Multilayer electronic component

Abstract

To provide a highly reliable multilayer electronic component and improve the connectivity between internal and external electrodes.SOLUTION: A multilayer electronic component includes a body including a dielectric layer 111 and an internal electrode 121, and an external electrode disposed on the body and connected to the internal electrode. A region 141 of the external electrode near the internal electrode interface includes Ni, Al, and Cu, the internal electrode includes Ni, and the external electrode includes Al and Cu. The region 141 near the interface is further divided into a first region P1 and a second region P2, and the components are defined. The base electrode layer of the external electrode includes Al (M2), Cu (M1), and glass (G).SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a multilayer electronic component. [Background technology]

[0002] Multi-Layered Ceramic Capacitor (MLCC), a type of multi-layered electronic component, is a chip-type capacitor that is mounted on the printed circuit boards of various electronic products such as visual devices such as liquid crystal displays (LCDs) and plasma display panels (PDPs), computers, smartphones, and mobile phones to charge and discharge electricity.

[0003] Multilayer ceramic capacitors have the advantages of being small yet high capacitance and easy to mount, and therefore can be used as components of various electronic devices.

[0004] Recently, as electronic devices become smaller and have higher performance, multilayer ceramic capacitors also tend to become smaller and have higher capacitance. This trend has increased the importance of ensuring high reliability of multilayer ceramic capacitors.

[0005] In addition, as high-voltage charging of mobile devices becomes commonplace, there is a demand for compact, yet highly reliable high-voltage charging.

[0006] When the contact between the internal and external electrodes is reduced, the electrical connectivity between the internal and external electrodes is reduced, which may increase the equivalent series resistance (ESR) and may cause defects such as arc burn when a high voltage is applied. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0007] One of the various objects of the present invention is to provide a multilayer electronic component having excellent reliability.

[0008] One of the various objects of the present invention is to improve connectivity between the internal and external electrodes.

[0009] However, the object of the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned contents, and can be more easily understood in the course of describing specific embodiments of the present invention. [Means for solving the problem]

[0010] A multilayer electronic component according to one embodiment of the present invention includes a body including dielectric layers and internal electrodes arranged alternately with the dielectric layers, and external electrodes arranged on the body and connected to the internal electrodes, the multilayer electronic component including a region including Ni, Al, and Cu, the internal electrodes including Ni, and the external electrodes including Al and Cu.

[0011] A multilayer electronic component according to one embodiment of the present invention includes a body including dielectric layers and internal electrodes arranged alternately with the dielectric layers, and an external electrode including a base electrode layer arranged on the body and connected to the internal electrodes, the base electrode layer including Al, Cu, and glass. Effect of the Invention

[0012] One of the various effects of the present invention is that the reliability of the multilayer electronic component can be improved.

[0013] Among the various advantages of the present invention is the improved contact between the internal and external electrodes.

[0014] However, the various yet significant advantages and effects of the present invention are not limited to the above, and can be more easily understood in the course of describing specific embodiments of the present invention. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0015] [Figure 1]1 is a schematic perspective view of a multilayer electronic component according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Diagram 2] 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view taken along line II' of FIG. 1. [Diagram 3] 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view taken along line II-II' in FIG. 1. [Figure 4] This is a schematic exploded view of the main body. [Diagram 5] 3 is a schematic diagram of a portion of the body of FIG. 2; [Figure 6] FIG. 3 is an enlarged view showing a K1 region in FIG. 2. [Figure 7] 7 is a view corresponding to FIG. 6 according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 8] 7 is a view corresponding to FIG. 6 according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 9] FIG. 3 is an enlarged view showing a region K2 in FIG. 2. [Figure 10] 3 is a view corresponding to FIG. 2 according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is an enlarged view showing a region K3 in FIG. 10 . DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0016] Hereinafter, the embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to specific embodiments and the accompanying drawings. However, the embodiments of the present invention may be modified into several other forms, and the scope of the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described below. Furthermore, the embodiments of the present invention are provided to more completely explain the present invention to those skilled in the art. Therefore, the shapes and sizes of elements in the drawings may be enlarged or reduced (or highlighted or simplified) for clearer explanation, and elements indicated by the same reference numerals in the drawings are the same elements.

[0017] In addition, in the drawings, parts that are not relevant to the description are omitted in order to clearly explain the present invention, and the size and thickness of each component shown in the drawings are arbitrarily shown for the convenience of explanation, so the present invention is not necessarily limited by the drawings. Furthermore, components having the same function within the same concept are described using the same reference numerals. Furthermore, throughout the specification, when a part "includes" a certain component, it does not mean that the part excludes other components, but that the part may further include other components, unless otherwise specified to the contrary.

[0018] In the drawings, the first direction can be defined as the stacking direction or thickness (T) direction, the second direction can be defined as the length (L) direction, and the third direction can be defined as the width (W) direction.

[0019] Multilayer Electronic Components FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of a multilayer electronic component according to one embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view taken along line I-I' in FIG. 1, FIG. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view taken along line II-II' in FIG. 1, FIG. 4 is a schematic exploded view of the main body, FIG. 5 is a schematic view of a portion of the main body in FIG. 2, FIG. 6 is an enlarged view of area K1 in FIG. 2, and FIG. 7 is a drawing corresponding to FIG. 6 according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0020] A multilayer electronic component 100 according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to Figures 1 to 7. Also, a multilayer ceramic capacitor (hereinafter referred to as "MLCC") will be described as an example of the multilayer electronic component, but the present invention is not limited thereto and may be applied to various multilayer electronic components using ceramic materials, such as inductors, piezoelectric elements, varistors, thermistors, and the like.

