Multilayer electronic component

Abstract

The present disclosure provides a multilayer electronic component. The multilayer electronic component includes: a body including a dielectric layer including at least one of SrTiO3 and TiO2 as a main component, and internal electrodes alternately disposed with the dielectric layer in a first direction, in a structure of the at least one of SrTiO3 and TiO2, the internal electrodes are disposed alternately with the dielectric layer in the first direction, and in a structure of the at least one of SrTiO3 and TiO2, the internal electrodes are disposed alternately with the dielectric layer in the first direction; the element at at least one of the element sites other than the oxygen element (O) site is substituted by a donor element; and an external electrode disposed on the body, in which the dielectric layer includes a plurality of dielectric grains, grain boundaries disposed between adjacent dielectric grains, three intersections disposed at points at which three or more of the grain boundaries contact each other, a first metal oxide disposed at the three intersections, and a second metal oxide disposed at the grain boundaries, an atomic percentage of a first metal element included in the first metal oxide may be higher than an atomic percentage of a second metal element included in the second metal oxide.

Description

Multilayer electronic components

[0001] This application claims the benefit of priority to Korean Patent Application No. 10-2024-0149793, filed on October 29, 2024, with the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0002] This disclosure relates to a multilayer electronic component. Background Technology

[0003] Multilayer ceramic capacitors (MLCCs), as multilayer electronic components, are chip capacitors that can be mounted on printed circuit boards of various types of electronic products, including image display devices such as liquid crystal displays (LCDs) and plasma display panels (PDPs), computers, smartphones, mobile phones, etc., and charged or discharged from them.

[0004] Multilayer ceramic capacitors are used as components in a wide variety of electronic devices due to their small size, high capacitance, and ease of installation. As electronic devices such as computers and mobile devices are designed to have smaller dimensions and higher output, the demand for miniaturization and increased capacitance of multilayer ceramic capacitors has increased.

[0005] Due to limitations in the dielectric constant and thinning of currently commercialized barium titanate (BaTiO3) dielectric materials, research is underway on new high dielectric constant materials.

[0006] Examples of candidates for these new high dielectric constant materials may include materials that have been doped, dissolved, or substituted with donor or acceptor elements (such as strontium titanate (SrTiO3) or titanium dioxide (TiO2)), but suffer from problems such as high dielectric loss and low resistivity due to doping. Summary of the Invention

[0007] The present disclosure provides a multilayer electronic component with excellent dielectric properties and improved resistivity properties.

[0008] However, the purpose of this disclosure is not limited to the foregoing, and can be more readily understood in the process of explaining specific embodiments of this disclosure.

[0009] A multilayer electronic component according to some embodiments of the present disclosure may include: a body including a dielectric layer and an inner electrode disposed alternately with the dielectric layer in a first direction, the dielectric layer including at least one of SrTiO3 and TiO2 as a main component, wherein, in the structure of the at least one of SrTiO3 and TiO2, at least one element site other than the oxygen (O) site is replaced by a donor element; and an outer electrode disposed on the body, wherein the dielectric layer includes a plurality of dielectric grains, grain boundaries between adjacent dielectric grains, a triple junction at a point where three or more grain boundaries in the grain boundary contact each other, a first metal oxide disposed at the triple junction, and a second metal oxide disposed at the grain boundary, wherein the atomic percentage of the first metal element included in the first metal oxide may be higher than the atomic percentage of the second metal element included in the second metal oxide. Attached Figure Description

[0010] The above and other aspects, features and advantages of this disclosure will be more clearly understood from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which: FIG1 is a perspective view schematically showing a multilayer electronic assembly according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0011] Figure 2 is a schematic exploded perspective view showing the layered structure of the main body.

[0012] Figure 3 schematically shows a cross-sectional view of a multilayer electronic assembly taken along line I-I' in Figure 1.

[0013] Figure 4 schematically shows a cross-sectional view of a multilayer electronic assembly taken along line II-II' of Figure 1.

[0014] Figure 5 schematically shows a cross-sectional view of a multilayer electronic assembly taken along line II-II' of Figure 1 according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0015] Figure 6 schematically shows an enlarged view of region P in Figure 3. Detailed Implementation

[0016] In the following description, embodiments of the present disclosure will be illustrated with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the present disclosure may be exemplified in many different forms and should not be construed as being limited to the specific embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that the present disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the disclosure to those skilled in the art. Therefore, for clarity of description, the shape and size of elements in the drawings may be exaggerated, and elements denoted by the same reference numerals in the drawings are the same elements.

[0017] In the accompanying drawings, irrelevant descriptions will be omitted to clearly depict this disclosure, and thicknesses may be enlarged to clearly represent multiple layers and regions. The same reference numerals will be used to describe the same elements having the same function within the scope of the same concept. Throughout the specification, unless explicitly stated otherwise, when a component is referred to as “comprising” or “including” another component, it means that the component may also include other components, but does not exclude other components.

[0018] In the accompanying drawings, the first direction can be defined as the stacking direction or the thickness direction, the second direction can be defined as the length direction, and the third direction can be defined as the width direction.

[0019] Multilayer electronic components Figure 1 is a perspective view schematically illustrating a multilayer electronic assembly according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0020] Figure 2 is a schematic exploded perspective view showing the layered structure of the main body.

[0021] Figure 3 schematically shows a cross-sectional view of a multilayer electronic assembly taken along line I-I' in Figure 1.

[0022] Figure 4 schematically shows a cross-sectional view of a multilayer electronic assembly taken along line II-II' of Figure 1.

[0023] Figure 5 schematically shows a cross-sectional view of a multilayer electronic assembly taken along line II-II' of Figure 1 according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0024] Figure 6 schematically shows an enlarged view of region P in Figure 3.

[0025] In the following description, multilayer electronic components according to some embodiments will be described in more detail with reference to Figures 1 through 6. Multilayer ceramic capacitors will be described as examples of multilayer electronic components, but embodiments thereof are not limited thereto, and this disclosure is applicable to a variety of multilayer electronic components (such as inductors, piezoelectric elements, varistors, or thermistors).

