Multilayer electronic component

Abstract

The present disclosure provides a multilayer electronic component. According to an example embodiment of the present disclosure, a multilayer electronic component may have a main body in which a corner of the main body has a rounded shape, a radius of curvature of a corner disposed in an upper cover portion may be greater than a radius of curvature of a corner disposed in a lower cover portion, the average size of the dielectric grains included in the upper cover portion may be larger than the average size of the dielectric grains included in the lower cover portion.

Description

[0001] This application claims the benefit of priority to Korean Patent Application No. 10-2023-0192889, filed with the Korean Intellectual Property Office on December 27, 2023, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein 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), a type of multi-layer electronic component, is a chip capacitor mounted on a printed circuit board of various types of electronic products such as image display devices including liquid crystal displays (LCDs) and plasma display panels (PDPs), computers, smartphones, and mobile phones, and is used to charge or discharge therefrom.

[0004] Multi-layer ceramic capacitors can be used as components in various electronic devices because of their small size, high capacitance, and easy installation. With the miniaturization and high output power realization of various electronic devices such as computers and mobile devices, the demand for miniaturization and high capacitance of multi-layer ceramic capacitors is also increasing.

[0005] In addition, with the increasing application of automotive electrical components, high reliability needs to be ensured in various environments.

[0006] Multi-layer ceramic capacitors are generally mounted on a substrate and used. Therefore, in multi-layer ceramic capacitor products, mounting reliability is a very important factor. To ensure mounting reliability, mounting strength must be improved.

[0007] In addition, the cracking of the body of a multi-layer ceramic capacitor may lead to various reliability degradations, for example, reduced moisture resistance reliability and reduced insulation resistance. Summary of the Invention

[0008] One aspect of the present disclosure is to provide a multi-layer electronic component having excellent reliability.

[0009] One aspect of the present disclosure is to provide a multi-layer electronic component having improved mounting reliability.

[0010] One aspect of the present disclosure is to provide a multi-layer electronic component having reduced body cracking.

[0011] However, the aspects of the present disclosure are not limited to the above, and can be more easily understood during the description of specific embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0012] A multilayer electronic component according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure may include: a main body including a capacitance forming portion, a first covering portion, and a second covering portion, the capacitance forming portion including a dielectric layer and first and second inner electrodes alternately arranged in a first direction, the dielectric layer being interposed between the first inner electrode and the second inner electrode, the first covering portion being disposed above the capacitance forming portion in the first direction, the second covering portion being disposed below the capacitance forming portion in the first direction, and the main body including a first surface and a second surface opposite to each other in the first direction, a third surface and a fourth surface connected to the first surface and the second surface and opposite to each other in a second direction, and a fifth surface and a sixth surface connected to the first surface to the fourth surface and opposite to each other in a third direction; and a first external electrode and a second external electrode disposed on the main body and respectively connected to the first inner electrode and the second inner electrode, wherein in a cross-section of the main body in the first direction and the second direction, corners of the main body may have a rounded shape, when a radius of curvature of a corner provided in the first covering portion is defined as Ru and a radius of curvature of a corner provided in the second covering portion is defined as Rd, Rd < Ru may be satisfied, and when an average size of dielectric grains included in the first covering portion is defined as Gs1 and an average size of dielectric grains included in the second covering portion is defined as Gs2, Gs2 < Gs1 may be satisfied.

[0013] A multilayer electronic component according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure may include: a capacitance forming portion including a dielectric layer and first and second inner electrodes alternately stacked in a thickness direction, the dielectric layer being interposed between the first inner electrode and the second inner electrode; a first covering portion including a first dielectric material covering an upper surface of the capacitance forming portion in the thickness direction, the first covering portion having an average thickness tc1 and having a corner with a radius of curvature of Ru; and a second covering portion including a second dielectric material covering a lower surface of the capacitance forming portion in the thickness direction, the second covering portion having a corner with a radius of curvature of Rd and having an average thickness tc2, wherein Rd < Ru and / or tc2 < tc1 are satisfied.

[0014] One of various effects of the present disclosure is to improve the reliability of the multilayer electronic component.

[0015] One of various effects of the present disclosure is to improve the mounting reliability of the multilayer electronic component.

[0016] One of various effects of the present disclosure is to prevent the main body of the multilayer electronic component from cracking.

[0017] However, the advantages and effects of the present application are not limited to the foregoing, and may be more easily understood during the process of describing specific exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0018] The above and other aspects, features, and advantages of the present disclosure will be more clearly understood from the following detailed description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 FIG. is a perspective view schematically showing a multi-layer electronic component according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure; Figure 2 FIG. is a schematic cross-sectional view taken along line I-I' of Figure 1 ; Figure 3 FIG. is a schematic cross-sectional view taken along line II-II' of Figure 1 ; Figure 4 FIG. is an enlarged view of region K1 of Figure 2 ; Figure 5 FIG. is an enlarged view of region K2 of Figure 2 ; Figure 6 FIG. is an enlarged view of region K3 of Figure 2 ; Figure 7 FIG. is an enlarged view of region K4 of Figure 2 ; Figure 8 FIG. is an enlarged view of region K5 of Figure 2 ; Figure 9 FIG. is an enlarged view of region K6 of Figure 3 ; and Figure 10 FIG. is an enlarged view of region K7 of Figure 3 . DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0019] Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure can be illustrated in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the specific embodiments set forth herein. The exemplary embodiments disclosed herein are provided to better explain the present disclosure to those skilled in the art. Therefore, in the drawings, the shapes and sizes of elements may be exaggerated for clarity, and the same reference numerals will always be used to denote the same elements.