[0021] A multilayer electronic component 100 according to one embodiment of the present invention includes a body 110 including a dielectric layer 111 and internal electrodes 121, 122 arranged alternately with the dielectric layer, and external electrodes 131, 132 arranged on the body and connected to the internal electrodes, and includes regions 141, 142 including Ni, Al and Cu, wherein the internal electrodes include Ni and the external electrodes include Al and Cu.

[0022] The connectivity between the external and internal electrodes has a significant impact on the reliability of multilayer electronic components. When the contact between the internal and external electrodes is reduced, the electrical connectivity between the internal and external electrodes is reduced, which can increase the equivalent series resistance (ESR) and can cause defects such as arc burn when high voltage is applied.

[0023] According to an embodiment of the present invention, by including regions 141, 142 containing Ni, Al, and Cu, the connectivity between the internal electrodes and the external electrodes can be improved, thereby improving the reliability of the multilayer electronic component.

[0024] Hereinafter, each component included in the multilayer electronic component 100 according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described.

[0025] The body 110 may have dielectric layers 111 and internal electrodes 121 and 122 stacked alternately.

[0026] Although there is no particular limitation on the specific shape of the body 110, the body 110 may be hexahedral or a similar shape as shown in the figure. Due to shrinkage of the ceramic powder contained in the body 110 during the firing process, the body 110 may not be a hexahedral shape with perfectly straight lines, but may be substantially hexahedral.

[0027] The main body 110 may have a first surface 1 and a second surface 2 facing each other in a first direction, a third surface 3 and a fourth surface 4 connected to the first surface 1 and the second surface 2 and facing each other in the second direction, and a fifth surface 5 and a sixth surface 6 connected to the first surface 1 and the second surface 2, connected to the third surface 3 and the fourth surface 4, and facing each other in the third direction.

[0028] As a marginal region where the internal electrodes 121 and 122 are not disposed overlaps the dielectric layer 111, a step occurs due to the thickness of the internal electrodes 121 and 122, and the corners connecting the first surface with the third surface, the fourth surface, and the fifth surface and / or the corners connecting the second surface with the third surface, the fourth surface, and the fifth surface may have a shape that is shrunk toward the center of the first direction of the body 110 when viewed based on the first surface or the second surface. Alternatively, due to a shrinkage behavior during the sintering process of the body, the corners connecting the first surface 1 with the third surface 3, the fourth surface 4, the fifth surface 5, and the sixth surface 6 and / or the corners connecting the second surface 2 with the third surface 3, the fourth surface 4, the fifth surface 5, and the sixth surface 6 may have a shape that is shrunk toward the center of the first direction of the body 110 when viewed based on the first surface or the second surface. Alternatively, in order to prevent chipping defects, the corners connecting each surface of the body 110 may be rounded through a separate process, so that the corners connecting the first surface with the third surface, the fourth surface, the fifth surface, and the sixth surface and / or the corners connecting the second surface with the third surface, the fourth surface, the fifth surface, and the sixth surface may have a rounded shape.

[0029] On the other hand, in order to suppress steps caused by the internal electrodes 121, 122, if the internal electrodes are cut after stacking so as to be exposed on the fifth surface 5 and the sixth surface 6 of the main body, and then a single dielectric layer or two or more dielectric layers are stacked in the third direction (width direction) on both side surfaces of the capacitance forming portion Ac to form margin portions 114, 115, the portions connecting the first surface to the fifth surface and the sixth surface and the portions connecting the second surface to the fifth surface and the sixth surface may not have a contracted shape.

[0030] The plurality of dielectric layers 111 forming the main body 110 are in a fired state, and the boundaries between adjacent dielectric layers 111 can be integrated to such an extent that they are difficult to confirm without using a scanning electron microscope (SEM). There is no particular need to limit the number of laminated dielectric layers, and this can be determined in consideration of the size of the laminated electronic component. For example, the main body can be formed by laminating 400 or more dielectric layers.

[0031] The dielectric layer 111 can be formed by manufacturing a ceramic slurry containing ceramic powder, an organic solvent, and a binder, applying and drying the slurry on a carrier film to provide a ceramic green sheet, and then firing the ceramic green sheet. The ceramic powder is not particularly limited as long as sufficient capacitance can be obtained. For example, barium titanate (BaTiO3)-based powder can be used as the ceramic powder. More specifically, the ceramic powder can 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).

[0032] The average thickness td of the dielectric layer 111 does not need to be particularly limited. For example, it can be 0.01 μm to 10 μm. Also, the average thickness td of the dielectric layer 111 can be arbitrarily set according to the desired characteristics and applications. For example, in the case of small IT electronic components, in order to achieve miniaturization and high capacitance, the average thickness td of at least one of the plurality of dielectric layers 111 can be 1.5 μm or less.

[0033] Here, the average thickness td of the dielectric layer 111 may refer to the size of the dielectric layer 111 in the first direction disposed between the internal electrodes 121 and 122. The average thickness of the dielectric layer 111 may be measured by scanning the cross sections of the body 110 in the first and second directions with a scanning electron microscope (SEM) at a magnification of 10,000. More specifically, the thickness may be measured at a number of points of one dielectric layer 111, for example, 30 points equally spaced in the second direction, and an average value may be measured. The 30 equally spaced points may be designated as a capacitance forming part Ac, which will be described later. Furthermore, if such an average value measurement is extended to 10 dielectric layers 111 to measure the average value, the average thickness of the dielectric layer 111 may be further generalized.