[0026] A multilayer electronic component 100 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure may include: a body 110 including a dielectric layer 111 alternately disposed in a first direction and inner electrodes 121 and 122, wherein the dielectric layer 111 includes at least one of SrTiO3 and TiO2 as a main component, wherein in the structure of at least one of the SrTiO3 and TiO2, the element at at least one element site other than the oxygen (O) site is replaced by a donor element; and outer electrodes 131 and 132 disposed on the body 110, and the dielectric layer 111 includes a plurality of dielectric grains 10, grain boundaries GB between adjacent dielectric grains 10 and three intersection points MP at the points where three or more grain boundaries GB contact each other, a first metal oxide 11 disposed at the three intersection points MP and a second metal oxide 12 disposed at the grain boundaries GB, wherein the atomic percentage of the first metal element included in the first metal oxide 11 may be higher than the atomic percentage of the second metal element included in the second metal oxide 12.

[0027] The body 110 may have dielectric layers 111 and internal electrodes 121 and 122 stacked therein alternately.

[0028] More specifically, the main body 110 may include a capacitor forming portion Ac, which is disposed in the main body 110 and forms a capacitor. The capacitor forming portion Ac includes a first inner electrode 121 and a second inner electrode 122, which are alternately arranged to face each other and a dielectric layer 111 is disposed between the first inner electrode 121 and the second inner electrode 122.

[0029] The shape of the body 110 is not limited to any particular shape, but as shown in Figure 1, the body 110 may have a hexahedral shape or a shape similar to a hexahedron. Due to the shrinkage of the ceramic powder included in the body 110 during the firing process, the body 110 may not have a precise hexahedral shape formed by straight lines, but may have a generally hexahedral shape.

[0030] 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.

[0031] The plurality of dielectric layers 111 forming the body 110 may be in a sintered state, and adjacent dielectric layers 111 may be integrated with each other, making it difficult to distinguish the boundaries between adjacent dielectric layers 111 without the use of a scanning electron microscope (SEM).

[0032] Due to limitations in the dielectric constant and thinning of currently commercialized barium titanate (BaTiO3) dielectric materials, research is underway on new high dielectric constant materials.

[0033] Examples of candidates for these new high dielectric constant materials may include materials that have been doped, dissolved, or substituted (hereinafter collectively referred to as "substituted") with donor or acceptor elements (such as strontium titanate (SrTiO3) or titanium dioxide (TiO2)), but which suffer from defects such as high dielectric loss and low resistivity due to doping.

[0034] Therefore, a multilayer electronic component 100 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure may include a dielectric layer 111, wherein the dielectric layer 111 includes one of strontium titanate (SrTiO3) and titanium dioxide (TiO2) as a main component, wherein at least one element at an element site other than the oxygen (O) site in strontium titanate (SrTiO3) and titanium dioxide (TiO2) is replaced by a donor element.

[0035] In some embodiments, the term "main component" may refer to a component that occupies a relatively large weight ratio, atomic ratio, or molar ratio compared to other components, and may refer to a component that accounts for more than 50 wt% of the weight of the entire composition or the entire dielectric layer, more than 50 at% of the atomic number of the entire composition or the entire dielectric layer, or more than 50 mol% of the molar number of the entire composition or the entire dielectric layer.

[0036] As an example of a more specific method for measuring the content of elements in each construction of the multilayer electronic assembly 100 included in the embodiments, the components can be analyzed using the energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (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). First, a thinned analytical sample can be prepared in the region to be measured using a focused ion beam (FIB) device. Subsequently, a surface damage layer of the thinned sample can be removed using xenon (Xe) or argon (Ar) ion milling, and each component to be measured can be mapped from the images obtained using SEM-EDS, TEM-EDS, or STEM-EDS, and qualitative / quantitative analysis can be performed. In this case, the qualitative / quantitative analysis map of each component can be represented by converting the content of each element (e.g., weight percentage (wt%), atomic percentage (at%), or molar percentage (mol%)), and can also be represented by the content of another specific component for the content of a particular component.

[0037] Another approach is to crush the body to select the area to be measured, and then use a device such as an inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometer (ICP-OES) or an inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer (ICP-MS) to analyze the specific components in the portion containing the selected dielectric microstructure.

[0038] Furthermore, the raw materials for forming the dielectric layer 111 may include various additives, organic solvents, adhesives, dispersants, etc., added according to the purposes of the embodiments.

[0039] Furthermore, to distinguish the dielectric layers included in the cover portions 112 and 113 and the side edge portions 114 and 115 described below, the dielectric layer 111 included in the capacitor forming portion Ac may be a first dielectric layer 111, the dielectric layer included in the cover portions 112 and 113 may be a second dielectric layer, and the dielectric layer included in the side edge portions 114 and 115 may be a third dielectric layer. However, in this disclosure, unless specifically contradicted, the content regarding the first dielectric layer may be described as dielectric layer 111.

[0040] Furthermore, since the first to third dielectric layers can be formed using a dielectric material, the dielectric layers can include dielectric microstructures after sintering. The dielectric microstructures can include multiple dielectric grains, grain boundaries between adjacent dielectric grains, and three-way junctions at points where three or more grain boundaries contact each other, and can include multiple dielectric grains, multiple grain boundaries, and multiple three-way junctions.

[0041] Since the dielectric layer 111 includes one of strontium titanate (SrTiO3) and titanium dioxide (TiO2) as the main component, in strontium titanate (SrTiO3) and titanium dioxide (TiO2), at least one element at the element site other than the oxygen (O) site is replaced by a donor element, a higher dielectric constant than that of ordinary barium titanate (BaTiO3) dielectric materials can be achieved.

[0042] In the case of strontium titanate (SrTiO3), the donor element can replace titanium (Ti), or in the case of titanium dioxide (TiO2), the donor element can replace titanium (Ti).

[0043] Here, the donor element may refer to a +5 valence element, and more specifically, for example, may include at least one selected from the group consisting of Nb, Ta, Sb, Mo and V, more preferably, may include at least one of Nb and Ta, but is not particularly limited thereto.

[0044] In this case, the content of the substituted donor element (i.e., the content of the donor element) can be greater than 0 mol% and less than or equal to 2 mol%.