[0020] In addition, to clearly describe the present disclosure, in the drawings, content unrelated to the description is omitted, and although for ease of description, the dimensions (e.g., thickness) of each component shown in the drawings are arbitrarily illustrated, the present disclosure is not limited thereto. In addition, the same reference numerals are used to describe components having the same functions within the same scope of idea. Throughout the specification, unless otherwise specified, when describing that a certain part "includes" or "comprises" a certain component, this indicates that other components are not excluded and other components may be further included.

[0021] In the drawings, the first direction may be defined as the thickness direction, the second direction may be defined as the length direction, and the third direction may be defined as the width direction.

[0022] Multi-layer electronic component Figure 1 is a perspective view schematically showing a multi-layer electronic component according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0023] Figure 2 is along Figure 1 a schematic cross-sectional view taken along line I-I'.

[0024] Figure 3 is along Figure 1 a schematic cross-sectional view taken along line II-II'.

[0025] Figure 4 is Figure 2 an enlarged view of region K1 of

[0026] Figure 5 is Figure 2 an enlarged view of region K2 of

[0027] Figure 6 is Figure 2 an enlarged view of region K3 of

[0028] Figure 7 is Figure 2 an enlarged view of region K4 of

[0029] Figure 8 is Figure 2 an enlarged view of region K5 of

[0030] Figure 9 is Figure 3 an enlarged view of region K6 of

[0031] Figure 10 is Figure 3 an enlarged view of region K7 of

[0032] Hereinafter, reference will be made to Figures 1 to 10Describe in detail a multi-layer electronic component 100 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. In addition, a multi-layer ceramic capacitor is described as an example of the multi-layer electronic component, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and the description of the multi-layer electronic component of the present disclosure can also be applied to various multi-layer electronic components using ceramic materials, such as inductors, piezoelectric elements, varistors, or thermistors.

[0033] According to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, the multi-layer electronic component 100 may include: a body 110 including a capacitance forming portion Ac and a first covering portion 112 and a second covering portion 113, the capacitance forming portion Ac including a dielectric layer 111 and first inner electrodes 121 and second inner electrodes 122 alternately arranged in a first direction with the dielectric layer therebetween, the first covering portion 112 being disposed above the capacitance forming portion in the first direction, the second covering portion 113 being disposed below the capacitance forming portion in the first direction, and the body 110 including a first surface 1 and a second surface 2 opposite to each other in the first direction, a third surface 3 and a fourth surface 4 connected to the first surface and the second surface and opposite to each other in a second direction, and a fifth surface 5 and a sixth surface 6 connected to the first surface to the fourth surface and opposite to each other in a third direction; and a first external electrode 131 and a second external electrode 132 disposed on the body and respectively connected to the first inner electrode and the second inner electrode, and in a cross-section of the body in the first direction and the second direction, the corners of the body may have a rounded shape, and when the radius of curvature of the corner disposed in the first covering portion is defined as Ru and the radius of curvature of the corner disposed in the second covering portion is defined as Rd, Rd < Ru may be satisfied, and when the average size of the dielectric grains included in the first covering portion is defined as Gs1 and the average size of the dielectric grains included in the second covering portion is defined as Gs2, Gs2 < Gs1 may be satisfied.

[0034] According to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, the corners of the body 110 may have a rounded shape, the radius of curvature Ru of the corner disposed in the first covering portion 112 may be made larger than the radius of curvature Rd of the corner disposed in the second covering portion 113, and the average size Gs1 of the dielectric grains included in the first covering portion 112 may be made larger than the average size Gs2 of the dielectric grains included in the second covering portion 113, thereby improving the mounting reliability and suppressing the cracking of the body.

[0035] Hereinafter, each component included in the multi-layer electronic component 100 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure will be described.

[0036] The body 110 may have dielectric layers 111 and inner electrodes 121 and 122 stacked alternately.

[0037] There is no particular limitation on the specific shape of the body 110, but as Figures 1 to 3As shown, the body 110 may have a hexahedral shape or a shape similar thereto. Due to the shrinkage of the ceramic powder particles included in the body 110 during the sintering process, the body 110 may not have a hexahedral shape with completely straight lines. Optionally, each corner connecting the surfaces of the body 110 may be rounded by performing a separate process, such that the corners connecting the first surface to the third to sixth surfaces and / or the corners connecting the second surface to the third to sixth surfaces may have a rounded shape.

[0038] The 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 and the second surface 2 and are connected to the third surface 3 and the fourth surface 4 and are opposite to each other in a third direction. The first surface 1 may be a mounting surface that is set to face the substrate when the multilayer electronic component is mounted on the substrate.

[0039] In a state where a plurality of dielectric layers 111 included in the body 110 are sintered, the adjacent dielectric layers 111 may be integrated such that it is difficult to identify the boundary between them without using a scanning electron microscope (SEM). The number of dielectric layers is not particularly limited and may be determined by considering the size of the multilayer electronic component. For example, the body may be formed by stacking 400 or more dielectric layers.

