Multilayer ceramic capacitor

Abstract

To provide a multilayer ceramic capacitor including external electrodes where the volume is decreased.SOLUTION: A multilayer ceramic capacitor may include a ceramic body including a first surface and a second surface facing each other in a first direction, a third surface and a fourth surface facing each other in a second direction and connecting the first surface and the second surface, a fifth surface and a sixth surface facing each other in a third direction and connecting the first surface and the second surface, a plurality of first internal electrodes and a plurality of second internal electrodes disposed inside the ceramic body, a first external electrode disposed outside the ceramic body, and a second external electrode disposed outside of the ceramic body. The first external electrode may include a first metal layer disposed on the first surface and the sixth surface of the ceramic body and electrically connected to the plurality of first internal electrodes on the first surface, and a first plated layer disposed on the first metal layer. The second eternal electrode may include a second metal layer disposed on the second surface and the sixth surface of the ceramic body and electrically connected to the plurality of second internal electrodes on the second surface, and a second plated layer disposed on the second metal layer.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a multilayer ceramic capacitor. [Background technology]

[0002] Electronic components that use ceramic materials include capacitors, inductors, piezoelectric elements, varistors, thermistors, etc. Among these ceramic electronic components, multilayer ceramic capacitors (MLCCs) have the advantages of being small, high capacity, and easy to mount, and can be used in a variety of electronic devices.

[0003] For example, the multilayer ceramic capacitor can be used as a chip-type capacitor that is mounted on substrates of various electronic products such as visual devices such as liquid crystal displays (LCDs), plasma display panels (PDPs), and organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs), computers, personal portable terminals, and smartphones to charge or discharge electricity.

[0004] The multilayer ceramic capacitor may include internal electrodes disposed inside the ceramic body and external electrodes disposed outside the ceramic body and connected to the internal electrodes. The external electrodes may be formed by dipping the ceramic body into a paste for forming external electrodes and then blotting the paste. In this case, the thickness of the external electrodes is several tens of μm, which is relatively thick, and it is difficult to reduce the volume occupied by the external electrodes. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] An aspect of the embodiment provides a multilayer ceramic capacitor including external electrodes with reduced volumes.

[0006] However, the problems to be solved by the embodiments of the present invention are not limited to the above problems, and can be variously expanded within the scope of the technical ideas included in the present invention. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] According to an embodiment, the multilayer ceramic capacitor includes a ceramic body including a first side and a second side facing in a first direction, a third side and a fourth side facing in a second direction and connecting the first side and the second side, and a fifth side and a sixth side facing in a third direction and connecting the first side and the second side, a plurality of first internal electrodes and a plurality of second internal electrodes disposed inside the ceramic body, a first external electrode disposed outside the ceramic body, and a second external electrode disposed outside the ceramic body, the first external electrode including a first metal layer disposed on the first side and the sixth side of the ceramic body and electrically connected to the plurality of first internal electrodes at the first side, and a first plating layer disposed on the first metal layer, and the second external electrode including a second metal layer disposed on the second side and the sixth side of the ceramic body and electrically connected to the plurality of second internal electrodes at the second side, and a second plating layer disposed on the second metal layer.

[0008] The multilayer ceramic capacitor may further include an insulating film covering a portion of the first external electrode and a portion of the second external electrode on the sixth surface of the ceramic body.

[0009] In addition, the insulating film may expose a portion of an outer surface of the first external electrode facing the sixth surface of the ceramic body and cover the remaining portion of the first external electrode, and may expose a portion of an outer surface of the second external electrode facing the sixth surface of the ceramic body and cover the remaining portion of the second external electrode.

[0010] Furthermore, an outer surface of the first external electrode exposed by the insulating film may have a rectangular shape with four edges surrounded by the insulating film.

[0011] Furthermore, an outer surface of the second external electrode exposed by the insulating film may have a rectangular shape with four edges surrounded by the insulating film.

[0012] In addition, the insulating film may cover the sixth surface of the ceramic body between the first external electrode and the second external electrode.

[0013] Also, the insulating film can cover the first external electrode on the first surface of the ceramic body, and cover the second external electrode on the second surface of the ceramic body.

[0014] The first plating layer may include a first layer covering the first metal layer, a second layer covering the first layer, and a third layer covering the second layer.