[0045] Here, the content of the substituted donor element (i.e., the content of the donor element) (mol%) can refer to the percentage value of the number of moles of the substituted donor element (D) relative to the sum of the number of moles of the substituted element after being substituted (B) and the number of moles of the substituted donor element (D) (B+D), expressed as a percentage ([D / (B+D)]%).

[0046] For a specific example, when the substituted donor element is niobium (Nb) and the content of the substituted niobium (Nb) element is 1 mol%, it can be expressed that 1 mol of 100 mol of titanium (Ti) element is replaced by niobium (Nb) element, resulting in 99 mol of titanium (Ti) element and 1 mol of niobium (Nb) element. It can also be expressed as the percentage value of 1 mol of niobium (Nb) element relative to the sum of 99 mol of titanium (Ti) element and 1 mol of niobium (Nb) element (99 mol + 1 mol) [1 mol / (99 mol + 1 mol)]%.

[0047] When the content of the substituted donor element meets the condition of being greater than 0 mol% and less than or equal to 2 mol%, the dielectric constant of strontium titanate (SrTiO3) and / or titanium dioxide (TiO2) can be further improved.

[0048] When the content of the substituted donor element exceeds 2 mol%, defects may be introduced, leading to a deterioration of dielectric properties. Furthermore, it may cause side effects by reducing the dispersibility of materials containing donor elements and causing aggregation. Additionally, it may excessively degrade insulation properties or induce dielectric loss (tanδ).

[0049] In addition, at least one of strontium titanate (SrTiO3) and titanium dioxide (TiO2) may have a structure in which the acceptor element replaces at least one element at an element site other than the oxygen (O) site.

[0050] Compared to dielectric materials that merely replace elements at at least one element site other than the oxygen (O) site with donor elements, further improved dielectric properties can be achieved by further replacing elements at at least one element site other than the oxygen (O) site with acceptor elements in the structure of at least one of strontium titanate (SrTiO3) and titanium dioxide (TiO2).

[0051] In the case of strontium titanate (SrTiO3), the acceptor element can replace both the strontium (Sr) and titanium (Ti) sites (preferably, the acceptor element can replace the titanium (Ti) site), and in the case of titanium dioxide (TiO2), the acceptor element can replace the titanium (Ti) site.

[0052] Here, the acceptor element may refer to a +3 valence element, and more specifically, for example, may include at least one selected from the group consisting of Al, Ga, Mg, Zn, Sc, In, Yb, Er and Eu, more preferably, may include at least one selected from the group consisting of Al, Ga and In, but is not particularly limited thereto.

[0053] In this case, the content of the substituted acceptor element (i.e., the content of the acceptor element) can be greater than 0 mol% and less than or equal to 1 mol.

[0054] Here, the content of the substituted acceptor element (i.e., the content of the acceptor element) (mol%) can refer to the percentage value of the number of moles of the substituted acceptor element (A) relative to the sum of the number of moles of the substituted element after being substituted (B') and the number of moles of the substituted acceptor element (A) (B'+A), expressed as a percentage ([A / (B'+A)]%).

[0055] The meaning of the content (mol%) of the substituted acceptor element is the same as that of the content (mol%) of the substituted donor element mentioned above, so the explanation is omitted.

[0056] When the content of the substituted acceptor element is greater than 0 mol% and less than or equal to 1 mol%, the dielectric constant of strontium titanate (SrTiO3) or titanium dioxide (TiO2) can be further improved.

[0057] When the content of the substituted acceptor element exceeds 1 mol%, defects may be introduced, leading to a deterioration of dielectric properties. Furthermore, it may cause side effects by reducing the dispersibility of materials containing the acceptor element and causing aggregation. Additionally, it may excessively degrade insulation properties or induce dielectric loss (tanδ).

[0058] In addition, when donor and acceptor elements are substituted together in strontium titanate (SrTiO3) and titanium dioxide (TiO2), the total content of substituted donor and acceptor elements may be greater than 0 mol% and less than or equal to 2 mol% relative to the total amount of at least one of SrTiO3 and TiO2.

[0059] When the total content of the substituted donor and acceptor elements is greater than 0 mol% and less than or equal to 2 mol%, the dielectric constant of strontium titanate (SrTiO3) and / or titanium dioxide (TiO2) can be further improved.

[0060] When the total content of substituted donor and acceptor elements exceeds 2 mol%, defects may be introduced, leading to a deterioration of dielectric properties. This can also cause side effects by reducing the dispersibility of materials containing donor and acceptor elements and causing aggregation. Furthermore, it may excessively degrade insulation properties or cause dielectric loss (tanδ).

[0061] In addition, although not particularly limited thereto, it is preferable that the molar ratio of the substituted donor element to the acceptor element (donor element:acceptor element) can be 1:1 to 2:1.

[0062] In other words, preferably, the content (mol%) of the substituted donor element and the content (mol%) of the substituted acceptor element can be the same, or the content (mol%) of the substituted donor element can be twice the content (mol%) of the substituted acceptor element. Here, the ratio of the substituted donor element to the acceptor element can include an error range of ±10%.

[0063] When the molar ratio of the substituted donor element to the acceptor element is 1:1 to 2:1, the dielectric constant of strontium titanate (SrTiO3) or titanium dioxide (TiO2) can be further improved, and no side effects may occur.

[0064] In a multilayer electronic component 100 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure, a dielectric layer 111 may include a first metal oxide 11 disposed at a three-intersection point MP and a second metal oxide 12 disposed at a grain boundary GB, and the atomic percentage M1 of the first metal element included in the first metal oxide 11 may be higher than the atomic percentage M2 of the second metal element included in the second metal oxide 12.

[0065] The dielectric layer 111 may include a first metal oxide 11 at the three junctions MP and a second metal oxide 12 at the grain boundary GB, and since the atomic percentage M1 of the first metal element included in the first metal oxide 11 is higher than the atomic percentage M2 of the second metal element included in the second metal oxide 12, the resistivity characteristics are improved.