[0034] The body 110 may include a capacitance forming portion Ac in which a capacitance is formed, the capacitance forming portion Ac including a first internal electrode 121 and a second internal electrode 122 arranged to face each other across a dielectric layer 111, and cover portions 112, 113 formed at the upper and lower portions of the capacitance forming portion Ac in a first direction.

[0035] The capacitance 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 second internal electrodes 122 with the dielectric layer 111 interposed therebetween.

[0036] The cover parts 112 and 113 may include an upper cover part 112 disposed at an upper part of the capacitance forming part Ac in the first direction and a lower cover part 113 disposed at a lower part of the capacitance forming part Ac in the first direction.

[0037] The upper cover part 112 and the lower cover part 113 may be formed by stacking a single dielectric layer or two or more dielectric layers on the upper and lower surfaces of the capacitance forming part Ac in the thickness direction, respectively, and may basically serve to prevent damage to the internal electrodes due to physical or chemical stress.

[0038] The upper cover part 112 and the lower cover part 113 do not include an internal electrode and may include the same material as the dielectric layer 111 .

[0039] That is, the upper cover part 112 and the lower cover part 113 may include a ceramic material, for example, a barium titanate (BaTiO3) based ceramic material.

[0040] On the other hand, there is no need to particularly limit the thickness of the covers 112 and 113. However, in order to more easily achieve miniaturization and high capacity of the multilayer electronic component, the thickness tc of the covers 112 and 113 can be 60 μm or less.

[0041] The average thickness tc of the cover parts 112, 113 may mean the size in the first direction, and may be the average value of the size in the first direction of the cover parts 112, 113 measured at five equally spaced points on the upper or lower part of the capacitance forming part Ac.

[0042] Moreover, margin portions 114 and 115 can be disposed on the side surfaces of the capacitance forming portion Ac.

[0043] The margin portions 114, 115 may include a first margin portion 114 disposed on the fifth surface 5 of the body 110 and a second margin portion 115 disposed on the sixth surface 6. That is, the margin portions 114, 115 may be disposed on both end surfaces of the ceramic body 110 in the width direction.

[0044] The margin portions 114, 115 may refer to the regions between both ends of the first internal electrode 121 and the second internal electrode 122 and the boundary surface of the body 110 in a cross-section of the body 110 cut in the width-thickness (WT) direction, as shown in FIG. 3.

[0045] The margins 114 and 115 essentially serve to prevent damage to the internal electrodes due to physical or chemical stress.

[0046] The margin portions 114 and 115 may be formed by applying a conductive paste to the ceramic green sheet except for the areas where the margin portions are to be formed, to form internal electrodes.

[0047] In addition, in order to suppress steps caused by the internal electrodes 121, 122, the laminated internal electrodes can be cut so as to be exposed on the fifth surface 5 and the sixth surface 6 of the main body, and then a single dielectric layer or two or more dielectric layers can be laminated in the third direction (width direction) on both side surfaces of the capacitance forming portion Ac to form margin portions 114, 115.

[0048] On the other hand, there is no need to particularly limit the width of the marginal portions 114, 115. However, in order to more easily achieve a smaller size and higher capacity of the multilayer electronic component, the average width of the marginal portions 114, 115 may be 45 μm or less.

[0049] The average width of the margin portions 114, 115 may mean the average size in the third direction of the region where the internal electrode is spaced from the fifth surface and the average size in the third direction of the region where the internal electrode is spaced from the sixth surface, and may be the average value of the sizes in the third direction of the margin portions 114, 115 measured at five equally spaced points on the side of the capacitance forming portion Ac.

[0050] Therefore, in one embodiment, the average size in the third direction of the regions where the internal electrodes 121 and 122 are spaced apart from the fifth and sixth faces may be 45 μm or less.

[0051] Meanwhile, when a magnetic material is applied instead of a dielectric material to the body 110, the multilayer electronic component can function as an inductor. The magnetic material can be, for example, ferrite and / or metal magnetic particles. When the multilayer electronic component functions as an inductor, the internal electrode can be a coil-shaped conductor.

[0052] Also, the multilayer electronic component can function as a piezoelectric element when a piezoelectric material is applied instead of a dielectric material to the body 110. The piezoelectric material can be, for example, PZT (lead zirconate titanate).

[0053] In addition, when a ZnO-based or SiC-based material is applied to the body 110 instead of a dielectric material, the multilayer electronic component can function as a varistor, and when a spinel-based material is applied to the body 110 instead of a dielectric material, the multilayer electronic component can function as a thermistor.

[0054] That is, by appropriately changing the material and structure of the body 110, the multilayer electronic component 100 according to one embodiment of the present invention can function not only as a multilayer ceramic capacitor, but also as an inductor, a piezoelectric element, a varistor, or a thermistor.

[0055] The internal electrodes 121, 122 may be arranged alternately with the dielectric layer 111, for example, a first internal electrode 121 and a second internal electrode 122, which are a pair of electrodes having different polarities, may be arranged to face each other with the dielectric layer 111 interposed therebetween. The first internal electrode 121 and the second internal electrode 122 may be electrically isolated from each other by the dielectric layer 111 arranged therebetween. In this case, the internal electrodes 121, 122 may be arranged alternately with the dielectric layer 111 in a first direction.

[0056] The first internal electrode 121 may be spaced apart from the fourth surface 4 and extend toward the third surface 3. The second internal electrode 122 may be spaced apart from the third surface 3 and extend toward the fourth surface 4. The first internal electrode 121 may be electrically connected to the first external electrode 131 on the third surface 3 side, and the second internal electrode 122 may be electrically connected to the second external electrode 132 on the fourth surface 4 side.

