bias property can be excellent.

[0133] When the average diameter of the plurality of dielectric grains included in the dielectric layer 111 is less than 150 nm, the room-temperature dielectric constant may decrease, and when the average diameter of the plurality of dielectric grains included in the dielectric layer 111 is greater than 220 nm, the high-temperature accelerated life reliability may decrease, or the dielectric loss (DF), insulation resistance (IR), or DC bias property may decrease.

[0134] The average diameter of the plurality of dielectric grains included in the dielectric layer 111 may be, for example, with respect to a 10 μm × 10 μm region of the cross-section in the first and second directions at the center of the main body 110 in the third direction, the average diameter of the plurality of dielectric grains included in the dielectric layer 111. Here, the diameter of the dielectric grain may refer to the size of any straight line passing through the center of the dielectric grain, and more specifically, may refer to the size of the straight line in the first direction passing through the center of the dielectric grain, and the average value of the above values may correspond to the average diameter of the plurality of dielectric grains, but embodiments thereof are not limited thereto. The diameter may be measured by a scanning electron microscope (SEM). Even if not described in the present disclosure, other methods and / or tools understood by those of ordinary skill in the art may be used.

[0135] In addition, in the core-shell dielectric grain 10, the diameter LC of the core 11 may be greater than or equal to 90 nm and less than or equal to 140 nm.

[0136] In the core-shell dielectric grain 10, the high-temperature accelerated life reliability can be improved by satisfying that the diameter of the core 11 is greater than or equal to 90 nm and less than or equal to 140 nm, and at least one of the room-temperature dielectric constant, dielectric loss (DF), insulation resistance (IR), X7R property (i.e., TCC property), or DC bias property as target properties can be satisfied.

[0137] In the core-shell dielectric grain 10, when the diameter of the core 11 is less than 90 nm, the high-temperature accelerated life reliability may decrease or the target room-temperature dielectric constant may not be satisfied, and in the core-shell dielectric grain 10, when the diameter of the core 11 exceeds 140 nm, the insulation resistance (IR) may decrease.

[0138] For example, in the core-shell dielectric grain 10, the diameter of the core 11 may refer to: when mapping a rare earth element such as dysprosium (Dy) or terbium (Tb) by EDS mode with respect to a 10 μm × 10 μm region of the cross-section in the first and second directions at the center of the main body 110 in the third direction, the diameter size of the core 11 of the core-shell dielectric grain 10 included in the dielectric layer 111. Here, the diameter of the core 11 may refer to the size of any straight line passing through the center of the core 11, and more specifically, may refer to the size of the straight line in the first direction passing through the center of the core 11, but embodiments thereof are not limited thereto. Even if not described in the present disclosure, other methods and / or tools understood by those of ordinary skill in the art may be used.

[0139] As described above, the dielectric layer 111 may include a perovskite (ABO3)-based main component, for example, a barium titanate (BaTiO3)-based dielectric material, and the dielectric layer may further include sub-components, more specifically, for example, may further include the first sub-component to the fourth sub-component as described below.

[0140] a) First secondary component According to an embodiment, the dielectric layer 111 may further include a first secondary component element, the first secondary component element may be a variable valence acceptor element, and the variable valence acceptor element may be one or more of Mn, V, Cr, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Co, and Zn, preferably at least one of Mn and V, and more preferably Mn and V.

[0141] The first secondary component may be one or more of oxides or carbonates of the variable valence acceptor element, and may be added together with the main component raw materials before firing.

[0142] The variable valence acceptor element as the first secondary component element may reduce the firing temperature, improve the dielectric properties, increase the insulation resistance (IR), and improve the high-temperature accelerated life properties.

[0143] In this case, based on 100 moles of Ti included in the dielectric layer 111, the mole number of the first secondary component element may be greater than or equal to 0.4 moles and less than or equal to 0.8 moles, and when multiple first secondary component elements are added, the combined total content may be defined as the mole number of the first secondary component element.

[0144] When the content of the first secondary component element is less than 0.4 moles based on 100 moles of Ti included in the dielectric layer 111, the insulation resistance (IR) may decrease, and when the content of the first secondary component element exceeds 0.8 moles based on 100 moles of Ti included in the dielectric layer 111, the DC bias change rate may decrease.

[0145] b) Second secondary component According to an embodiment, the dielectric layer 111 may further include a second secondary component element, and the second secondary component element may be Mg.

[0146] The second secondary component may be one or more of oxides and carbonates of Mg, and may be added together with the main component raw materials before firing.