[0066] For high dielectric constant materials as described above (such as strontium titanate (SrTiO3) and / or titanium dioxide (TiO2) substituted with donor and / or acceptor elements), dielectric properties can be excellent, but resistivity properties may be poor.

[0067] Therefore, since the dielectric layer 111 includes a first metal oxide 11 and a second metal oxide 12, thereby improving resistivity characteristics, a multilayer electronic component 100 with improved high dielectric constant and resistivity characteristics can be provided, and in the case of titanium dioxide (TiO2), the resistivity characteristics can be further improved. Specifically, TiO2 is known to have a high dielectric constant but poor resistivity. In contrast, BaTiO3 has relatively low dielectric properties but excellent resistivity, and is therefore widely used as a general-purpose dielectric material. The present invention utilizes the high dielectric properties of TiO2 while compensating for the poor resistivity of TiO2 by including a first metal oxide 11 and a second metal oxide 12 in the dielectric layer (e.g., at the triple junctions and grain boundaries).

[0068] More specifically, for example, in a dielectric layer 111 comprising strontium titanate (SrTiO3) or titanium dioxide (TiO2) as the main component, substituted with donor or acceptor elements, the resistivity of a multilayer electronic assembly 100 including the first metal oxide 11 at the three-intersection MP and the second metal oxide 12 at the grain boundary GB can be increased by 10% compared to a multilayer electronic assembly excluding the first metal oxide 11 disposed at the three-intersection MP and the second metal oxide 12 disposed at the grain boundary GB. 5 Ω or more.

[0069] In this disclosure, the first metal element included in the first metal oxide 11 and the second metal element included in the second metal oxide 12 may include at least one selected from the group consisting of, for example, Si, Al, Nb, Ta, Mo, V, Mg, In, Sn, Cu, Ni, Cr, Mn, Sb, Ga, and Ti (including indium tin oxide (ITO), fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO), etc.), preferably at least one selected from the group consisting of Si and Al, and more preferably Si. However, it is not particularly limited thereto, and may include any metallic material capable of improving resistivity characteristics. In this disclosure, "metal" may mean a metal known in the art, and may also mean a metalloid or half-metal.

[0070] In addition, the first metallic element and the second metallic element may be the same or different, or in the case of multiple metallic elements, only some of the metallic elements may be the same, but this is not particularly limited.

[0071] Additionally, although not particularly limited thereto, for example, the difference (M1-M2) between the atomic percentage M1 of the first metal element included in the first metal oxide 11 and the atomic percentage M2 of the second metal element included in the second metal oxide 12 can be 10 at% or greater.

[0072] For a specific example, the atomic percentage M1 of the first metal element included in the first metal oxide 11 may be 70 at% or greater, and the atomic percentage M2 of the second metal element included in the second metal oxide 12 may be less than 30 at%.

[0073] In this disclosure, the atomic percentage at% of the first metal element included in the first metal oxide 11 and the atomic percentage at% of the second metal element included in the second metal oxide 12 can be determined by, for example, by measuring the atomic percentage at% value of the metal element from an image obtained by taking a cross-section of the capacitor forming portion Ac in the first and second directions using an EDS analysis mode.

[0074] For a more specific example, the atomic percentage (at%) of the first metal element contained in the first metal oxide 11 can be obtained by averaging the atomic percentage (at%) of the first metal element detected by EDS analysis at five points within a first metal oxide 11. Furthermore, when photographing a region of the capacitor forming section Ac, if multiple first metal oxides 11 are detected, the atomic percentage (at%) of the first metal element in the multiple first metal oxides 11 contained in that region can be measured and obtained using the above method. Then, the atomic percentage (at%) of the first metal element in the multiple first metal oxides 11 can be averaged to obtain the average atomic percentage (at%) of the first metal element in the multiple first metal oxides 11. In this case, it is preferable that the average atomic percentage (at%) of the first metal element in the multiple first metal oxides 11 is 70 at% or greater, thereby improving resistivity characteristics.

[0075] Although the first metal oxide 11 has been described as an example, it is readily understood that the atomic percentage at of the second metal element included in the second metal oxide 12 can also be obtained using the same method.

[0076] The thickness td of dielectric layer 111 is not limited to any particular example.

[0077] To ensure the reliability of the multilayer electronic component 100 under high-voltage environments, the dielectric layer thickness td can be 10.0 μm or less. Furthermore, to achieve miniaturization and high capacitance of the multilayer electronic component 100, the dielectric layer thickness td can be 3.0 μm or less. To more easily achieve ultra-miniaturization and high capacitance of the multilayer electronic component 100, the dielectric layer thickness td can be 1.0 μm or less, preferably 0.6 μm or less, and more preferably 0.4 μm or less.

[0078] In this case, the thickness td of the dielectric layer can be the thickness of at least one of the multiple dielectric layers, or it can be the average thickness of all the dielectric layers.

[0079] Here, the thickness td of the dielectric layer can refer to the thickness td of the dielectric layer disposed between the first inner electrode 121 and the second inner electrode 122.

[0080] In addition, the thickness td of the dielectric layer can refer to the dimension of the dielectric layer 111 in the first direction.

[0081] In addition, the thickness td of the dielectric layer can refer to the average thickness td of a single dielectric layer, or the average thickness td of multiple dielectric layers.

[0082] The average dimension of dielectric layer 111 in the first direction can be measured by scanning cross-sections of the body 110 in the first and second directions using a scanning electron microscope (SEM) at a magnification of 10,000 to obtain scanned images. More specifically, the average dimension of a dielectric layer in the first direction can refer to the average value calculated by measuring the dimension of a dielectric layer in the first direction at 10 points with equal distances in the second direction in the scanned image. The 10 points with equal distances can be specified in the capacitor forming section Ac. Furthermore, by extending the measurement of this average value to 10 dielectric layers, the average dimension of the dielectric layer in the first direction can be further generalized.

[0083] The internal electrodes 121 and 122 may be stacked alternately with the dielectric layer 111.

[0084] The inner electrodes 121 and 122 may include a first inner electrode 121 and a second inner electrode 122, which may be alternately arranged to face each other, and a dielectric layer 111 is located between the first inner electrode 121 and the second inner electrode 122, and the first inner electrode 121 and the second inner electrode 122 may be exposed on the third surface 3 and the fourth surface 4 of the body 110, respectively.