[0057] The conductive metal contained in the internal electrodes 121, 122 may be one or more of Ni, Cu, Pd, Ag, Au, Pt, Sn, W, Ti, and alloys thereof.

[0058] In one embodiment, the internal electrodes 121, 122 may contain Ni. Since the internal electrodes 121, 122 contain Ni, an alloy of Al and Ni may be easily formed in the regions 141, 142 containing Ni, Al and Cu when the base electrode layers 131a, 132a are formed. In addition, the internal electrodes 121, 122 may contain Ni as a main component, and the term "main component" may mean that the area ratio of Ni to the total area of ​​the internal electrodes is 90% or more when a cross section of the internal electrodes is analyzed by SEM-EDS.

[0059] There is no particular limitation on the method for forming the internal electrodes 121 and 122. For example, the internal electrodes 121 and 122 may be formed by applying a conductive paste for internal electrodes containing a conductive metal onto a ceramic green sheet and firing the sheet. The conductive paste for internal electrodes may be applied by screen printing or gravure printing, but the present invention is not limited thereto.

[0060] The average thickness te of the internal electrodes 121, 122 does not need to be particularly limited, but may be, for example, 0.01 μm to 3 μm. The average thickness te of the internal electrodes 121, 122 may be set arbitrarily according to the desired characteristics and applications, and for example, in the case of a small IT electronic component, the average thickness te of at least one of the multiple internal electrodes 121, 122 may be 0.8 μm or less in order to achieve miniaturization and high capacity.

[0061] Here, the average thickness te of the internal electrodes may be measured by scanning the cross sections of the body 110 in the first and second directions with a scanning electron microscope (SEM) with a magnification of 10,000. More specifically, the thickness may be measured at a number of points of one internal electrode 121, 122, for example, 30 points equally spaced in the second direction, and an average value may be measured. The 30 equally spaced points may be designated as the capacitance forming portion Ac. Furthermore, if such an average value measurement is extended to 10 internal electrodes 121, 122 to measure the average value, the average thickness of the internal electrodes 121, 122 may be further generalized.

[0062] In one embodiment, the regions 141, 142 containing Ni, Al and Cu may be disposed between the internal electrodes 121, 122 and the external electrodes 131, 132. The regions 141, 142 containing Ni, Al and Cu may include a first region 141 containing Ni, Al and Cu disposed between the first internal electrode 121 and the first external electrode 131 and a second region 142 containing Ni, Al and Cu disposed between the second internal electrode 122 and the second external electrode 132.

[0063] Furthermore, the regions 141, 142 containing Ni, Al, and Cu may extend to the base electrode layers 131a, 132a at the ends of the internal electrodes 121, 122. Also, Al is present in the entire regions 141, 142 containing Ni, Al, and Cu, and at least a portion of the Al contained in the regions 141, 142 containing Ni, Al, and Cu may be alloyed with one or more of Ni and Cu. The Al contained in the regions 141, 142 containing Ni, Al, and Cu may be present in the form of Al, an Al-Cu alloy, an Al-Ni alloy, an Al-Cu-Ni alloy, etc. As a result, the connectivity between the internal electrodes 121, 122 and the external electrodes 131, 132 may be improved.

[0064] Al can stably form an alloy with Ni and Cu. In addition, since the melting point of Al is about 660° C., which is lower than the firing temperature of a general fired electrode, it is easy to improve the connectivity between the external electrodes 131, 132 and the internal electrodes 121, 122 when the external electrodes 131, 132 are formed.

[0065] In one embodiment, the regions 141, 142 containing Ni, Al, and Cu may include a section in which the Ni content decreases with increasing distance from the ends of the internal electrodes 121, 122, and a section in which the Cu content decreases with increasing distance from the base electrode layers 131a, 132a. Such a concentration gradient of the Ni content and the Cu content may be due to diffusion of Ni contained in the internal electrodes 121, 122 into the regions 141, 142 containing Ni, Al, and Cu, and diffusion of Cu contained in the external electrodes 131, 132 into the regions 141, 142 containing Ni, Al, and Cu.

[0066] FIG. 6 is an enlarged view of the K1 region of FIG. 2, FIG. 7 is a drawing corresponding to FIG. 6 according to one embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 8 is a drawing corresponding to FIG. 6 according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0067] The K1 region shows an enlarged view of a part of the first external electrode 131, the first region 141 containing Ni, Al, and Cu, and a part of the first internal electrode 121, but the first external electrode 131 and the second external electrode 132 have similar configurations with the only difference being that the first external electrode 131 is disposed on the third surface and the second external electrode 132 is disposed on the fourth surface. Therefore, the following description will be based on the first external electrode 131, but this description will be considered to include a description of the second external electrode 132. In addition, the regions 141, 142 containing Ni, Al, and Cu and the internal electrodes 121, 122 will be described based on the first region 141 containing Ni, Al, and Cu and the first internal electrode 121, but this description will be considered to include a description of the second region 142 containing Ni, Al, and Cu and the second internal electrode 122.

[0068] In one embodiment, in the region 141 containing Ni, Al, and Cu, when the region adjacent to the internal electrode 121 is defined as a first region P1 and the region adjacent to the external electrode 131 is defined as a second region P2, an Al-Ni alloy can be disposed in the first region P1 and an Al-Cu alloy can be disposed in the second region P2.