[0015] Moreover, the first layer may include nickel (Ni), the second layer may include copper (Cu), and the third layer may include tin (Sn).

[0016] The second plating layer may include a first layer covering the second metal layer, a second layer covering the first layer, and a third layer covering the second layer.

[0017] Moreover, the first layer may include nickel (Ni), the second layer may include copper (Cu), and the third layer may include tin (Sn).

[0018] Additionally, the first metal layer and the second metal layer may each include a nickel (Ni) layer, a titanium / copper (Ti / Cu) layer, or a titanium / chromium (Ti / Cr) layer.

[0019] Additionally, each of the first plating layer and the second plating layer may include a nickel / tin (Ni / Sn) layer, a tin / nickel / tin (Sn / Ni / Sn) layer, or a nickel / copper / tin (Ni / Cu / Sn) layer.

[0020] The first internal electrode and the second internal electrode may each have a thickness of 100 nm or more and 300 nm or less. Effect of the Invention

[0021] According to the multilayer ceramic capacitor of the present invention, the volume of the external electrodes can be reduced, thereby making it possible to further increase the portion that contributes to the capacitance. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0022] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view illustrating a multilayer ceramic capacitor according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Diagram 2] 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line II-II' in FIG. [Diagram 3] 2 is an exploded perspective view showing a laminated structure of an internal electrode in the multilayer ceramic capacitor of FIG. 1. [Figure 4] 11 is a perspective view illustrating a multilayer ceramic capacitor according to another embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 5] 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line VV' in FIG. 4. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0023] Hereinafter, the embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings so that those skilled in the art can easily carry out the present invention. In the drawings, parts that are unnecessary for the explanation are omitted in order to clearly explain the present invention, and the same or similar components are given the same reference numerals throughout the specification. In addition, in the accompanying drawings, some components are exaggerated, omitted, or illustrated in a schematic manner, and the size of each component does not completely reflect the actual size.

[0024] The attached drawings are merely intended to facilitate understanding of the embodiments disclosed in this specification, and the attached drawings do not limit the technical ideas disclosed in this specification, and it should be understood that the drawings include all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives included in the idea and technical scope of the present invention.

[0025] Terms including ordinal numbers such as first, second, etc. may be used to describe various components, but the components are not limited by the terms. The terms are used only to distinguish one component from another.

[0026] In addition, when a part such as a layer, film, region, or plate is said to be "on" or "above" another part, this includes not only the case where it is "directly on" the other part, but also the case where there is another part in between. Conversely, when a part is said to be "directly on" another part, it means that there is no other part in between. In addition, being "on" or "above" a reference part means being located above or below the reference part, and does not necessarily mean being located "on" or "above" the side opposite to gravity.

[0027] Throughout the specification, the terms "comprise" or "have" and the like are intended to specify the presence of any feature, number, step, operation, component, part, or combination thereof described in the specification, but should be understood not to preclude the presence or additional possibility of one or more other features, number, step, operation, component, part, or combination thereof. Thus, when a part is said to "comprise" a certain element, this means that it can further include other elements, but not to the exclusion of other elements, unless specifically stated to the contrary.

[0028] Also, throughout the specification, "in a plane" means when the subject part is viewed from above, and "in cross section" means when the subject part is cut vertically and viewed from the side.

[0029] Furthermore, throughout the specification, when the term "connected" is used, this does not only mean that two or more components are directly connected, but also that two or more components are indirectly connected through other components, or that they are not only physically connected but also electrically connected, or that they are referred to by different names depending on their location or function but are integrated.

[0030] FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating a multilayer ceramic capacitor according to an embodiment, FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line II-II' in FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view illustrating a laminated structure of internal electrodes in the multilayer ceramic capacitor of FIG. 1.

[0031] 1, 2 and 3, a multilayer ceramic capacitor 1000 according to the present embodiment includes a ceramic body 110, a first external electrode 120, a second external electrode 130, a plurality of first internal electrodes 150 and a plurality of second internal electrodes 160.

[0032] First, to clearly explain this embodiment, the directions will be defined as follows: the L axis, W axis, and T axis shown in the drawing respectively indicate the length direction, width direction, and thickness direction of the multilayer ceramic capacitor 1000.