[0085] More specifically, the first inner electrode 121 may be spaced apart from the fourth surface 4 and exposed through the third surface 3, and the second inner electrode 122 may be spaced apart from the third surface 3 and exposed through the fourth surface 4. The first outer electrode 131 may be disposed on the third surface 3 of the body 110 and may be connected to the first inner electrode 121, and the second outer electrode 132 may be disposed on the fourth surface 4 of the body 110 and may be connected to the second inner electrode 122.

[0086] That is, the first inner electrode 121 may be connected to the first outer electrode 131 but not to the second outer electrode 132, and the second inner electrode 122 may be connected to the second outer electrode 132 but not to the first outer electrode 131. In this case, the first inner electrode 121 and the second inner electrode 122 can be electrically isolated from each other by a dielectric layer 111 disposed between them.

[0087] Alternatively, the body 110 can be formed by alternately stacking a first ceramic green sheet printed with paste for a first internal electrode (which may be the first internal electrode 121) and a second ceramic green sheet printed with paste for a second internal electrode (which may be the second internal electrode 122) and then firing these ceramic green sheets.

[0088] There are no particular limitations on the materials used to form the internal electrodes 121 and 122, and materials with excellent electrical conductivity can be used. For example, the internal electrodes 121 and 122 may comprise one or more selected from the group consisting of nickel (Ni), copper (Cu), palladium (Pd), silver (Ag), gold (Au), platinum (Pt), tin (Sn), tungsten (W), titanium (Ti), and alloys thereof.

[0089] Alternatively, the internal electrodes 121 and 122 can be formed by printing a conductive paste for the internal electrodes onto a ceramic green sheet. The conductive paste for the internal electrodes includes one or more selected from the group consisting of nickel (Ni), copper (Cu), palladium (Pd), silver (Ag), gold (Au), platinum (Pt), tin (Sn), tungsten (W), titanium (Ti), and alloys thereof. Screen printing or gravure printing can be used as methods for printing the conductive paste for the internal electrodes, but embodiments thereof are not limited thereto.

[0090] Furthermore, the thickness te of the inner electrodes 121 and 122 is not limited to any particular example.

[0091] To ensure the reliability of the multilayer electronic component 100 under high-voltage environments, the thickness te of the inner electrode can be 3.0 μm or less. Furthermore, to achieve miniaturization and high capacitance of the multilayer electronic component 100, the thickness te of the inner electrode can be 1.0 μm or less. To more easily achieve ultra-miniaturization and high capacitance of the multilayer electronic component 100, the thickness te of the inner electrode can be 0.6 μm or less, and more preferably, 0.4 μm or less.

[0092] In this case, the thickness te of the inner electrode can be the thickness of at least one of the multiple inner electrodes, or it can be the average thickness of all the inner electrodes.

[0093] Here, the thickness te of the inner electrode can refer to the dimensions of the inner electrodes 121 and 122 in the first direction.

[0094] In addition, the thickness te of the inner electrode can refer to the average thickness te of a single inner electrode, or it can refer to the average thickness te of multiple inner electrodes.

[0095] The average size of the inner electrodes 121 and 122 in the first direction can be measured by scanning the cross-section of the body 110 in the first and second directions using a scanning electron microscope (SEM) at a magnification of 10,000x to obtain a scanned image. More specifically, the average size of the inner electrodes in the first direction can refer to the average value calculated by measuring the size of one inner electrode in the first direction at 10 points at equal distances in the second direction in the scanned image. The 10 points at equal distances can be specified in the capacitor forming section Ac. Furthermore, by extending the measurement of this average value to 10 inner electrodes, the average size of multiple inner electrodes in the first direction can be further generalized.

[0096] Furthermore, in some embodiments of this disclosure, the thickness td of at least one of the plurality of dielectric layers and the thickness te of at least one of the plurality of internal electrodes can satisfy 2×te. <td。

[0097] In other words, the thickness td of one of the dielectric layers can be more than twice the thickness te of one of the inner electrodes. Preferably, the average thickness td of the multiple dielectric layers can be more than twice the average thickness te of the multiple inner electrodes.

[0098] Typically, reliability issues caused by the reduction in breakdown voltage (BDV) under high voltage conditions are likely to be a major problem for high-voltage electronic components.

[0099] Therefore, in order to prevent the breakdown voltage from decreasing under high voltage conditions, the thickness of the dielectric layer (i.e., the distance between the inner electrodes) can be increased by constructing the average thickness td of the dielectric layer to be more than twice the average thickness te of the inner electrodes, and the breakdown voltage characteristics can be improved.

[0100] When the average thickness td of the dielectric layer is less than or equal to twice the average thickness te of the inner electrodes, the average thickness of the dielectric layer (i.e., the distance between the inner electrodes) may decrease, which may reduce the breakdown voltage and cause a short circuit between the inner electrodes.

[0101] Additionally, the main body 110 may include cover portions 112 and 113 disposed on two surfaces of the capacitor forming portion Ac in the first direction.

[0102] Specifically, the main body 110 may include a first covering portion 112 disposed on one surface of the capacitor forming portion Ac in a first direction and a second covering portion 113 disposed on another surface of the capacitor forming portion Ac in a first direction. More specifically, the main body 110 may include a first covering portion 112 disposed on the upper part of the capacitor forming portion Ac in a first direction and a second covering portion 113 disposed on the lower part of the capacitor forming portion Ac in a first direction.

[0103] The first cover portion 112 and the second cover portion 113 can be formed by providing or stacking a single second dielectric layer or two or more second dielectric layers on the upper and lower surfaces of the capacitor forming portion Ac in the first direction, respectively, and can prevent damage to the inner electrodes 121 and 122 due to physical stress or chemical stress.

[0104] The first cover portion 112 and the second cover portion 113 do not include the inner electrodes 121 and 122, and may include the same dielectric material as the dielectric material of the first dielectric layer 111. That is, the first cover portion 112 and the second cover portion 113 may include ceramic materials, such as barium titanate (BaTiO3) ceramic material.