[0147] Mg (the second secondary component element) may provide anti-reducibility and may increase the reliability class (RC) value. Here, the RC value may refer to reliability according to temperature, reliability at high temperature, reliability at high voltage, life assessment, etc.

[0148] In this case, based on 100 moles of Ti included in the dielectric layer 111, the mole number of the second secondary component element may be greater than 0 moles and less than or equal to 1 mole.

[0149] When no second sub-component element is added to the dielectric layer 111, for example, when the content of the second sub-component element is 0 mole based on 100 moles of Ti included in the dielectric layer 111, the reliability may deteriorate. When the content of the second sub-component element exceeds 1 mole based on 100 moles of Ti included in the dielectric layer 111, the X7R temperature property (the capacitance change rate at -55°C to 125°C may be greater than or equal to -15% and less than or equal to 15% based on the capacitance value at 25°C) may not be satisfied.

[0150] c) Third sub-component According to the embodiment, the dielectric layer 111 may further include a third sub-component element, and the third sub-component element may be a rare earth element. The rare earth element may include at least one of Y, Dy, Tb, Gd, Ce, Nd, La, and Yb, preferably includes at least one of Dy and Tb, and more preferably, includes Dy and Tb.

[0151] The rare earth element as the third sub-component element may improve the high-temperature accelerated life and may improve the reliability.

[0152] The third sub-component may be one or more of oxides and carbonates of rare earth elements, and may be added together with the main component raw materials before firing.

[0153] In this case, based on 100 moles of Ti included in the dielectric layer 111, the mole number of the third sub-component element may be greater than or equal to 2.5 moles and less than or equal to 3.5 moles.

[0154] When the mole number of the third sub-component element is less than 2.5 moles based on 100 moles of Ti included in the dielectric layer 111, the high-temperature accelerated life may deteriorate, and when the mole number of the third sub-component element exceeds 3.5 moles based on 100 moles of Ti included in the dielectric layer 111, due to the n-type semiconductorization of the dielectric, the insulation resistance (IR) may decrease or the high-temperature accelerated life may deteriorate.

[0155] d) Fourth sub-component According to the embodiment, the dielectric layer 111 may further include a fourth sub-component element, and the fourth sub-component element may be Si.

[0156] The fourth sub-component may be at least one of Si oxide, Si carbonate, and glass containing Si, and may be added together with the main component raw materials before firing.

[0157] Si (the fourth sub-component element) may be used as a sintering aid, may induce the grain growth of dielectric grains, and may increase the insulation resistance (IR) or improve the high-temperature accelerated life.

[0158] In this case, based on 100 moles of Ti included in the dielectric layer 111, the number of moles of the fourth sub-component element may be greater than or equal to 0.8 moles and less than or equal to 2.0 moles.

[0159] When the number of moles of the fourth sub-component element is less than 0.8 moles based on 100 moles of Ti included in the dielectric layer 111, the insulation resistance (IR) may decrease or the high-temperature accelerated life may deteriorate, and when the number of moles of the fourth sub-component element exceeds 2.0 moles based on 100 moles of Ti included in the dielectric layer 111, the dielectric constant at room temperature may decrease.

[0160] The multilayer electronic component 100 according to the embodiment may satisfy the property of having a mean time to failure (MTTF) of 100 hours or longer under the conditions of a temperature of 150 °C and an electric field of 10 V / μm.

[0161] In addition, the multilayer electronic component 100 according to the embodiment may satisfy at least one of the following properties: the dielectric constant at room temperature is 2200 or greater, the dielectric loss is 10% or less, the insulation resistance at 150 °C is 1.0E+6 Ω or greater, the absolute value of the capacitance change rate from -55 °C to 125 °C based on the capacitance at 25 °C is 15% or less, the absolute value of the DC bias change rate under an electric field of 10 V / μm is 70% or less, and the mean time to failure (MTTF) under a temperature of 150 °C and an electric field of 10 V / μm is 100 hours or longer. Even if not described in the present disclosure, these properties can be measured by methods and / or tools understood by those of ordinary skill in the art.

[0162] Whether the corresponding properties are satisfied will be described in more detail by the following examples, but this is for helping to understand the present disclosure, and the scope of the present disclosure is not limited thereto.