[0033] The thickness direction (T-axis direction) may be a direction perpendicular to a broad surface (principal surface) of a sheet-shaped component. For example, the thickness direction (T-axis direction) can be used as the same concept as the direction in which the dielectric layer 140 is laminated.

[0034] The length direction (L-axis direction) may be a direction parallel to the broad surface (principal surface) of the sheet-shaped component and intersect (or be perpendicular to) the thickness direction (T-axis direction). For example, the length direction (L-axis direction) may be a direction in which the first external electrode 120 and the second external electrode 130 face each other.

[0035] The width direction (W axis direction) may be a direction parallel to the broad surface (main surface) of a sheet-shaped component and simultaneously intersect (or be perpendicular to) the thickness direction (T axis direction) and the length direction (L axis direction).

[0036] The ceramic body 110 may have a roughly hexahedral shape, but the present embodiment is not limited thereto. Due to shrinkage during sintering, the ceramic body 110 may not have a perfect hexahedral shape, but may have a substantially hexahedral shape. For example, the ceramic body 110 may have a roughly rectangular hexahedral shape, but the corners and apexes may be rounded.

[0037] In this embodiment, for ease of explanation, the surfaces that face each other in the length direction (L axis direction) are defined as the first surface S1 and the second surface S2, the surfaces that face each other in the width direction (W axis direction) and connect the first surface S1 and the second surface S2 are defined as the third surface S3 and the fourth surface S4, and the surfaces that face each other in the thickness direction (T axis direction) and connect the first surface S1 and the second surface S2 are defined as the fifth surface S5 and the sixth surface S6.

[0038] Therefore, the first direction in which the first surface S1 and the second surface S2 face each other may be the length direction (L axis direction), and the second and third directions which are perpendicular to the first direction and perpendicular to each other may be the thickness direction (T axis direction) and the width direction (W axis direction) or the width direction (W axis direction) and the thickness direction (T axis direction), respectively.

[0039] The length of the ceramic body 110 may refer to the maximum length of a plurality of line segments parallel to the length direction (L axis direction) of the ceramic body 110 by connecting two outermost boundary lines facing each other in the length direction (L axis direction) of the ceramic body 110 shown in the cross-sectional photograph, based on an optical microscope or scanning electron microscope (SEM) photograph of a length direction (L axis direction)-thickness direction (T axis direction) cross section at the center of the width direction (W axis direction) of the ceramic body 110. Meanwhile, the length of the ceramic body 110 may refer to the minimum length of a plurality of line segments parallel to the length direction (L axis direction) of the ceramic body 110 shown in the cross-sectional photograph, by connecting two outermost boundary lines facing each other in the length direction (L axis direction) of the ceramic body 110 shown in the cross-sectional photograph. Meanwhile, the length of the ceramic body 110 may refer to the arithmetic average value of at least two line segments parallel to the length direction (L axis direction) of the ceramic body 110 shown in the cross-sectional photograph, by connecting two outermost boundary lines facing each other in the length direction (L axis direction) of the ceramic body 110 shown in the cross-sectional photograph.

[0040] The thickness of the ceramic body 110 may refer to the maximum value of the lengths of a plurality of line segments parallel to the thickness direction (T axis direction) by connecting two outermost boundary lines facing each other in the thickness direction (T axis direction) of the ceramic body 110 shown in the cross-sectional photograph, based on an optical microscope or scanning electron microscope (SEM) photograph of a length direction (L axis direction)-thickness direction (T axis direction) cross section at the center of the width direction (W axis direction) of the ceramic body 110. Meanwhile, the thickness of the ceramic body 110 may refer to the minimum value of the lengths of a plurality of line segments parallel to the thickness direction (T axis direction) by connecting two outermost boundary lines facing each other in the thickness direction (T axis direction) of the ceramic body 110 shown in the cross-sectional photograph. Meanwhile, the thickness of the ceramic body 110 may refer to the arithmetic average value of the lengths of at least two line segments parallel to the thickness direction (T axis direction) by connecting two outermost boundary lines facing each other in the thickness direction (T axis direction) of the ceramic body 110 shown in the cross-sectional photograph.