[0105] In addition, the thickness tc of the covering portions 112 and 113 does not need to be particularly limited, and in the following text, the thickness tc of the covering portions 112 and 113 may refer to the thickness tc of each of the first covering portion 112 and the second covering portion 113.

[0106] However, in order to easily achieve miniaturization and high capacitance of multilayer electronic components, the thickness tc of the cover can be 50 μm or less, preferably 30 μm or less, and more preferably, in ultra-small products, the thickness tc of the cover can be 20 μm or less.

[0107] Here, the thickness tc of the cover portion can refer to the dimensions of the cover portions 112 and 113 in the first direction.

[0108] In addition, the thickness tc of the covering portion may refer to the average thickness tc of each of the first covering portion 112 and the second covering portion 113, or it may refer to the average thickness tc of the first covering portion 112 and the second covering portion 113.

[0109] The average dimension of the cover in the first direction can be measured by scanning the cross-section of the body 110 in the first and second directions using a scanning electron microscope (SEM) at a magnification of 10,000 to obtain a scanned image. More specifically, the average dimension of the cover in the first direction can refer to the average value calculated by measuring the dimension in the first direction at 10 points at equal distances in the second direction in a scanned image of the cover.

[0110] Furthermore, the average dimension of the cover portion measured by the above method in the first direction can be substantially the same as the average dimension of the cover portion in the first direction in the cross-section of the main body 110 in the first and third directions.

[0111] Additionally, as shown in FIG4, the multilayer electronic assembly 100 may include side edge regions 114' and 115' disposed on two surfaces of the capacitor forming portion Ac in a third direction. Furthermore, covers 112 and 113 may be disposed on two surfaces of each of the side edge regions 114' and 115' in a first direction.

[0112] More specifically, the side edge regions 114' and 115' may include a first side edge region 114' disposed between the inner electrodes 121 and 122 and the fifth surface 5, and a second side edge region 115' disposed between the inner electrodes 121 and 122 and the sixth surface 6.

[0113] As shown in Figure 4, the side edge regions 114' and 115' can refer to the region between the two end surfaces of the first inner electrode 121 and the second inner electrode 122 in the third direction and the outer surface of the body 110, relative to the cross section of the body 110 in the first direction and the third direction.

[0114] The side edge regions 114' and 115' can be formed by applying paste for the inner electrodes to the areas of the ceramic green sheet where the inner electrodes 121 and 122 will be formed, but not to the areas of the ceramic green sheet where the side edge regions 114' and 115' will be formed.

[0115] The side edge regions 114' and 115' primarily prevent damage to the inner electrodes 121 and 122 due to physical or chemical stress.

[0116] The first side edge region 114' and the second side edge region 115' do not include the inner electrodes 121 and 122, and may include the same material as the first dielectric layer 111, and may correspond to, for example, a portion of the first dielectric layer 111. That is, the first side edge region 114' and the second side edge region 115' may include ceramic materials, such as barium titanate (BaTiO3) ceramic material.

[0117] Additionally, as shown in FIG5, the multilayer electronic assembly 100 may include side edge portions 114 and 115 disposed on two surfaces of the capacitor forming portion Ac in the third-order direction. Furthermore, the side edge portions 114 and 115 may be disposed on the two surfaces of each of the covering portions 112 and 113 in the third-order direction.

[0118] More specifically, the side edge portions 114 and 115 may include a first side edge portion 114 disposed on one surface of the capacitor forming portion Ac in the third direction and a second side edge portion 115 disposed on another surface of the capacitor forming portion Ac in the third direction.

[0119] Side edges 114 and 115 can be formed by applying a paste for the inner electrodes to the area of ​​the ceramic green sheet where the inner electrodes 121 and 122 will be formed, but not to the area of ​​the ceramic green sheet where the side edges 114 and 115 will be formed. After stacking, the sheet is cut so that the inner electrodes 121 and 122 are exposed on the two third-direction surfaces of the capacitor forming portion Ac. A single third dielectric layer or two or more third dielectric layers are disposed or stacked on the two third-direction surfaces of the capacitor forming portion Ac. In this way, step differences caused by the inner electrodes 121 and 122 can be suppressed.

[0120] The side edges 114 and 115 prevent damage to the inner electrodes 121 and 122 due to physical or chemical stress.

[0121] 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 the dielectric layer 111. That is, the first side edge portion 114 and the second side edge portion 115 may include ceramic materials, such as barium titanate (BaTiO3) based ceramic materials.

[0122] Furthermore, the width wm of the side edge portions 114 and 115 need not be limited to any particular example, and in the following, the width wm of the side edge portions 114 and 115 may refer to the width wm of each of the first side edge portion 114 and the second side edge portion 115.

[0123] However, in order to easily achieve miniaturization and high capacitance of the multilayer electronic component 100, the width wm of the side edge can be 50 μm or less, preferably 30 μm or less, and more preferably 20 μm or less in ultra-small products.

[0124] In this case, the width wm of the side edge portion can refer to the dimension of the side edges 114 and 115 in the third direction.

[0125] In addition, the width wm of the side edge portions 114 and 115 may refer to the average width wm of each of the first side edge portion 114 and the second side edge portion 115, or it may refer to the average width wm of the first side edge portion 114 and the second side edge portion 115.

[0126] The average dimensions of the side edges 114 and 115 in the third direction can be measured by scanning the cross-section of the body 110 in the first direction and the third direction using a scanning electron microscope (SEM) at a magnification of 10,000 to obtain scanned images. More specifically, the average dimensions of the side edges 114 and 115 in the third direction can be calculated as an average value by measuring the dimensions of one side edge in the third direction at 10 points at equal intervals in the first direction in the scanned image of one side edge.

[0127] In some embodiments of this disclosure, the multilayer electronic component 100 may have two external electrodes 131 and 132, but the number or shape of the external electrodes may vary depending on the form or other purpose of the internal electrodes 121 and 122.

[0128] External electrodes 131 and 132 may be disposed on the main body 110 and may be connected to internal electrodes 121 and 122.