[0163] (Example) Tables 1, 3, and 5 list the dimensions of the base material, the firing temperature, and the first to fourth sub-components of the dielectric layer. The unit of the dimension of the base material is nm, the unit of the firing temperature is °C, and the amounts of the first to fourth sub-components are the number of moles of the first to fourth sub-component elements. For example, in Test Example 1-1, 0.2 moles of the first sub-component MnO2 is 0.2 moles of Mn, 0.2 moles of the first sub-component V2O5 is 0.2 moles of V, 0.6 moles of the second sub-component MgCO3 is 0.6 moles of Mg, 3.0 moles of the third sub-component Dy2O3 is 3.0 moles of Dy, 0.2 moles of the third sub-component Tb4O7 is 0.2 moles of Tb, and 1.2 moles of the fourth sub-component SiO2 is 1.2 moles of Si.

[0164] BaTiO3 powders with average particle sizes of 100 nm, 150 nm, and 200 nm were used as the matrix material (main component) of the dielectric layer. Zirconia beads were used as the mixing medium / dispersing medium, and raw material powders including sub-component elements (corresponding to the components listed in Tables 1, 3, and 5) and the main component BaTiO3 powder were mixed with an ethanol / toluene solvent and a dispersant, ground for 10 hours, mixed with a binder, and further ground for 5 hours to prepare a slurry. Using the slurry prepared as above, a molded sheet with thicknesses of 3.0 μm and 10 μm was manufactured using a sheet-making machine. Thereafter, a nickel (Ni) inner electrode was printed on the molded sheet. The upper cover part and the lower cover part were manufactured by laminating 21 printed sheets and laminating 25 cover sheets (with thicknesses between 10 μm and 13 μm), and pressing was performed to form a strip. The pressed strip was cut into 3216-sized (length × width: 3.2 mm × 1.6 mm) sheets using a cutting machine. The manufactured 3216-sized MLCC sheets were plasticized, fired at a temperature of 1150 °C to 1200 °C for two hours in a reducing atmosphere of 0.1% H2 / 99.9% N2 to 0.5% H2 / 99.5% N2 (H2O / H2 / N2 atmosphere), and re-oxidized in an N2 atmosphere at 1000 °C for 3 hours. Here, the 0.1% H2 concentration is the condition where the electromotive force in the oxygen partial pressure meter is 670 mV under the measurement environment at 850 °C, and the 0.5% H2 concentration is the condition where the electromotive force in the oxygen partial pressure meter is 760 mV under the measurement environment at 850 °C. For the fired sheets, the outer electrodes were completed through an end-capping process using copper (Cu) paste and electrode firing. After firing, the 3216-sized MLCC sheets included a dielectric layer with a thickness of approximately 2.0 μm, and the number of dielectric layers between the inner electrodes was 20.

[0165] A in Tables 2, 4, and 6 refers to: when, based on the cross-section in the first and second directions at the center in the third direction of the main body, the average thickness of the dielectric layer in the capacitance forming part is defined as td, the number of second phases 141a having a cross-sectional area of 0.01 μm 2 or more and containing Si in the td μm × td μm region. B refers to: based on the cross-section in the first and second directions at the center in the third direction of the main body, the number of second phases 141b having a cross-sectional area of less than 0.01 μm 2 in the 1 μm × 1 μm region and containing Si.

[0166] For the dielectric constant and dielectric loss (DF), the capacitance or capacitance change rate of the MLCC chip is measured using an LCR meter at 1 kHz and AC 0.5 V / μm, and the dielectric constant of the MLCC chip is calculated from the capacitance of the MLCC chip, the dielectric layer thickness, the inner electrode area, and the number of dielectric layer stacks. When the dielectric constant is 2200 or greater, the dielectric constant is evaluated as excellent, and when the dielectric constant is less than 2200, the dielectric constant is evaluated as poor. When the dielectric loss (DF) is 10% or lower, the dielectric loss (DF) is evaluated as excellent, and when the dielectric loss (DF) exceeds 10%, the dielectric loss (DF) is evaluated as poor.

[0167] IR (room temperature insulation resistance) is measured as follows: Ten samples are taken and the insulation resistance value is measured at a temperature of 150 °C. When IR is 1.0E+6 Ω or greater, IR is evaluated as excellent, and when IR is less than 1.0E+6 Ω, IR is evaluated as poor.

[0168] The TCC property (change in capacitance according to temperature) is measured by the capacitance change rate in the temperature range from -55 °C to 125 °C based on the capacitance measurement at 25 °C. When the capacitance change rate is greater than or equal to -15% and less than or equal to +15% in the temperature range from -55 °C to 125 °C, the TCC property is evaluated as excellent, and when it exceeds this range, the TCC property is evaluated as poor.