[0041] The width of the ceramic body 110 may refer to the maximum value of the lengths of a plurality of line segments parallel to the width direction (W axis direction) by connecting two outermost boundary lines facing each other in the width direction (W axis direction) of the ceramic body 110 shown in the cross-sectional photograph, based on an optical microscope or scanning electron microscope (SEM) photograph of a length direction (L axis direction)-width direction (W axis direction) cross section at the center of the thickness direction (T axis direction) of the ceramic body 110. Meanwhile, the width of the ceramic body 110 may refer to the minimum value of the lengths of a plurality of line segments parallel to the width direction (W axis direction) by connecting two outermost boundary lines facing each other in the width direction (W axis direction) of the ceramic body 110 shown in the cross-sectional photograph. Meanwhile, the width of the ceramic body 110 may refer to the arithmetic average value of the lengths of at least two line segments parallel to the width direction (W axis direction) by connecting two outermost boundary lines facing each other in the width direction (W axis direction) of the ceramic body 110 shown in the cross-sectional photograph.

[0042] The ceramic body 110 may include a plurality of dielectric layers 140 stacked in the thickness direction (T-axis direction). The boundaries between the dielectric layers 140 may be unclear. For example, the boundaries between the dielectric layers 140 may be difficult to see without using a scanning electron microscope (SEM), and the plurality of dielectric layers 140 may appear as a monolithic structure.

[0043] The first internal electrode 150 and the second internal electrode 160 may be alternately stacked with the dielectric layer 140 sandwiched therebetween. Such a stacked structure may be repeated within the ceramic body 110, and the internal electrode closest to the fifth face S5 of the ceramic body 110 may be the first internal electrode 150 or the second internal electrode 160, and the internal electrode closest to the sixth face S6 may be the first internal electrode 150 or the second internal electrode 160.

[0044] The first internal electrode 150 and the second internal electrode 160 have mutually different polarities and are electrically insulated from each other by the dielectric layer 140 disposed therebetween.

[0045] The first internal electrode 150 and the second internal electrode 160 may be arranged to be shifted from each other in the length direction (L-axis direction) with the dielectric layer 140 sandwiched therebetween. One side end of the first internal electrode 150 is exposed through the first surface S1 of the ceramic body 110, and one side end of the second internal electrode 160 is exposed through the second surface S2 of the ceramic body 110. The end of the first internal electrode 150 exposed from the first surface S1 of the ceramic body 110 may be connected to the first external electrode 120. The end of the second internal electrode 160 exposed from the second surface S2 of the ceramic body 110 may be connected to the second external electrode 130.

[0046] The first internal electrode 150 and the second internal electrode 160 can be formed using a thin film deposition method such as sputtering, vacuum deposition, or chemical vapor deposition (CVD). Using a thin film deposition method, a thin and uniform internal electrode can be formed.

[0047] If the size of the ceramic body is constant, the capacitance of the multilayer ceramic capacitor can be increased by stacking more dielectric layers as the thickness of the internal electrodes becomes thinner. Also, since the thickness of the dielectric layers can be increased by the reduced thickness of the internal electrodes, the breakdown voltage and high temperature reliability can be improved by increasing the thickness of the dielectric layers.

[0048] For example, the thickness of the first internal electrode 150 and the second internal electrode 160 formed by the thin film deposition method may be 100 nm to 300 nm. If the thickness of the internal electrodes is less than 100 nm, the resistance increases due to the thin thickness, so that the equivalent serial resistance (ESR) may increase, and if it exceeds 300 nm, the effect of increasing reliability may decrease due to the relative limit on the increase in the thickness of the dielectric layer.

[0049] Here, the thickness of the internal electrode may refer to the average thickness of one internal electrode disposed between two dielectric layers. The average thickness of the internal electrode may be an arithmetic average value of values ​​measured at 30 points equally spaced apart in the length direction (L axis direction) of one internal electrode shown in a scanning electron microscope (SEM) photograph of a cross section in the length direction (L axis direction)-thickness direction (T axis direction) at the center of the width direction (W axis direction) of the ceramic body 110 at a magnification of 10,000. The 30 points may be designated as an active region described below. By measuring the average thickness of each of the 10 internal electrodes in this manner and then deriving the arithmetic average value of the measured values, the average thickness of the internal electrodes can be further generalized.