[0040] The dielectric layer 111 may be formed by the following method: manufacturing a ceramic slurry containing ceramic powder particles, an organic solvent, and a binder, coating the ceramic slurry on a carrier film and drying it to prepare a green sheet, and then sintering the green sheet. The ceramic powder particles are not particularly limited as long as sufficient electrostatic capacitance can be obtained using them, and for example, barium titanate (BaTiO3)-based powder particles, CaZrO3-based paraelectric powder particles, etc. may be used as the ceramic powder particles. For a more specific example, the barium titanate (BaTiO3)-based powder particles may be one or more of BaTiO3, (Ba 1-x Ca x )TiO3 (0 < x < 1), Ba(Ti 1-y Ca y )O3 (0 < y < 1), (Ba 1-x Ca x )(Ti 1-y Zr y )O3 (0 < x < 1, 0 < y < 1), and Ba(Ti 1-y Zr y )O3 (0 < y < 1), and the CaZrO3-based paraelectric powder particles may be (Ca 1-x Sr x )(Zr 1-yTi y )O3 (0 < x < 1, 0 < y < 1).

[0041] Therefore, the dielectric layer 111 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), Ba(Ti 1-y Zr y )O3 (0 < y < 1), and (Ca 1-x Sr x )(Zr 1- y Ti y )O3 (0 < x < 1, 0 < y < 1), or one or more of them.

[0042] The main body 110 may include a capacitor forming portion Ac, and covering portions 112 and 113. The capacitor forming portion Ac is disposed in the main body 110 and includes a dielectric layer 111, and first and second internal electrodes 121 and 122. The first and second internal electrodes 121 and 122 are disposed to face each other with the dielectric layer 111 interposed therebetween to form a capacitor. The covering portions 112 and 113 are formed on the upper and lower portions of the capacitor forming portion Ac in a first direction.

[0043] In addition, the capacitor forming portion Ac is 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 therebetween.

[0044] The covering portions 112 and 113 may include a first covering portion 112 disposed above the capacitor forming portion Ac in a first direction and a second covering portion 113 disposed below the capacitor forming portion Ac in a first direction. The first covering portion 112 may be referred to as an upper covering portion, and the second covering portion 113 may be referred to as a lower covering portion.

[0045] The first covering portion 112 and the second covering portion 113 may be formed by stacking a single dielectric layer or two or more dielectric layers on the upper and lower surfaces of the capacitor forming portion Ac in a thickness direction, respectively, and may be mainly used to prevent damage to the internal electrodes due to physical stress or chemical stress.

[0046] The first covering part 112 and the second covering part 113 do not include inner electrodes. Additionally, the first covering part 112 and the second covering part 113 may include the same material as the dielectric layer 111. That is, the first covering part 112 and the second covering part 113 may include a ceramic material, and may include, for example, a barium titanate (BaTiO3)-based ceramic material.

[0047] Referring Figure 4 and Figure 5 , in the cross-sections of the main body 110 in the first direction and the second direction, the corners of the main body 110 may have a rounded shape, and when the radius of curvature of the corner provided in the first covering part 112 is defined as Ru and the radius of curvature of the corner provided in the second covering part 113 is defined as Rd, Rd < Ru may be satisfied. By making the radius of curvature Ru of the corner provided in the first covering part 112 larger than the radius of curvature Rd of the corner provided in the second covering part 113, breakage of the main body can be suppressed and the mounting reliability of the multilayer electronic component can be improved.

[0048] Since the radius of curvature Rd of the corner provided in the second covering part 113 is small, when the multilayer electronic component is mounted on a board, the distance between the board and the main body can be minimized, thereby improving the mounting strength. Generally, as the radius of curvature of the corner of the main body increases, the thickness of the outer electrode becomes thicker, and conversely, as the radius of curvature of the corner of the main body decreases, the thickness of the outer electrode can become thinner. Therefore, since the radius of curvature Rd of the corner provided in the second covering part 113 is small, the thickness of the first-first belt part 131b1 becomes thinner, so that when the multilayer electronic component is mounted on a board, the distance between the board and the main body is minimized and the mounting strength is improved.

[0049] However, as the radius of curvature of the corner of the main body increases, breakage of the main body can be easily suppressed, and conversely, as the radius of curvature of the corner of the main body decreases, it may be difficult to suppress breakage of the main body. Therefore, when the radius of curvature Rd of the corner provided in the second covering part 113 is small, the mounting strength can be improved, but there may be a risk of breakage of the main body. However, according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, the average size of the dielectric grains G1 included in the first covering part 112 is defined as Gs1, and the average size of the dielectric grains G2 included in the second covering part 113 is defined as Gs2, and Gs2 < Gs1 is satisfied. Therefore, even if the radius of curvature Rd of the corner provided in the second covering part 113 is small, breakage of the main body can be suppressed due to the high density of the second covering part 113. Therefore, according to the exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, mounting reliability can be ensured while suppressing breakage of the main body.