[0169] The DC bias change rate is measured as follows: Ten samples are taken and the capacitance after 60 seconds is measured while applying DC 10 V / μm. When the DC bias change rate is -70% or greater (i.e., the capacitance change reduction rate based on the standard capacitance is -70% to 0%), the DC bias change rate is evaluated as excellent, and when it is less than -70%, the DC bias change rate is evaluated as poor.

[0170] For MTTF, a highly accelerated life test (HALT) is conducted, and for 40 samples of each test example, a voltage corresponding to an electric field of 40 V / μm is applied at 150 °C, the time to failure is measured, and the mean time to failure (MTTF) is calculated. When MTTF is greater than or equal to 100 hours, MTTF is evaluated as excellent, when MTTF is greater than or equal to 200 hours, MTTF is evaluated as very excellent, and when MTTF is less than 100 hours, MTTF is evaluated as poor.

[0171] [Table 1]

[0172] [Table 2]

[0173] Test examples 1-1 to 3-4 in Table 1 are test examples based on 100 moles of BaTiO3 matrix material, where the total of the first sub-component elements Mn and V is 0.4 moles, the content of Mg (the second sub-component element) is 0.6 moles, the total of the rare earth elements Dy and Tb as the third sub-component element is 3.2 moles, and the content of the fourth sub-component Si is 1.2 moles. They are test examples according to the average size of BaTiO3 and the firing temperature. Test examples 1-1 to 3-4 in Table 2 represent the properties of the samples corresponding to the test examples. At a firing temperature of 1160 °C, the grain growth and densification of matrix materials with sizes of 100 nm, 150 nm, and 200 nm (test examples 1-1, 2-1, 3-1), and at a firing temperature of 1170 °C, the matrix material with a size of 200 nm (test example 3-2) are not within the normal range, resulting in not meeting the target properties in the examples: dielectric constant ≥ 2200, IR ≥ 1.0E+6 Ω, and / or MTTF ≥ 100 hours.

[0174] The microstructure, dielectric properties, and reliability properties vary greatly depending on the firing conditions. Different from the test examples with a firing temperature of 1160 °C, when the firing temperatures are 1170 °C and 1180 °C (for example, test examples 1-2, 1-3, 2-2, 2-3, and 3-3), the grain growth and densification are within the normal range. Therefore, the dielectric constant, room temperature IR, DC bias change rate, and MTTF are satisfied. However, the MTTF value varies significantly depending on the size of the matrix material. Even at the same firing temperature, the MTTF of the MLCC with a 100 nm matrix material size of BaTiO3 is approximately twice that of the MLCC with 150 nm and 200 nm matrix material sizes of BaTiO3. Test examples with A greater than 10 refer to the MLCC with a 100 nm matrix material size of BaTiO3, while test examples with A in the range of 0 to 4 refer to the MLCC with 150 nm and 200 nm matrix material sizes of BaTiO3. In addition, regarding the quantity of B, the MLCC with a 100 nm matrix material size of BaTiO3 has a B of 2 to 3, and the MLCC with a 150 nm matrix material size of BaTiO3 and the MLCC with a 200 nm matrix material size of BaTiO3 have a B of 6 to 15, which is also a significant difference. Due to the differences in the quantities of A and B, the MTTF is greatly improved.

[0175] Due to excessive grain growth at a firing temperature of 1190°C, manufacturing MLCCs with matrix material sizes of 100 nm and 150 nm results in DF > 10% and / or MTTF < 100 hours, failing to meet the target properties in the examples. For MLCCs with a matrix material size of 200 nm, when the firing temperature is 1190°C (the appropriate firing temperature), the target values such as dielectric constant, IR, and MTTF can be achieved. However, when using a large-sized BaTiO3 matrix material, the DC bias change rate tends to deviate from the target.

[0176] [Table 3]

[0177] [Table 4]

[0178] Test examples 4-1 to 5-5 in Table 3 represent test examples based on 100 mol of BaTiO3 matrix material, varying according to the content of the fourth sub-component and the matrix material size. Table 4 shows the properties corresponding to the samples of test examples 4-1 to 5-5. When the content of Si (the fourth sub-component element) is 1 mol or less (test examples 4-1 and 5-1), the A value is low or equal to 0, thus failing to meet the MTTF target value (greater than or equal to 100 hours). As Si (the fourth sub-component element) increases from 1.2 mol to 2 mol (test examples 4-2, 4-3, 4-4, 5-2, 5-3, and 5-4), the dielectric constant decreases, but the target properties (2200 or greater) can be met, and the MTTF property is also satisfied. According to the results of examining the properties of samples with an A value greater than or equal to 10 and a B value less than or equal to 5 (test examples 4-2, 4-3, and 4-4), compared with the samples that do not meet the target conditions (test examples 5-2, 5-3, and 5-4), the MTTF property increases by approximately 100% to 200%. In the case of samples with a Si (the fourth sub-component element) content of 3 (excessive addition) (test examples 4-5, 5-5), due to the influence of the fourth sub-component element Si with high insulation resistance, the accelerated life is extremely high, but the dielectric constant does not reach the target property.