[0050] Meanwhile, the internal electrodes can be formed by printing a conductive paste containing a conductive metal on the surface of the dielectric layer 140. For example, the internal electrodes can be formed by printing a conductive paste containing nickel (Ni) or a nickel (Ni) alloy on the surface of the dielectric layer by screen printing or gravure printing. However, in this case, unlike the case where the internal electrodes are formed by the above-mentioned thin film deposition method, there is a problem that it is difficult to form a uniform internal electrode due to its thin thickness.

[0051] When a voltage is applied to the first external electrode 120 and the second external electrode 130, charges are accumulated between the first internal electrode 150 and the second internal electrode 160 facing each other. That is, a capacitance can be obtained between the first internal electrode 150 electrically connected to the first external electrode 120 and the second internal electrode 160 electrically connected to the second external electrode 130. The capacitance of the multilayer ceramic capacitor 1000 is proportional to the overlapping area of ​​the first internal electrode 150 and the second internal electrode 160 overlapping each other along the thickness direction (T-axis direction).

[0052] In other words, the multilayer ceramic capacitor 1000 may include an active region and a margin region. The active region may refer to a region where the first internal electrode 150 and the second internal electrode 160 overlap in the thickness direction (T-axis direction), and the margin region may refer to a region between the active region and the first surface S1 of the ceramic body 110 and a region between the active region and the second surface S2 of the ceramic body 110.

[0053] The multilayer ceramic capacitor 1000 is classified based on its length and width. Therefore, even if the multilayer ceramic capacitor has the same length or width, the size of the ceramic body may vary depending on the thickness of the external electrodes. That is, a multilayer ceramic capacitor having thinner external electrodes may have a larger ceramic body than a multilayer ceramic capacitor having thicker external electrodes. A larger ceramic body means that the active area is larger, and thus the capacitance is larger. As a result, the thinner the external electrodes of the multilayer ceramic capacitor, the larger the capacitance. In this embodiment, when forming the external electrodes of the multilayer ceramic capacitor, the thickness of the external electrodes can be reduced by using a metal layer as a seed layer for plating growth, thereby obtaining advantageous effects. This will be described in more detail below.

[0054] A first cover layer 143 and a second cover layer 145 can be disposed on the outer side of the active region in the thickness direction (T-axis direction).

[0055] The first cover layer 143 is disposed between the sixth face S6 of the ceramic body 110 and the nearest internal electrode. The second cover layer 145 is disposed between the fifth face S5 of the ceramic body 110 and the nearest internal electrode.

[0056] That is, the first cover layer 143 may be disposed on the top of the uppermost internal electrode in the ceramic body 110, and the second cover layer 145 may be disposed on the bottom of the lowermost internal electrode. The first cover layer 143 and the second cover layer 145 may have the same composition as the dielectric layer 140. The first cover layer 143 and the second cover layer 145 may be formed by laminating one or more dielectric layers on the outer surface of the uppermost internal electrode and the outer surface of the lowermost internal electrode, respectively.

[0057] The first cover layer 143 and the second cover layer 145 can serve to prevent the first internal electrode 150 and the second internal electrode 160 from being damaged due to physical or chemical stress.

[0058] The dielectric layer 140 may include a ceramic material having a high dielectric constant. For example, the ceramic material may be BaTiO 3 , CaTiO 3 , SrTiO 3 , or CaZrO 3 The dielectric layer may include a dielectric ceramic containing components such as manganese (Mn) compounds, iron (Fe) compounds, chromium (Cr) compounds, cobalt (Co) compounds, and nickel (Ni) compounds. In addition, these components may further include auxiliary components such as manganese (Mn) compounds, iron (Fe) compounds, chromium (Cr) compounds, cobalt (Co) compounds, and nickel (Ni) compounds. For example, the dielectric layer may include BaTiO 3 Calcium (Ca), zirconium (Zr), etc. are partially dissolved in the 1-x Ca x )TiO 3 , Ba(Ti 1-y Ca y )O 3 , (Ba 1-x Ca x )(Ti 1-y Zr y )O 3 or Ba(Ti 1-y Zr y )O 3 However, the present invention is not limited to these.