[0069] In one embodiment, the region 141 containing Ni, Al, and Cu may be made of an Al-Ni alloy and an Al-Cu alloy. Referring to Fig. 6, the region 141 containing Ni, Al, and Cu may be made of two layers including a first region P1 made of an Al-Ni alloy and a second region P2 made of an Al-Cu alloy.

[0070] Also, in the first region P1, the Ni content may decrease from the internal electrode 121 toward the external electrode 131, and in the second region P2, the Cu content may decrease from the external electrode 131 toward the internal electrode 121.

[0071] In addition, the first region P1 may have an increased Al content from the internal electrode 121 toward the external electrode 131, and the second region P2 may have an increased Al content from the external electrode 131 toward the internal electrode 121. Therefore, the Al content may have a maximum value at the boundary between the first region P1 and the second region P2.

[0072] In one embodiment, the first region P1 may be disposed inside the body 110, and at least a portion of the second region P2 may be disposed outside the body 110. The first region P1 may be disposed so as to contact an end of the internal electrode 121 inside the body 110, and the second region P2 may be disposed so as to contact the base electrode layer 131a outside the body 110.

[0073] Referring to FIG. 5, the body 110 may include grooves G1 and G2 in which ends of the internal electrodes 121 and 122 are spaced from one surface of the body 110. The grooves G1 and G2 may be formed due to a difference in shrinkage behavior between the internal electrodes 121 and 122 and the dielectric layer 111 during the firing process of the body 110. If the firing shrinkage rate of the internal electrodes 121 and 122 is greater than that of the dielectric layer 111, a problem may occur in that the grooves G1 and G2 reduce the connectivity between the internal electrodes 121 and 122 and the external electrodes 131 and 132. In the past, in order to solve this problem, a process of removing the protruding dielectric layer using a sandblasting method or the like was added to solve this problem. Meanwhile, according to an embodiment of the present invention, at least a part of the regions 141 and 142 containing Ni, Al, and Cu is disposed in the grooves G1 and G2, so that the connectivity between the internal electrodes 121 and 122 and the external electrodes 131 and 132 can be improved without a separate polishing process. In this case, the first region P1 is positioned so as to contact the end of the internal electrode 121 within the groove portions G1 and G2, at least a portion of the second region P2 is positioned within the groove portions G1 and G2, and the remaining region of the second region P2 can be positioned outside the main body 110.

[0074] 7, in one embodiment, the region 141' including Ni, Al, and Cu may include an intermediate region Pc' disposed between a first region P1' and a second region P2'. The region 141' including Ni, Al, and Cu may be composed of three layers including a first region P1' made of an Al-Ni alloy, a second region P2' made of an Al-Cu alloy, and an intermediate region Pc' disposed between the first region P1' and the second region P2'.

[0075] In one embodiment, the Al content of the intermediate region Pc' may be higher than the Al content of the first region P1' and the second region P2'.

[0076] In one embodiment, the intermediate region Pc' may be free of Ni and Cu, and may consist essentially of Al.

[0077] Furthermore, the intermediate region Pc' may have an Al content of 99 at % or more, and at least a portion of the intermediate region Pc' may have an Al content of 100 at % or more.

[0078] At this time, the Ni content decreases and the Al content increases in the first region P1' from the internal electrode to the external electrode, while the Cu content decreases and the Al content increases in the second region P2' from the external electrode to the internal electrode. Also, the Al content can be maintained relatively constant in the intermediate region Pc'.

[0079] However, the middle region Pc' does not necessarily have to be made of Al, and in one embodiment, a Ni-Al-Cu alloy may be disposed in the middle region Pc'. In this case, the Al content may decrease toward the first region P1' and the second region P2' in the center of the middle region Pc', and the Ni content may decrease and the Cu content may increase from the boundary between the first region P1' and the middle region Pc' to the boundary between the second region P2' and the middle region Pc'.

[0080] In one embodiment, the first region P1' may be disposed inside the body 110, and at least a portion of the second region P2' may be disposed outside the body 110. In this case, the middle region Pc' may be disposed inside the body 110.

[0081] In one embodiment, the region 141'' containing Ni, Al, and Cu may be made of a Ni-Al-Cu alloy. Referring to FIG. 8, the region containing Ni, Al, and Cu may be disposed in one layer made of a Ni-Al-Cu alloy. However, the contents of Ni, Al, and Cu in the region adjacent to the internal electrode and the region adjacent to the external electrode do not need to be the same, and the region 141'' containing Ni, Al, and Cu may have a concentration gradient in which the Ni content decreases and the Cu content increases from the end of the internal electrode toward the external electrode, and the Al content may be highest in the center of the region 141'' containing Ni, Al, and Cu in the second direction.

[0082] Meanwhile, analysis of the elements contained in regions 141, 142 including Ni, Al, and Cu can be measured by measuring cross sections in the first and second directions passing through the center of the third direction of the main body 110 using a scanning electron microscope (SEM) and an energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS).

[0083] Also, referring to FIG. 7, a line profile is performed along a line L1 from the end of the internal electrode 121 to the inside of the base electrode layer, and the changes in the contents of Al, Ni, and Cu can be analyzed.

[0084] As a specific example, a cross section of the multilayer electronic component 100 cut in the first and second directions from the center of the third direction is scanned with a scanning electron microscope (SEM) with a magnification of 20,000 to obtain an image, and then a line profile for Al, Ni, and Cu can be performed. In this case, in the obtained line profile graph, a portion along L1 where the Ni content becomes almost constant and then starts to decrease can be regarded as a boundary between the internal electrodes 121, 122 and the regions 141, 142 containing Ni, Al, and Cu, and a portion along L1 where the Cu content increases and then starts to converge to an almost constant value can be regarded as a boundary between the regions 141, 142 containing Ni, Al, and Cu and the base electrode layers 131a, 132a. In addition, a portion along L1 from a portion where the Al content starts to increase, through the highest point of the Al content, to a portion where the Al content decreases and then converges can be regarded as the regions 141, 142 containing Ni, Al, and Cu.