[0129] More specifically, the external electrodes 131 and 132 may be disposed on the third surface 3 and the fourth surface 4 of the main body 110, respectively, and may include a first external electrode 131 and a second external electrode 132 connected to the first internal electrode 121 and the second internal electrode 122, respectively. That is, the first external electrode 131 may be disposed on the third surface 3 of the main body and 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 connected to the second internal electrode 122.

[0130] Additionally, external electrodes 131 and 132 may extend and be disposed on a portion of the first surface 1 and a portion of the second surface 2 of the body 110, and / or may extend and be disposed on a portion of the fifth surface 5 and a portion of the sixth surface 6 of the body 110. That is, the first external electrode 131 may be disposed on the third surface 3 of the body 110 and a portion of the first surface 1, a portion of the second surface 2, a portion of the fifth surface 5 and a portion of the sixth surface 6 of the body 110, and the second external electrode 132 may be disposed on the fourth surface 4 of the body 110 and a portion of the first surface 1, a portion of the second surface 2, a portion of the fifth surface 5 and a portion of the sixth surface 6 of the body 110.

[0131] In addition, the external electrodes 131 and 132 can be formed using any conductive material (such as metal), and the specific material can be determined taking into account electrical properties and structural stability, and the external electrodes 131 and 132 can also have a multilayer structure.

[0132] For example, external electrodes 131 and 132 may include an electrode layer disposed on the body 110 and a plating layer disposed on the electrode layer. In this case, the electrode layer may include a first electrode layer disposed on the body and a second electrode layer disposed on the first electrode layer, and the plating layer may include a first plating layer disposed on the electrode layer and a second plating layer disposed on the first plating layer, but is not particularly limited thereto. The electrode layer and the plating layer will be described in more detail below.

[0133] For a more specific example of electrode layers 131a, 132a, 131b and 132b, electrode layers 131a, 132a, 131b and 132b may include first electrode layers 131a and 132a and second electrode layers 131b and 132b, the first electrode layers 131a and 132a being sintered electrodes comprising a first conductive metal and glass, and the second electrode layers 131b and 132b being resin-based electrodes comprising a second conductive metal and resin.

[0134] 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 each other or different from each other, and when the first electrode layers 131a and 132a and the second electrode layers 131b and 132b each include multiple conductive metals, a portion of the first conductive metal and a portion of the second conductive metal may be the same conductive metal, but are not particularly limited thereto.

[0135] Furthermore, electrode layers 131a, 132a, 131b, and 132b can be formed in such a way that first electrode layers 131a and 132a, which are sintered electrode layers, and second electrode layers 131b and 132b, which are resin-based electrode layers, can be sequentially formed on the body 110.

[0136] Electrode layers 131a, 132a, 131b, and 132b can be formed by transferring a sheet including a conductive metal onto a body, or by transferring a sheet including a conductive metal onto a sintered electrode. Optionally, electrode layers 131a, 132a, 131b, and 132b can be formed by coating a conductive paste including a conductive metal for an external electrode onto the body 110 and performing sintering, or by immersing the body 110 in a conductive paste including a conductive metal for an external electrode, but are not particularly limited thereto.

[0137] Materials with excellent conductivity may be used as conductive metals included in electrode layers 131a, 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 alloys thereof, but are not particularly limited thereto.

[0138] In some embodiments of this disclosure, electrode layers 131a, 132a, 131b and 132b may have a double-layer structure including first electrode layers 131a and 132a and second electrode layers 131b and 132b. More specifically, the outer electrodes 131 and 132 may include: first electrode layers 131a and 132a, including a first conductive metal and glass; and second electrode layers 131b and 132b, disposed on the first electrode layers 131a and 132a, and including a second conductive metal and resin.

[0139] The first electrode layers 131a and 132a may improve their adhesion to the body 110 by including glass, and the second electrode layers 131b and 132b may improve their flexural strength by including resin.

[0140] The first conductive metal included in the first electrode layers 131a and 132a is not particularly limited, as long as the material can be electrically connected to the inner electrodes 121 and 122 to form a capacitor. For example, it may include at least one selected from the group consisting of nickel (Ni), copper (Cu), palladium (Pd), silver (Ag), gold (Au), platinum (Pt), tin (Sn), tungsten (W), titanium (Ti) and alloys thereof.

[0141] The first electrode layers 131a and 132a can be formed by coating a conductive paste prepared by adding glass frit to first conductive metal particles and then sintering it.

[0142] The second conductive metal included in the second electrode layers 131b and 132b can be electrically connected to the first electrode layers 131a and 132a.

[0143] The second conductive metal included in the second electrode layers 131b and 132b is not particularly limited, as long as the material can be electrically connected to the first electrode layers 131a and 132a, and may include at least one selected from the group consisting of nickel (Ni), copper (Cu), palladium (Pd), silver (Ag), gold (Au), platinum (Pt), tin (Sn), tungsten (W), titanium (Ti) and alloys thereof.

[0144] The second conductive metal included in the second electrode layers 131b and 132b may include at least one of spherical particles and plate-like particles. That is, the second conductive metal may consist only of plate-like particles, may consist only of spherical particles, or may consist of a mixture of plate-like particles and spherical particles. Here, spherical particles may also include particles having a non-spherical shape (e.g., a shape with a length ratio (major axis / minor axis) of 1.45 or less). Plate-like particles may refer to particles having a flat and elongated shape, and are not particularly limited; for example, the length ratio (major axis / minor axis) of the plate-like particles may be 1.95 or greater. The lengths of the major and minor axes of the spherical particles and plate-like particles can be measured from images obtained by scanning a cross-section of the multilayer electronic assembly taken from the central portion of the third direction in the first and second directions using a scanning electron microscope (SEM).

[0145] The resin included in the second electrode layers 131b and 132b ensures bonding and shock absorption, and there are no particular limitations, as long as the resin can be mixed with the second conductive metal particles to form a paste. For example, the resin may include epoxy resin.

[0146] In addition, the second electrode layers 131b and 132b may also include intermetallic compounds.

[0147] The electrical connectivity between the second electrode layers 131b and 132b and the first electrode layers 131a and 132a can be further improved by including an intermetallic compound. The intermetallic compound can improve electrical connectivity by connecting multiple second conductive metal particles, and can surround and connect multiple second conductive metal particles.