[0059] The dielectric layer 140 may further include one or more of a ceramic additive, an organic solvent, a plasticizer, a binder, and a dispersant. The ceramic additive may be, for example, a transition metal oxide or carbide, a rare earth element, magnesium (Mg), or aluminum (Al), etc.

[0060] As an example, the average thickness of the dielectric layer 140 may be 0.1 μm to 10 μm, but the present embodiment is not limited to this.

[0061] The first external electrode 120 and the second external electrode 130 are disposed outside the ceramic body 110 .

[0062] The first external electrode 120 may be disposed on the first surface S1 and the sixth surface S6 of the ceramic body 110. The second external electrode 130 may be disposed on the second surface S2 and the sixth surface S6 of the ceramic body 110.

[0063] The first external electrode 120 includes a first connection portion 121 , a first band portion 123 and a first corner portion 125 .

[0064] The first connection portion 121 covers the first surface S1 of the ceramic body 110 and is electrically connected to exposed ends of the first internal electrodes 150.

[0065] The first band portion 123 extends from the first connection portion 121 to cover a portion of the sixth surface S6 of the ceramic body 110. The first band portion 123 may allow the first external electrode 120 to be more firmly attached to the ceramic body 110.

[0066] The first corner portion 125 may be a portion that connects the first connection portion 121 and the first band portion 123 .

[0067] The second external electrode 130 includes a second connection portion 131, a second band portion 133 and a second corner portion 135, respectively.

[0068] The second connection portion 131 covers the second surface S2 of the ceramic body 110 and is electrically connected to exposed ends of the second internal electrodes 160.

[0069] The second band portion 133 extends from the second connection portion 131 to cover a portion of the sixth surface S6 of the ceramic body 110. The second band portion 133 may allow the second external electrode 130 to be more firmly attached to the ceramic body 110.

[0070] The second corner portion 135 may be a portion that connects the second connection portion 131 and the second band portion 133 .

[0071] Based on an optical microscope or scanning electron microscope (SEM) photograph of a length direction (L)-thickness direction (T) cross section at the center of the width direction (W) of the multilayer ceramic capacitor 1000, in the multilayer ceramic capacitor 1000 shown in the cross section photograph, the first connection part 121 and the second connection part 131 may have a shape that is approximately parallel to the thickness direction (T axis direction), the first band part 123 and the second band part 133 may have a shape that is approximately parallel to the length direction (L axis direction), and the first corner part 125 and the second corner part 135 may have a curved shape. The curved shape may be a curved shape having a tangent whose slope changes from a direction parallel to the thickness direction (T axis direction) to a direction parallel to the length direction (L axis direction) (or the opposite direction).

[0072] The first external electrode 120 may include a first metal layer 171 and a first plating layer 180 , and the second external electrode 130 may include a second metal layer 173 and a second plating layer 190 .

[0073] The first external electrode 120 may include a first metal layer 171 and a first plating layer 180 disposed on the first metal layer 171 .

[0074] The first metal layer 171 is in direct contact with the ceramic body 110. For example, the first metal layer 171 may cover at least a portion of the first surface S1 and the sixth surface S6 of the ceramic body 110.

[0075] The first metal layer 171 may include a conductive metal. The conductive metal may include nickel (Ni), copper (Cu), titanium (Ti), chromium (Cr), or the like, or an alloy thereof, but the present embodiment is not limited thereto. For example, the first metal layer 171 may include a nickel (Ni) layer, a titanium / copper (Ti / Cu) layer, or a titanium / chromium (Ti / Cr) layer.

[0076] There is no particular limitation on the method for forming the first metal layer 171. For example, the first metal layer 171 may be formed as a thin film by sputtering, E-beam evaporation, atomic layer deposition (ALD), chemical vapor deposition (CVD), or the like.

[0077] The second external electrode 130 may include a second metal layer 173 and a second plating layer 190 disposed on the second metal layer 173 .

[0078] The second metal layer 173 is in direct contact with the ceramic body 110. The second metal layer 173 may cover at least a portion of the second surface S2 and the sixth surface S6 of the ceramic body 110.