[0085] The external electrodes 131 , 132 may be disposed on the body 110 .

[0086] As shown in FIG. 2, the external electrodes 131, 132 may include a first external electrode 131 and a second external electrode 132 arranged on the third surface 3 and the fourth surface 4 of the body 110, respectively, and connected to the first internal electrode 121 and the second internal electrode 122, respectively, via regions 141, 142 containing Ni, Al, and Cu.

[0087] The external electrodes 131, 132 may contain Al and Cu. When the external electrodes 131, 132 contain Al and Cu, the regions 141, 142 containing Ni, Al and Cu can be easily formed when the external electrodes 131, 132 are formed.

[0088] In this embodiment, a structure in which the multilayer electronic component 100 has two external electrodes 131, 132 is described, but the number and shapes of the external electrodes 131, 132 can be changed depending on the configuration of the internal electrodes 121, 122 and other purposes.

[0089] The external electrodes 131 , 132 may include an underlying electrode layer 131 a , 132 a disposed on the body 110 .

[0090] 6, in one embodiment, the base electrode layers 131a, 132a may include Al (M2), Cu (M1), and glass (G), that is, the base electrode layers 131a, 132a may be sintered electrodes formed by applying a paste including Al, Cu, and glass and then performing a heat treatment.

[0091] Conventionally, a sintered electrode is generally formed using a paste containing Cu and glass, and the glass contained in the paste has a melting point of 580°C to 630°C. When a paste containing Cu and glass is applied to a body and a sintering process, which is a heat treatment process at 650°C to 900°C, necking of Cu particles occurs first during the sintering process, and the glass melts and fills the gaps. However, since glass is a non-conductive material, there is a problem that it is difficult to sufficiently fill the gaps between the internal electrode and the external electrode with Cu particles alone, which reduces the contact between the internal electrode and the external electrode. Here, the necking of Cu particles can mean a phenomenon in which Cu particles are connected to each other as one particle due to diffusion at the contact area.

[0092] Meanwhile, according to an embodiment of the present invention, the base electrode layers 131a and 132a may further include Al in addition to Cu and glass. The melting point of Al is about 660° C., which is lower than the firing temperature of a general firing electrode and has a melting point similar to that of glass, so that Al particles can melt during the firing process and easily fill the gap between the internal electrode and the external electrode. In addition, since Al can stably form an alloy with Ni and Cu, it is easy to improve the wettability of the conductive material between the internal electrode and the base electrode layer and to improve the connectivity between the base electrode layers 131a and 132a and the internal electrodes 121 and 122 when forming the base electrode layers 131a and 132a. In addition, since the base electrode layers 131a and 132a further include Al in addition to Cu and glass, Al can partially replace the role of glass during the firing process, so that the glass content can be reduced, and thus the equivalent series resistance (ESR) can be reduced.

[0093] The Al contained in the paste for forming the base electrode layer may be in the form of powder, and Al and glass are melted at about 660° C. or higher during the firing process, and a portion of the melted Al penetrates into the grooves G1 and G2 where the internal electrodes are recessed to reduce interfacial energy, and forms an alloy with Ni to form regions 141 and 142 containing Ni, Al, and Cu having a strong metallic bond. Furthermore, a portion of the melted Al may penetrate into the gaps between the necked Cu particles, and the portion in contact with Cu forms an alloy with Cu, allowing the base electrode layer to have a high density.

[0094] Specific examples of Al and Cu contained in the base electrode layer forming paste include Al powder having a particle size of 50 to 30,000 nm, and Cu powder having a particle size of 50 to 30,000 nm.

[0095] In one embodiment, the base electrode layers 131a, 132a may be disposed so as to contact at least a portion of an end of the dielectric layer 111 disposed between the internal electrodes 121, 122. Furthermore, one or more of Al, Cu, and glass contained in the base electrode layers 131a, 132a may be disposed so as to contact at least a portion of an end of the dielectric layer 111 disposed between the internal electrodes 121, 122. Furthermore, the base electrode layers 131a, 132a may be disposed so as to cover the regions 141, 142 containing Ni, Al, and Cu.

[0096] In one embodiment, at least a portion of Al included in the base electrode layers 131a and 132a may be alloyed with Cu to form an Al-Cu alloy. Referring to FIG. 6, the Al-Cu alloy (M3) may be arranged to surround at least a portion of Al (M2) included in the base electrode layer 131a. Also, Cu (M1) may be arranged to surround at least a portion of the Al-Cu alloy (M3). In this case, the Al-Cu alloy (M3) may have a concentration gradient in which the Al content is lower and the Cu content is higher from a region adjacent to Al (M2) to a region adjacent to Cu (M1).

[0097] Referring to FIG. 2, the external electrodes 131, 132 may include plating layers 131b, 132b disposed on underlying electrode layers 131a, 132a.

[0098] The plating layers 131b and 132b may serve to improve mounting characteristics. The type of the plating layers 131b and 132b is not particularly limited, and may be a plating layer containing one or more of Ni, Sn, Pd, and alloys thereof, and may be formed of a plurality of layers.