[0179] [Table 5]

[0180] [Table 6]

[0181] Test examples 6-1 to 7-4 in Table 5 represent test examples based on 100 mol of BaTiO3 matrix material, with variations in the size of the matrix material, the content of the first sub-component, and the content of the third sub-component. Table 6 shows the properties corresponding to the samples of test examples 6-1 to 7-4. Samples without variable valence elements Mn and V (the first sub-component elements) (test examples 6-1 and 7-1) have significantly fewer trap sites in the material, resulting in an IR lower than the target value in the examples. However, test example 6-1 has a higher A value and a lower B value than test example 7-1, such that the MTTF is evaluated to be higher in test example 6-1. In test examples 6-2 to 6-4, the A value is 10 or greater and the B value is 5 or less, which meets the MTTF ≥ 100 hours (the target property of high-temperature reliability in the examples). However, test example 6-4 is a case where the total amount of the first sub-component element is over-injected, and the DC bias change rate is less than -70%, such that the target in the examples is not achieved. Test examples 7-2 to 7-4 have the same composition as test examples 6-2 to 6-4, but there are significant differences in the A value and the B value. In other words, the condition that the A value is 10 or greater and the B value is 5 or less is not met, resulting in a significant difference in high-temperature accelerated life.

[0182] Test examples 8-1 to 9-4 represent test examples based on the variations in the size of the matrix material and the content of the third sub-component element. As the rare earth element, which is the third sub-component element, increases, the dielectric constant decreases, and the IR decreases due to n-type formation in the material. However, in the high-temperature accelerated life assessment, the MTTF is improved by weakening the mobility of oxygen vacancies. Test examples 8-1, 8-2, 9-1, and 9-2 are MLCC samples with a small amount of the third sub-component element added, and compared with test examples 8-3 and 9-3 with 3 mol of the third sub-component element added, the high-temperature accelerated life of test examples 8-1, 8-2, 9-1, and 9-2 is reduced. As observed, the reliability is improved due to the addition of the rare earth element as the third sub-component element. It is predicted that this is not only because the rare earth element has the effect of suppressing the mobility of oxygen vacancies, but also because it has the effect of improving the reliability by forming a second phase (pyrochlore) including the rare earth element and Si. In addition, the A value in test example 8-3 is higher than the A value in test example 9-3. Although test example 8-3 and test example 9-3 have the same composition, the MTTF differs by approximately 2.4 times. The sample with 4 mol of the rare earth element added has an excessive n-type dielectric, resulting in a significant deterioration of the IR and not meeting the property conditions in the examples.

[0183] According to the foregoing examples, the multilayer electronic component can have improved reliability.

[0184] In addition, the multilayer electronic component can meet the X7R or X7S properties.

[0185] In addition, the multi-layer electronic component may have an improved accelerated life at high temperature and high pressure.

[0186] In addition, the multi-layer electronic component may have an improved capacitance.

[0187] The scope of the embodiments is not limited to the specific embodiments. Instead, modifications, equivalents, and alternatives included in the disclosed concept and technical scope of this specification may be adopted.

[0188] In an embodiment, the term "embodiment" may not refer to the same embodiment and may be provided to describe and emphasize the different unique features of each embodiment. The proposed embodiments may be implemented without excluding the possibility of combining the features of other embodiments. For example, even if a feature described in one embodiment is not described in another embodiment, unless otherwise stated, the description may be understood to be applicable to the other embodiment.

[0189] The terms used in this specification are for explaining the embodiments and not for limiting the embodiments. Unless explicitly described to the contrary, the singular forms in this specification may include the plural forms.