[0050] In addition, when forming a rounded shape at the corners of the main body 110 through a polishing process, since Gs2 < Gs1 is satisfied, the density of the first covering portion 112 can be lower than that of the second covering portion 113. Therefore, even when applying a polishing process under the same conditions, the radius of curvature Ru of the corners provided in the first covering portion 112 can be larger than the radius of curvature Rd of the corners provided in the second covering portion 113.

[0051] In an exemplary embodiment, Ru and Rd can satisfy 0.70 < Rd / Ru < 1.00. Therefore, the mounting reliability can be ensured while more easily suppressing the cracking of the main body. When Rd / Ru is less than or equal to 0.70, it may be difficult to ensure both the effect of suppressing the cracking of the main body and the mounting reliability.

[0052] More preferably, Ru and Rd can satisfy 0.70 < Rd / Ru < 0.95, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto.

[0053] In addition, the corresponding values of Ru and Rd do not need to be specifically limited, and their values can be appropriately selected in consideration of the size of the multilayer electronic component. For example, in the case of a multilayer electronic component with a size of 1005 (length: 1.00 mm, width: 0.50 mm), Ru can be greater than or equal to 15 mm and less than or equal to 30 mm, and Rd can be greater than or equal to 14 mm and less than 30 mm.

[0054] In an exemplary embodiment, Gs1 and Gs2 can satisfy 0.80 < Gs2 / Gs1 < 1.00. Therefore, the cracking of the main body can be more easily suppressed while ensuring the mounting reliability.

[0055] When Gs2 / Gs1 is less than or equal to 0.80, it may be difficult to ensure both the effect of suppressing the cracking of the main body and the mounting reliability.

[0056] More preferably, Gs1 and Gs2 can satisfy 0.80 < Gs2 / Gs1 < 0.95, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto.

[0057] In addition, the corresponding values of Gs1 and Gs2 do not need to be specifically limited, and their values can be appropriately selected in consideration of the size of the multilayer electronic component. For example, in the case of a multilayer electronic component with a size of 1005 (length: 1.00 mm, width: 0.50 mm), Gs1 can be greater than or equal to 100 nm and less than or equal to 500 nm, and Gs2 can be greater than or equal to 90 nm and less than or equal to 450 nm.

[0058] In addition, there is no need to particularly limit a method in which the radius of curvature Ru of a corner provided in the first covering portion 112 is greater than the radius of curvature Rd of a corner provided in the second covering portion 113 and the average size Gs1 of dielectric crystal grains included in the first covering portion 112 is greater than the average size Gs2 of dielectric crystal grains included in the second covering portion 113. For example, the composition of a green sheet for forming the first covering portion 112 and the composition of a green sheet for forming the second covering portion 113 may vary by changing the binder content, the type of ceramic powder particles, etc., so that the density of the second covering portion 113 may be higher than the density of the first covering portion 112. In addition, the first covering portion 112 and the second covering portion 113 may be formed using green sheets having the same composition. For example, after stacking the second covering portion 113 by stacking one or more green sheets, a pressing process may be performed once before stacking a green sheet printed with an internal electrode pattern thereon, and then, a green sheet printed with an internal electrode pattern and a green sheet for forming the first covering portion 112 may be stacked and the pressing process may be performed again, so that the second covering portion 113 is subjected to the pressing process twice, and thus the density of the second covering portion 113 may be controlled to be higher than the density of the first covering portion 112. Due to the density difference between the first covering portion and the second covering portion, even when the same polishing conditions are applied to the first covering portion and the second covering portion in a polishing process, the radius of curvature of a rounded shape provided on each of the first covering portion and the second covering portion may be controlled to be different.

[0059] In an exemplary embodiment, when the average thickness of the first covering portion 112 is defined as tc1 and the average thickness of the second covering portion 113 is defined as tc2, tc2 < tc1 may be satisfied. By satisfying tc2 < tc1, Rd < Ru can be easily satisfied.

[0060] In this case, tc1 and tc2 may satisfy 0.50 < tc2 / tc1 < 1.00. When tc2 / tc1 is less than or equal to 0.50, the effect of preventing damage to the internal electrode by the covering portions 112 and 113 may be insufficient, or there may be a problem of a decrease in the capacitance per unit volume of the multilayer electronic component.

[0061] In addition, the respective values of tc1 and tc2 do not need to be specifically limited, and their respective values may be appropriately selected in consideration of the size of the multilayer electronic component. For example, in the case of a multilayer electronic component having a size of 1005 (length: 1.00 mm, width: 0.50 mm), tc1 may be greater than or equal to 20 μm and less than or equal to 70 μm, and tc2 may be greater than or equal to 15 μm and less than or equal to 60 μm.

[0062] The thicknesses of the covering parts 112 and 113 may respectively refer to the dimensions in the first direction. The average thickness of the first covering part 112 may be the average of the dimensions in the first direction of the first covering part 112 measured at five points equidistantly spaced from each other above the capacitor forming part Ac, and the average thickness of the second covering part 113 may be the average of the dimensions in the first direction of the second covering part 113 measured at five points equidistantly spaced from each other below the capacitor forming part Ac.

[0063] In an exemplary embodiment, the first external electrode 131 may be disposed on the third surface 3 and include a first-first band portion 131b1 extending to a part of the first surface 1 and a first-second band portion 131b2 extending to a part of the second surface 2, and the second external electrode 132 may be disposed on the fourth surface 4 and include a second-first band portion 132b1 extending to a part of the first surface 1 and a second-second band portion 132b2 extending to a part of the second surface 2.