[0099] As a more specific example of the plating layers 131b, 132b, the plating layers 131b, 132b may be Ni plating layers or Sn plating layers, and may be in a form in which a Ni plating layer and a Sn plating layer are sequentially formed on the electrode layers 131a, 132a, or in a form in which a Sn plating layer, a Ni plating layer, and a Sn plating layer are sequentially formed. The plating layers 131b, 132b may also include a plurality of Ni plating layers and / or a plurality of Sn plating layers.

[0100] The external electrodes 131, 132 include Ni plating layers 131b1, 131b2 disposed on the base electrode layers 131a, 132a, and Al and Al-Ni alloy may be disposed in at least a portion of the interface region between the base electrode layer 131a, 132a and the Ni plating layer 131b1, 131b2. Referring to Fig. 9, Al(Mz) disposed in the interface region between the base electrode layer 131a and the Ni plating layer 131b1 may be disposed over a portion of the base electrode layer 131a and a portion of the Ni plating layer 131b1. Furthermore, of the Al(Mz) disposed in the interface region between the base electrode layer 131a and the Ni plating layer 131b1, the part disposed on the base electrode layer 131a side may have an Al-Cu alloy (M3a) disposed in a portion in contact with Cu (M1), and of the Al(Mz) disposed on the Ni plating layer 131b1 side, the part disposed in contact with the Ni plating layer 131b1 may have an Al-Ni alloy (M3b) disposed in a portion in contact with the Ni plating layer 131b1. Thus, the Al(Mz) may be disposed so that at least a portion thereof is covered by the layer M3' containing the Al-Cu alloy (M3a) and the Al-Ni alloy (M3b).

[0101] In this case, a Sn plating layer 131b2 may be further disposed on the Ni plating layer 131b1.

[0102] 10, in one embodiment, the external electrodes 131', 132' may include conductive resin layers 131c', 132c' that are disposed on the base electrode layers 131a', 132a' and contain conductive particles and resin. The external electrodes 131', 132' may further include plating layers 131b', 132b' that are disposed on the conductive resin layers 131c', 132c'.

[0103] The conductive particles Mf contained in the conductive resin layers 131c', 132c' do not need to be particularly limited and may include, for example, Cu, Ni, Sn, Pd, Pt, Au, Ag, Pb and / or alloys containing these, and more preferably may include one or more of Cu, Ag, Sn and alloys thereof.

[0104] The conductive resin layers 131c', 132c' serve to electrically connect the plating layers 131b', 132b' and the base electrode layers 131a', 132a', and absorb tensile stress generated in the mechanical or thermal environment when mounting the electronic component on the substrate to prevent the occurrence of cracks, and also serve to protect the multilayer electronic component from the warping impact of the substrate.

[0105] The resin Rs contained in the conductive resin layers 131c' and 132c' may include a thermosetting resin having electrical insulation properties.

[0106] In this case, the thermosetting resin may be, for example, an epoxy resin, but the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, the thermosetting resin may be a resin that has a small molecular weight and is liquid at room temperature among bisphenol A resin, glycol epoxy resin, novolac epoxy resin, or derivatives thereof.

[0107] In one embodiment, the conductive particles Mf contained in the conductive resin layers 131c', 132c' are Cu particles, and Al and Al-Cu alloys may be disposed in at least a portion of the interface region between the base electrode layers 131a', 132a' and the conductive resin layers 131c', 132c'.

[0108] 11, Al contained in the base electrode layer 131a' diffuses into the interface region with the conductive resin layer 131c', and some of the diffused Al may form an Al-Cu alloy (M3) with the Cu particles (Mf) contained in the conductive resin layer 131c'. In addition, Al (M2) has a high probability of diffusing to the Cu particles (Mf) side because it has good wettability with the Cu particles (Mf) of the Cu particles (Mf) and the resin Rs, and may have a similar form to Al disposed in the base electrode layer 131a', making it difficult to distinguish them. In addition, it may be difficult to clearly distinguish the boundary between the Cu particles (Mf) contained in the conductive resin layer 131c' and the Cu (M1) contained in the base electrode layer 131a'.

[0109] Meanwhile, a multilayer electronic component 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a body 110 including a dielectric layer 111 and internal electrodes 121, 122 arranged alternately with the dielectric layer, and external electrodes 131, 132 including base electrode layers 131a, 132a arranged on the body 110 and connected to the internal electrodes, and the base electrode layers may include Al, Cu, and glass.

[0110] As described above, since the base electrode layers 131a, 132a further contain Al in addition to Cu and glass, Al can melt during the firing process to easily fill gaps between the internal electrodes and the external electrodes, and can stably form an alloy with Ni and Cu, thereby improving the connectivity between the base electrode layers 131a, 132a and the internal electrodes 121, 122. In addition, since Al can partially replace the role of glass during the firing process, the glass content can be reduced, thereby reducing the equivalent series resistance (ESR).

[0111] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments and the accompanying drawings, but is limited by the scope of the accompanying claims. Therefore, various substitutions, modifications, and changes can be made by a person having ordinary knowledge in the art within the scope of the technical idea of ​​the present invention described in the claims, and these also belong to the scope of the present invention.

[0112] In addition, the expression "one embodiment" used in the present disclosure does not mean the same embodiment, but is provided to emphasize and describe each unique feature that is different from the others. However, the above-mentioned one embodiment does not exclude being realized in combination with the features of another embodiment. For example, even if a matter described in a specific embodiment is not described in another embodiment, it can be understood as a description related to the other embodiment, unless there is a description that is opposite or contradictory to the matter in the other embodiment.