[0148] In this case, the intermetallic compound may include a metal with a melting point lower than the curing temperature of the resin. That is, because the intermetallic compound includes a metal with a melting point lower than the curing temperature of the resin, the metal with a melting point lower than the curing temperature of the resin can melt during the drying and curing process and can form an intermetallic compound with a portion of the metal particles and can surround the metal particles. In this case, the intermetallic compound may preferably include a low-melting-point metal with a melting point of 300°C or lower.

[0149] For example, low-melting-point metals may include Sn (e.g., compounds containing Sn) with melting points from 213°C to 220°C. During drying and curing processes, Sn can melt, and the molten Sn can capillarily wet high-melting-point metal particles such as Ag, Ni, or Cu, and can react with a portion of the metal particles such as Ag, Ni, and Cu to form intermetallic compounds such as Ag3Sn, Ni3Sn4, Cu6Sn5, and Cu3Sn. Ag, Ni, or Cu that do not participate in the reaction may remain as metal particles.

[0150] Therefore, the plurality of second conductive 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.

[0151] Coatings 131c and 132c improve mounting characteristics.

[0152] There are no particular restrictions on the type of plating 131c and 132c, and they can be a single layer selected from one or more of the group consisting of nickel (Ni), tin (Sn), silver (Ag), palladium (Pd) and alloys thereof, or they can be formed as multiple layers.

[0153] For a more specific example of plating layers 131c and 132c, plating layers 131c and 132c may be Ni plating layers or Sn plating layers, or plating layers 131c and 132c may comprise Ni plating layers and Sn plating layers sequentially formed on the electrode layer, or plating layers 131c and 132c may comprise Sn plating layers, Ni plating layers, and Sn plating layers sequentially formed on the electrode layer. Additionally, plating layers 131c and 132c may comprise multiple Ni plating layers and / or multiple Sn plating layers.

[0154] The size of the multilayer electronic component 100 is not subject to any specific restrictions.

[0155] However, in order to achieve both miniaturization and high capacitance at the same time, the thickness of the dielectric layer and the internal electrode must be reduced to increase the number of layers, so that the effects of this disclosure can be more significant in multilayer electronic components 100 with dimensions of 3216 (length × width: 3.2 mm × 1.6 mm, with length and width within ±5% tolerance) or smaller.

[0156] Although embodiments of the present disclosure have been described in detail above, the present disclosure is not limited to the foregoing embodiments and drawings, and is intended to be limited by the appended claims. Therefore, those skilled in the art will be able to make various substitutions, modifications, and alterations within the scope of the technical spirit of the present disclosure as described in the claims, which also fall within the scope of the present disclosure.

[0157] Furthermore, the expression "one embodiment" as used in this disclosure does not mean the same embodiment and is provided to emphasize and describe different unique features. However, the one embodiment presented above does not preclude implementation in combination with features of another embodiment. For example, even if a matter described in a particular embodiment is not described in another embodiment, it may be understood as a description relating to another embodiment, unless there is a description that contradicts or contradicts the matter in the other embodiment.

[0158] The terminology used in this disclosure is for describing one embodiment only and is not intended to limit the disclosure. In this context, singular expressions include plural expressions unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.

[0159] While exemplary embodiments have been shown and described above, it will be readily understood by those skilled in the art that modifications and changes may be made without departing from the scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A multilayer electronic component, comprising: The body includes a dielectric layer and inner electrodes alternately disposed with the dielectric layer in a first direction, the dielectric layer comprising at least one of SrTiO3 and TiO2 as a main component, wherein, in the structure of the at least one of SrTiO3 and TiO2, at least one element site other than the oxygen element site is replaced by a donor element; and an outer electrode disposed on the body, wherein the dielectric layer includes a plurality of dielectric grains, grain boundaries between adjacent dielectric grains, a three-intersection point at a point where three or more grain boundaries in the grain boundary contact each other, a first metal oxide disposed at the three-intersection point, and a second metal oxide disposed at the grain boundary, wherein the atomic percentage of the first metal element contained in the first metal oxide is higher than the atomic percentage of the second metal element contained in the second metal oxide.

2. The multilayer electronic component according to claim 1, wherein, The donor element includes at least one selected from the group consisting of Nb, Ta, Sb, Mo and V.

3. The multilayer electronic component according to claim 1, wherein, The content of the donor element is greater than 0 mol% and less than or equal to 2 mol%.

4. The multilayer electronic component according to claim 1, wherein, In the structure of at least one of SrTiO3 and TiO2, the element at at least one of the element sites other than the oxygen site is further substituted by an acceptor element.

5. The multilayer electronic component according to claim 4, wherein, The acceptor element includes at least one selected from the group consisting of Al, Ga, Mg, Zn, Sc, In, Yb, Er, and Eu.

6. The multilayer electronic assembly according to claim 4, wherein, The content of the acceptor element is greater than 0 mol% and less than or equal to 1 mol.

7. The multilayer electronic component according to claim 4, wherein, The total content of the donor element and the acceptor element is greater than 0 mol% and less than or equal to 2 mol% relative to the total amount of at least one of SrTiO3 and TiO2.

8. The multilayer electronic component according to claim 4, wherein, The molar ratio of the donor element to the acceptor element is 1:1 to 2:

1.

9. The multilayer electronic component according to claim 1, wherein, The difference between the atomic percentage of the first metal element included in the first metal oxide and the atomic percentage of the second metal element included in the second metal oxide is 10 at% or greater.

10. The multilayer electronic assembly according to claim 1, wherein, The atomic percentage of the first metal element contained in the first metal oxide is 70 at% or greater, and the atomic percentage of the second metal element contained in the second metal oxide is less than 30 at%.

11. The multilayer electronic assembly according to claim 1, wherein, The first metal element included in the first metal oxide and the second metal element included in the second metal oxide include at least one selected from the group consisting of Si, Al, Nb, Ta, Mo, V, Mg, In, Sn, Cu, Ni, Cr, Mn, Sb, Ga and Ti.

Images