[0064] In this case, the average thickness of the first-first band portion 131b1 may be thinner than the average thickness of the first-second band portion 131b2, and the average thickness of the second-first band portion 132b1 may be thinner than the average thickness of the second-second band portion 132b2. Thus, when the multilayer electronic component 100 is mounted on a substrate, the distance between the substrate and the main body can be minimized to improve the mounting strength.

[0065] In addition, in the cross-sections of the main body 110 in the first direction and the second direction, when the thickness of the first-first band portion is defined as Tbd and the thickness of the first-second band portion is defined as Tbu, Tbd < Tbu may be satisfied. The thickness Tbd of the first-first band portion is measured at the central point of the line from the extension line E3 of the third surface to the end of the first-first band portion, and the thickness Tbu of the first-second band portion is measured at the central point of the line from the extension line E3 of the third surface to the end of the first-second band portion.

[0066] Referring to Figure 5 , when the distance from the extension line E3 of the third surface to the end of the first-first band portion is defined as Lbd, the thickness of the first-first band portion measured at the point spaced apart from the extension line E3 of the third surface by Lbd / 2 may be defined as Tbd. In addition, referring to Figure 4 , when the distance from the extension line E3 of the third surface to the end of the first-second band portion is defined as Lbu, the thickness of the first-second band portion measured at the point spaced apart from the extension line E3 of the third surface by Lbu / 2 may be defined as Tbu. In this case, Tbu and Tbd may be measured in the cross-sections in the first direction and the second direction cut from the central portion of the main body in the third direction.

[0067] In this case, 0.5 < Tbd / Tbu < 1.0 can be satisfied. Therefore, breakage of the main body can be more easily suppressed while ensuring mounting reliability.

[0068] In addition, the respective values of Tbd and Tbu do not need to be specifically limited, and their values can be appropriately selected in consideration of the size of the multilayer electronic component. For example, in the case of a multilayer electronic component with a size of 1005 (length: 1.00 mm, width: 0.50 mm), Tbd can be greater than or equal to 15 μm and less than or equal to 30 μm, and Tbu can be greater than or equal to 17 μm and less than or equal to 35 μm.

[0069] Refer to Figures 4 to 6 , when the thickness of the first outer electrode 131 measured at the height corresponding to the height of the first inner electrode 121 disposed at the uppermost part in the first direction is defined as Tau, the thickness of the first outer electrode 131 measured at the height corresponding to the height of the first inner electrode 121 disposed at the lowermost part in the first direction is defined as Tad, and the thickness of the first outer electrode measured at the central portion of the main body in the first direction is defined as Tac, Tad < Tau < Tac can be satisfied.

[0070] When the outer electrodes 131 and 132 are formed by dipping the main body into a conductive paste, the thickness of the outer electrodes 131 and 132 at the central portion of the main body 110 can be thicker than the thickness of the outer electrodes 131 and 132 at the outer periphery of the main body 110, and Tad < Tau can be satisfied by satisfying Rd < Ru.

[0071] In this case, the belt portion of the outer electrode can be thinner than the thickness of the outer electrode at the outer periphery of the main body, and Tbd < Tbu < Tad < Tau < Tac can be satisfied.

[0072] In addition, the corners of the main body can have a rounded shape not only in the cross-section of the main body in the first direction and the second direction, but also in the cross-section of the main body in the first direction and the third direction. Refer to Figure 9 and Figure 10 , when the radius of curvature of the corner disposed in the first covering portion in the cross-section of the main body in the first direction and the third direction is defined as Ruw, and the radius of curvature of the corner disposed in the second covering portion is defined as Rdw, Ruw > Rdw can be satisfied.

[0073] In addition, refer to Figure 2 and Figure 3 , the first inner electrode and the second inner electrode are respectively disposed at the ends of the main body in the second direction, but the first inner electrode and the second inner electrode are not disposed at the ends of the main body in the third direction. Therefore, due to the stepped portion caused by the thickness of the inner electrode, Ru, Rd, Ruw, and Rud can satisfy Ruw > Ru > Rdw > Rd.

[0074] Refer to Figure 7 and Figure 8 ,the first covering portion 112 may include a plurality of dielectric grains G1 and pores P1, and the second covering portion 113 may include a plurality of dielectric grains G2 and pores P2.

[0075] When the porosity of the first covering portion 112 is defined as Ps1 and the porosity of the second covering portion 113 is defined as Ps2, Ps2 < Ps1 can be satisfied. Since the porosity can also have a great influence on the density of the first covering portion and the second covering portion, the density of the first covering portion can be made lower than that of the second covering portion by satisfying Ps2 < Ps1, so that the breakage of the main body can be easily suppressed while ensuring the mounting reliability.

[0076] In an exemplary embodiment, Ps1 and Ps2 may satisfy 0.7 ≤ Ps2 / Ps1 < 1.0. When Ps2 / Ps1 is less than 0.7, since sufficient strength of the second covering portion 113 cannot be ensured, the radius of curvature of the corner in the second covering portion 113 may be approximated to the radius of curvature of the corner in the first covering portion 112 during polishing, so that it may be difficult to ensure sufficient mounting strength.