[0113] The terms used in the present disclosure are merely used to describe one embodiment and are not intended to limit the present disclosure. In this case, a singular expression includes a plural expression unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. [Explanation of symbols]

[0114] 100 Multilayer electronic components 110 Main unit 111 Dielectric layer 112, 113 Cover part 114, 115 Margin 121, 122 Internal electrode 131, 132 External electrode 131a, 132a electrode layer 131b, 132b plating layer 131c, 132c conductive resin layer 141, 142 Area containing Ni, Al and Cu

Claims

1. a body including dielectric layers and internal electrodes interleaved with the dielectric layers; an outer electrode disposed on the body and connected to the inner electrode; A region including Ni, Al, and Cu, The internal electrodes include Ni, The external electrodes include Al and Cu.

2. In the region containing Ni, Al, and Cu, a region adjacent to the internal electrode is defined as a first region, and a region adjacent to the external electrode is defined as a second region.

2. The multilayer electronic component according to claim 1, wherein an Al--Ni alloy is disposed in the first region, and an Al--Cu alloy is disposed in the second region.

3. 3. The multilayer electronic component according to claim 2, wherein the region containing Ni, Al and Cu is made of an Al--Ni alloy and an Al--Cu alloy.

4. 3. The multilayer electronic component according to claim 2, wherein the first region has a Ni content that decreases from the internal electrode toward the external electrode, and the second region has a Cu content that decreases from the external electrode toward the internal electrode.

5. 3. The multilayer electronic component according to claim 2, wherein the first region has an increasing Al content from the internal electrode toward the external electrode, and the second region has an increasing Al content from the external electrode toward the internal electrode.

6. The multilayer electronic component according to claim 2 , wherein the first region is disposed inside the main body, and at least a portion of the second region is disposed outside the main body.

7. 3. The multilayer electronic component according to claim 2, wherein an atomic percentage of Al contained in an intermediate region between the first region and the second region is higher than an atomic percentage of Al contained in the first region and the second region.

8. The multilayer electronic component according to claim 7 , wherein the intermediate region does not contain Ni or Cu.

9. 8. The multilayer electronic component according to claim 7, wherein the intermediate region has an Al content of 99 at % or more, and at least a portion of the intermediate region has an Al content of 100 at %.

10. 8. The multilayer electronic component according to claim 7, wherein the first region has a Ni content that decreases and an Al content that increases toward the outer electrode from the inner electrode, and the second region has a Cu content that decreases and an Al content that increases toward the inner electrode from the outer electrode.

11. The multilayer electronic component according to claim 7 , wherein the first region is disposed inside the main body, and at least a portion of the second region is disposed outside the main body.

12. The laminated electronic component according to claim 7 , wherein the intermediate region is disposed inside the main body.

13. 2. The multilayer electronic component according to claim 1, wherein the region containing Ni, Al, and Cu is substantially made of a Ni-Al-Cu alloy.

14. 14. The multilayer electronic component according to claim 13, wherein the region containing Ni, Al, and Cu has a Ni content that decreases and a Cu content that increases from the internal electrode toward the external electrode.

15. 14. The multilayer electronic component according to claim 13, wherein the region containing Ni, Al, and Cu has a highest Al content in a central region, a decreasing Al content from the central region toward an internal electrode, and a decreasing Al content from the central region toward an external electrode.

16. In the region containing Ni, Al, and Cu, a region adjacent to the internal electrode is defined as a first region, a region adjacent to the external electrode is defined as a second region, and a region between the first region and the second region is defined as an intermediate region, 16. The multilayer electronic component according to claim 1, wherein an Al-Ni alloy is disposed in the first region, an Al-Cu alloy is disposed in the second region, and a Ni-Al-Cu alloy is disposed in the intermediate region.

17. The multilayer electronic component according to claim 1 , wherein the region containing Ni, Al, and Cu is disposed between the internal electrode and the external electrode.

18. a body including dielectric layers and internal electrodes interleaved with the dielectric layers; an external electrode disposed on the body and including an underlying electrode layer connected to the internal electrode; The laminated electronic component, wherein the base electrode layer contains Al, Cu, and glass.

19. 20. The multilayer electronic component according to claim 18, wherein the base electrode layer is in contact with at least a part of an end of the dielectric layer disposed between the internal electrodes.

20. 20. The multilayer electronic component according to claim 18, wherein at least one of Al, Cu, and glass contained in the base electrode layer contacts at least a portion of an end of the dielectric layer disposed between the internal electrodes.

21. 20. The multilayer electronic component according to claim 18, wherein at least a part of Al contained in the base electrode layer forms an alloy with Cu.

22. The external electrode further includes a Ni plating layer disposed on the base electrode layer, 20. The multilayer electronic component according to claim 18, wherein Al and an Al--Ni alloy are disposed in at least a portion of an interface region between the base electrode layer and the Ni plating layer.

23. 20. The multilayer electronic component according to claim 18, wherein the external electrodes further include a conductive resin layer disposed on the base electrode layer and containing conductive particles and a resin.

24. The conductive particles contained in the conductive resin layer are Cu particles, 24. The multilayer electronic component according to claim 23, wherein Al and an Al--Cu alloy are disposed in at least a portion of an interface region between said base electrode layer and said conductive resin layer.

25. Further comprising a region including Ni, Al, and Cu extending from an end of the internal electrode to the base electrode layer, 25. The multilayer electronic component according to claim 18, wherein Al is present in the entire region containing Ni, Al, and Cu, and at least a portion of the Al contained in the region containing Ni, Al, and Cu forms an alloy with one or more of Ni and Cu.

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