[0190] Although the embodiments have been shown and described above, it will be readily understood by those skilled in the art that modifications and variations can be made without departing from the scope of the present disclosure defined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A multilayer electronic component comprising: a body including a dielectric layer and an inner electrode; as well as an outer electrode, disposed on the body, Wherein, when the average thickness of the dielectric layer is defined as td μm, the dielectric layer includes a second phase including Si, and within a td μm×td μm region, the second phase includes five or more first second phases, and each of the five or more first second phases includes Si and has a thickness of 0.01 μm. 2 or larger cross-sectional area.

2. The multilayer electronic component according to claim 1, in, The second phase further includes five or less second phases within a 1 μm×1 μm area, and each of the second second phases includes Si and has a thickness of less than 0.01 μm. 2 The cross-sectional area.

3. The multilayer electronic component according to claim 1, wherein: The average atomic percentage of Si in at least one of the second phases is greater than or equal to 5 at % and less than or equal to 20 at %.

4. The multilayer electronic component according to claim 1, in, The dielectric layer includes a core-shell dielectric grain having a structure including a core and a shell surrounding at least a portion of the core, and wherein an average atomic percentage of Si in at least one of the second phases is higher than an average atomic percentage of Si in the shell.

5. The multilayer electronic component according to claim 1, wherein The dielectric layer includes a plurality of dielectric grains, and an average diameter of the plurality of dielectric grains is greater than or equal to 150 nm and less than or equal to 220 nm.

6. The multilayer electronic component according to claim 1, in, The dielectric layer includes a core-shell dielectric grain having a structure including a core and a shell surrounding at least a portion of the core, and Wherein, the diameter of the core is greater than or equal to 90 nm and less than or equal to 140 nm.

7. The multilayer electronic component according to claim 1, wherein: The dielectric layer includes a main component including a barium titanate-based material.

8. The multilayer electronic component according to claim 7, in, The dielectric layer further includes a first subcomponent element, wherein the first auxiliary component element is one or more of Mn, V, Cr, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Co and Zn, and Wherein, based on 100 mol of Ti included in the dielectric layer, the molar number of the first subcomponent element is greater than or equal to 0.4 mol and less than or equal to 0.8 mol.

9. The multilayer electronic component according to claim 7, in, The dielectric layer further includes a second subcomponent element, wherein the second accessory element is Mg, and Wherein, based on 100 mol of Ti included in the dielectric layer, the molar number of the second subcomponent element is greater than 0 mol and less than or equal to 1 mol.

10. The multilayer electronic component according to claim 7, in, The dielectric layer further includes a third subcomponent element, wherein the third auxiliary component element is a rare earth element, and Wherein, based on 100 mol of Ti included in the dielectric layer, the molar number of the third subcomponent element is greater than or equal to 2.5 mol and less than or equal to 3.5 mol.

11. The multilayer electronic component according to claim 7, in, The dielectric layer further includes a fourth subcomponent element, wherein the fourth auxiliary component element is Si, and Wherein, based on 100 mol of Ti included in the dielectric layer, the molar number of the fourth subcomponent element is greater than or equal to 0.8 mol and less than or equal to 2.0 mol.

12. The multilayer electronic component according to claim 1, wherein td μm is 10.0 μm or less.

13. The multilayer electronic component according to claim 1, wherein The multilayer electronic component meets a mean time to failure of greater than or equal to 100 hours at a temperature of 150° C. and an electric field of 10 V / μm.

14. The multilayer electronic component according to claim 1, wherein The multilayer electronic component satisfies at least one of the following properties: a room temperature dielectric constant of 2200 or greater, a dielectric loss of 10% or less, an insulation resistance of 1.0E+6Ω or greater at 150°C, an absolute value of a capacitance change rate at -55°C to 125°C based on the capacitance at 25°C of 15% or less, an absolute value of a DC bias change rate at an electric field of 10V / μm of 70% or less, and an average failure time of 100 hours or more at a temperature of 150°C and an electric field of 10V / μm.

15. The multilayer electronic component according to claim 8, in, The first subcomponent element includes at least one of Mn and V.

16. The multilayer electronic component according to claim 10, wherein: The rare earth element includes at least one of Dy and Tb.

17. The multilayer electronic component according to claim 16, wherein: The multi-layer electronic component satisfies: The room temperature dielectric constant is 2200 or greater, the dielectric loss is 10% or less, The insulation resistance at 150°C is 1.0E+6Ω or more, The absolute value of the capacitance change rate at -55°C to 125°C based on the capacitance at 25°C is 15% or less, The absolute value of the DC bias change rate under an electric field of 10 V / μm is 70% or less, and The average failure time at a temperature of 150° C. and an electric field of 10 V / μm is 100 hours or more.

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