[0077] The average dielectric grain size and porosity of the first covering portion 112 and the second covering portion 113 can be obtained by the following method: Analyze the images scanned in the first direction and the second direction of the cross-section cut from the central portion in the third direction of the main body using an SEM manufactured by ZEISS at a magnification of 50k. In this case, the SEM can be used to scan the images of each of the first covering portion 112 and the second covering portion 113 in the cross-sections in the first direction and the second direction.

[0078] The Feret diameter of the dielectric grains can be measured from the scanned images using the grain size measurement software Zootos to obtain the average sizes of the dielectric grains G1 and G2. In addition, since there are obvious brightness differences between the dielectric grains G1 and G2 and the pores P1 and P2, the ratio of the area occupied by the pores P1 observed in the SEM scanned image to the total area (including the pores) of the first covering portion and the ratio of the area occupied by the pores P2 observed in the SEM scanned image to the total area (including the pores) of the second covering portion can be measured using an image analysis program to obtain their respective porosities.

[0079] In addition, the edge portions 114 and 115 may be provided on the side surfaces of the capacitor forming portion Ac.

[0080] The edge portions 114 and 115 may include a first edge portion 114 provided on one side surface of the capacitor forming portion Ac in the third direction and a second edge portion 115 provided on the other side surface of the capacitor forming portion Ac in the third direction. That is, the edge portions 114 and 115 may form two side surfaces of the main body 110 in the width direction.

[0081] As Figure 3 shown, the edge portions 114 and 115 may refer to the regions between the two ends of the first inner electrode 121 and the second inner electrode 122 in the width direction and the outer surface of the main body 110 in the width direction in a cross section of the main body 110 in the width direction - thickness direction.

[0082] The edge portions 114 and 115 may be mainly used to prevent damage to the inner electrodes due to physical stress or chemical stress.

[0083] The edge portions 114 and 115 may be formed by the following method: forming the inner electrodes by coating a conductive paste on the green sheet except for the portions where the edge portions are to be formed.

[0084] In addition, the widths of the edge portions 114 and 115 do not need to be particularly limited. However, in order to more easily achieve miniaturization and high capacitance of the multilayer electronic component, the average widths of the edge portions 114 and 115 may be less than or equal to 15 μm.

[0085] The average widths of the edge portions 114 and 115 may refer to the average dimensions in the third direction of the regions where the inner electrodes 121 and 122 are spaced apart from the fifth surface and the average dimensions in the third direction of the regions where the inner electrodes 121 and 122 are spaced apart from the sixth surface, and may be the average values of the third direction dimensions of the edge portions 114 and 115 measured at five points spaced equally from each other in the first direction on the side surface of the capacitor forming portion Ac.

[0086] Therefore, in the exemplary embodiment, each of the average dimensions in the third direction of the regions where the inner electrodes 121 and 122 are spaced apart from the fifth surface and the sixth surface may be less than or equal to 15 μm.

[0087] 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 interposed therebetween, and may be respectively exposed to the third surface 3 and the fourth surface 4 of the main body 110.

[0088] The first internal electrode 121 may be spaced apart from the fourth surface 4 and may be exposed through the third surface 3, and the second internal electrode 122 may be spaced apart from the third surface 3 and may be exposed through the fourth surface 4. The first external electrode 131 may be disposed 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 disposed on the fourth surface 4 of the main body and may be connected to the second internal electrode 122.

[0089] That is, the first internal electrode 121 may be connected to the first external electrode 131 without being connected to the second external electrode 132, and the second internal electrode 122 may be connected to the second external electrode 132 without being connected to the first external electrode 131. Accordingly, 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. Additionally, the first internal electrode 121 and the second internal electrode 122 may be spaced apart from the fifth surface and the sixth surface of the main body 110.

[0090] The conductive metal included in the internal electrodes 121 and 122 may be one or more of Ni, Cu, Pd, Ag, Au, Pt, In, Sn, Al, Ti, and alloys thereof, and the present disclosure is not limited thereto.

[0091] The average thickness td of the dielectric layer 111 does not need to be specifically limited, but may be, for example, 0.1 μm to 10 μm. The average thickness te of the internal electrodes 121 and 122 does not need to be specifically limited, but may be, for example, 0.05 μm to 3.0 μm. Additionally, the average thickness td of the dielectric layer 111 and the average thickness te of the internal electrodes 121 and 122 may be arbitrarily set according to desired characteristics or purposes. For example, in order to achieve miniaturization and high capacitance, for high-voltage electric field electronic components, the average thickness td of the dielectric layer 111 may be less than 2.8 μm, and the average thickness te of the internal electrodes 121 and 122 may be less than 1 μm. Further, in order to achieve miniaturization and high capacitance, for small information technology (IT) electronic components, the average thickness td of the dielectric layer 111 may be less than or equal to 0.4 μm, and the average thickness te of the internal electrodes 121 and 122 may be less than or equal to 0.4 μm.

[0092] The average thickness td of the dielectric layer 111 and the average thickness te of the inner electrodes 121 and 122 respectively refer to the average dimensions in the first direction of the dielectric layer 111 and the inner electrodes 121 and 122. The average thickness td of the dielectric layer 111 and the average thickness te of the inner electrodes 121 and 122 can be measured by scanning the cross-sections of the main body 110 in the first direction and the second direction with a scanning electron microscope (SEM) at a magnification of 10,000 times. More specifically, the average thickness td of the dielectric layer 111 can be obtained by measuring its thickness at multiple points (e.g., 30 points equally spaced from each other in the second direction) of one dielectric layer 111 and calculating the average value. Additionally, the average thickness te of the inner electrodes 121 and 122 can be obtained by measuring the thickness at multiple points (e.g., 30 points equally spaced from each other in the second direction) of one inner electrode 121 or 122 and calculating the average value. The 30 points equally spaced from each other can be specified in the capacitance forming portion Ac. Additionally, when measuring the average thickness by extending the average value measurement to 10 dielectric layers 111 and 10 inner electrodes 121 and 122, the average thickness td of the dielectric layer 111 and the average thickness te of the inner electrodes 121 and 122 can be more generalized.

[0093] The outer electrodes 131 and 132 can be provided on the third surface 3 and the fourth surface 4 of the main body 110.

[0094] The outer electrodes 131 and 132 can include a first outer electrode 131 and a second outer electrode 132 that are respectively provided on the third surface 3 and the fourth surface 4 of the main body 110 and are respectively connected to the first inner electrode 121 and the second inner electrode 122.

[0095] Referring Figure 1 to, the outer electrodes 131 and 132 can be provided to cover the two end surfaces of the edge portions 114 and 115 in the second direction.

[0096] In the exemplary embodiment, a structure in which the multi-layer electronic component 100 has two outer electrodes 131 and 132 is described, but the number or shape of the outer electrodes can be changed according to the shape of the inner electrodes or other purposes.

[0097] Additionally, the outer electrodes 131 and 132 can be formed of any material having conductivity (such as a metal), and the specific material can be determined in consideration of electrical characteristics, structural stability, etc. In addition, the outer electrodes 131 and 132 can have a multi-layer structure.

[0098] For example, the outer electrodes 131 and 132 can include an electrode layer provided on the main body 110 and a plating layer formed on the electrode layer.

[0099] For a more specific example of the electrode layer, the electrode layer can be a sintered electrode including a conductive metal and glass, or a resin-based electrode including a conductive metal and a resin.

[0100] In addition, the electrode layer may be in a form in which a sintered electrode and a resin-based electrode are sequentially formed on the main body. In addition, the electrode layer may be formed by transferring a sheet including a conductive metal to the main body, or may be formed by transferring a sheet including a conductive metal to the sintered electrode.

[0101] A material having excellent conductivity can be used as the conductive metal included in the electrode layer, and there is no particular limitation. For example, the conductive metal may be one or more of nickel (Ni), copper (Cu), and their alloys.

[0102] The plating layer is used to improve the mounting characteristics. The type of the plating layer is not particularly limited, and the plating layer may be a single plating layer including at least one of Ni, Sn, Pd, and their alloys, or may be formed of multiple layers.

[0103] For more specific examples of the plating layer, the plating layer may be a Ni plating layer or a Sn plating layer, may be in a form in which a Ni plating layer and a Sn plating layer are sequentially formed on the electrode layer, or may be in a form in which a Sn plating layer, a Ni plating layer, and a Sn plating layer are sequentially formed on the electrode layer. In addition, the plating layer may include multiple Ni plating layers and / or multiple Sn plating layers.

[0104] The size of the multilayer electronic component 100 does not need to be particularly limited. For example, the length of the multilayer electronic component 100 may be less than or equal to 4.5 mm, the thickness of the multilayer electronic component 100 may be less than or equal to 3.2 mm, and the width of the multilayer electronic component 100 may be less than or equal to 3.2 mm.

[0105] Here, 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.

[0106] Although the exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure have been described in detail above, the present disclosure is not limited to the above embodiments and drawings, and the scope of the present disclosure is defined by the appended claims. Therefore, those of ordinary skill in the art can make various substitutions, modifications, or changes without departing from the scope of the present disclosure defined by the appended claims, and these substitutions, modifications, or changes should be construed as being included within the scope of the present disclosure.

[0107] In addition, the expression "exemplary embodiments" used in this disclosure does not mean the same embodiments and is provided to emphasize and explain different unique features. However, the embodiments presented above do not exclude the implementation by combining the features of another embodiment. For example, although the items described in a specific embodiment are not described in another embodiment, unless there is a description contrary to or contradictory to that item in another embodiment, that item can be understood as a description related to another embodiment.

[0108] In this disclosure, terms are only used to describe specific embodiments and are not intended to limit this disclosure. Unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, the singular meaning may also include the plural meaning.

Claims

1. A multilayer electronic component comprising: A body, comprising: a capacitor forming portion, comprising a dielectric layer and first and second inner electrodes alternately arranged in a first direction, with the dielectric layer interposed between the first and second inner electrodes; a first covering portion disposed above the capacitor forming portion in the first direction; a second covering portion disposed below the capacitor forming portion in the first direction, and the body comprising 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 a first outer electrode and a second outer electrode, disposed on the body and connected to the first inner electrode and the second inner electrode, respectively; wherein, in the first and second direction cross sections of the main body, the corners of the main body have a rounded shape, when the curvature radius of the corner provided in the first covering portion is defined as Ru and the curvature radius of the corner provided in the second covering portion is defined as Rd, Rd<Ru is satisfied, and When the average size of dielectric grains included in the first cover portion is defined as Gs1 and the average size of dielectric grains included in the second cover portion is defined as Gs2, Gs2<Gs1 is satisfied.

2. The multilayer electronic component of claim 1, wherein: Ru and Rd satisfy 0.70<Rd / Ru<1.

00.

3. The multilayer electronic component of claim 1, wherein: Gs1 and Gs2 satisfy 0.80<Gs2 / Gs1<1.

00.

4. The multilayer electronic component of claim 1, wherein: When the average thickness of the first covering portion is defined as tc1 and the average thickness of the second covering portion is defined as tc2, tc2<tc1 is satisfied.

5. The multilayer electronic component of claim 4, wherein: tc1 and tc2 satisfy 0.50<tc2 / tc1<1.

00.

6. The multilayer electronic component of claim 1, wherein: The first external electrode is disposed on the third surface and includes a first-first band portion extending to a portion of the first surface and a first-second band portion extending to a portion of the second surface, and The second external electrode is disposed on the fourth surface and includes a second-first band portion extending to a portion of the first surface and a second-second band portion extending to a portion of the second surface.

7. The multilayer electronic component of claim 6, wherein: The average thickness of the first-first belt portion is thinner than the average thickness of the first-second belt portion, and An average thickness of the second-first band portion is thinner than an average thickness of the second-second band portion.

8. The multilayer electronic component of claim 6, wherein: In the first and second direction cross-sections of the main body, when the thickness of the first-first band portion is defined as Tbd and the thickness of the first-second band portion is defined as Tbu, Tbd<Tbu is satisfied, the thickness of the first-first band portion is measured at the central point of a line from an extension line of the third surface to an end portion of the first-first band portion, and the thickness of the first-second band portion is measured at the central point of a line from the extension line of the third surface to the end portion of the first-second band portion.

9. The multilayer electronic component of claim 8, wherein: Tbd and Tbu satisfy 0.5<Tbd / Tbu<1.

0.

10. The multilayer electronic component of claim 1, wherein: When the thickness of the first outer electrode measured at a height corresponding to the height of the first inner electrode disposed at the uppermost part in the first direction is defined as Tau, the thickness of the first outer electrode measured at a height corresponding to the height of the first inner electrode disposed at the lowermost part in the first direction is defined as Tad, and the thickness of the first outer electrode measured at the central portion of the body in the first direction is defined as Tac, Tad<Tau<Tac is satisfied.

11. The multilayer electronic component of claim 8, wherein: When the thickness of the first outer electrode measured at a height corresponding to the height of the first inner electrode set at the uppermost part in the first direction is defined as Tau, the thickness of the first outer electrode measured at a height corresponding to the height of the first inner electrode set at the lowermost part in the first direction is defined as Tad, and the thickness of the first outer electrode measured at the central part of the body in the first direction is defined as Tac, Tbd<Tbu<Tad<Tau<Tac is satisfied.

12. The multilayer electronic component of claim 1, wherein: In the first and third direction cross sections of the main body, the corners of the main body have a rounded shape, and when the curvature radius of the corner set in the first covering part is defined as Ruw, and the curvature radius of the corner set in the second covering part is defined as Rdw, Ruw>Rdw is satisfied.

13. The multilayer electronic component of claim 12, wherein: Ru, Rd, Ruw and Rdw satisfy Ruw>Ru>Rdw>Rd.

14. The multilayer electronic component of claim 1, wherein: When the porosity of the first cover portion is defined as Ps1 and the porosity of the second cover portion is defined as Ps2, Ps2<Ps1 is satisfied.

15. The multilayer electronic component of claim 14, wherein: Ps1 and Ps2 satisfy 0.7≤Ps2 / Ps1<1.

0.

16. A multilayer electronic component comprising: a capacitor forming portion, comprising a dielectric layer and first and second internal electrodes alternately stacked in a thickness direction, wherein the dielectric layer is interposed between the first and second internal electrodes; a first covering portion including a first dielectric material covering an upper surface of the capacitor forming portion in the thickness direction, the first covering portion having an average thickness tc1 and having a corner with a curvature radius Ru; as well as a second covering portion including a second dielectric material covering a lower surface of the capacitor forming portion in the thickness direction, the second covering portion having a corner with a curvature radius Rd and having an average thickness tc2, Among them, Rd<Ru and / or tc2<tc1 is satisfied.

17. The multilayer electronic component of claim 16, wherein: 0.70<Rd / Ru<1.00, and 0.50<tc2 / tc1<1.

00.

18. The multilayer electronic component of claim 16, wherein: The density of the second dielectric material is greater than the density of the first dielectric material.

19. The multilayer electronic component according to claim 16, further comprising an external electrode, the external electrode contacting the first internal electrode or the second internal electrode and having a first band portion and a second band portion, the first band portion being disposed on an upper surface of the first covering portion in the thickness direction with a thickness of Tbu, and the second band portion being disposed on a lower surface of the second covering portion in the thickness direction with a thickness of Tbd, in, 0.5<Tbd / Tbu<1.0。

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