[0079] The second metal layer 173 may include a conductive metal. The conductive metal may include nickel (Ni), copper (Cu), titanium (Ti), chromium (Cr), or the like, or an alloy thereof, but the present embodiment is not limited thereto. For example, the second metal layer 173 may include a nickel (Ni) layer, a titanium / copper (Ti / Cu) layer, or a titanium / chromium (Ti / Cr) layer.

[0080] There is no particular limitation on the method for forming the second metal layer 173. For example, the second metal layer 173 may be formed as a thin film by sputtering, E-beam evaporation, atomic layer deposition (ALD), chemical vapor deposition (CVD), or the like.

[0081] The first plating layer 180 is disposed on the first metal layer 171, and the second plating layer 190 is disposed on the second metal layer 173. That is, the first plating layer 180 may cover the first metal layer 171, and the second plating layer 190 may cover the second metal layer 173.

[0082] The first plating layer 180 may be formed by directly plating a conductive metal onto the first metal layer 171. That is, the first metal layer 171 may serve as a seed layer for plating. Also, the second plating layer 190 may be formed by directly plating a conductive metal onto the second metal layer 173. That is, the second metal layer 173 may serve as a seed layer for plating. Here, the conductive metal may include nickel (Ni), copper (Cu), tin (Sn), palladium (Pd), platinum (Pt), gold (Au), silver (Ag), tungsten (W), titanium (Ti), lead (Pb), or the like, alone or in alloy, but the present embodiment is not limited thereto.

[0083] The first plating layer 180 and the second plating layer 190 may each be composed of a plurality of layers. For example, the first plating layer 180 may include a first layer 181 covering the first metal layer 171, a second layer 183 covering the first layer 181, and a third layer 185 covering the second layer 183. The first layer 181 may include copper (Cu), the second layer 183 may include nickel (Ni), and the third layer 185 may include tin (Sn), but the present embodiment is not limited thereto.

[0084] In addition, the second plating layer 190 may include a first layer 191 covering the second metal layer 173, a second layer 193 covering the first layer 191, and a third layer 195 covering the second layer 193. The first layer 191 may include copper (Cu), the second layer 193 may include nickel (Ni), and the third layer 195 may include tin (Sn), but the present embodiment is not limited thereto.

[0085] As another example, the first plating layer 180 may include a nickel / tin (Ni / Sn) layer, a tin / nickel / tin (Sn / Ni / Sn) layer, or a nickel / copper / tin (Ni / Cu / Sn) layer, and the second plating layer 190 may include a nickel / tin (Ni / Sn) layer, a tin / nickel / tin (Sn / Ni / Sn) layer, or a nickel / copper / tin (Ni / Cu / Sn) layer.

[0086] In the present embodiment, when a plating layer is formed using a metal layer as a seed layer for plating growth, the external electrodes can be formed with a small thickness. In this case, the volume occupied by the external electrodes is relatively reduced, so that the portion contributing to the capacitance can be relatively increased. Therefore, according to the present embodiment, the performance of the multilayer ceramic capacitor can be improved.

[0087] Unlike the present embodiment, when the external electrodes are formed by dipping and blotting the ceramic body into a paste for forming the external electrodes, the thickness of the external electrodes becomes relatively thick, and the size of the portion contributing to the capacitance is relatively reduced, which may cause a problem of degraded performance of the multilayer ceramic capacitor.

[0088] FIG. 4 is a perspective view illustrating a multilayer ceramic capacitor according to another embodiment, and FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line VV' in FIG.

[0089] 4 and 5, the multilayer ceramic capacitor 2000 includes a ceramic body 110, a first external electrode 120, a second external electrode 130, a plurality of first internal electrodes 150, a plurality of second internal electrodes 160, and an insulating film 200. The remaining components of the multilayer ceramic capacitor 2000, except for the insulating film 200, are the same as or correspond to the components of the multilayer ceramic capacitor 1000 of FIG. 1, and therefore, a repeated description thereof will be omitted.

[0090] The insulating film 200 covers a portion of the first external electrode 120 , a portion of the second external electrode 130 , and a portion of the ceramic body 110 .

[0091] The insulating film 200 may include thermoplastic resins such as polystyrene, vinyl acetate, polyester, polyethylene, polypropylene, polyamide, rubber, and acrylic, thermosetting resins such as phenol, epoxy, urethane, melamine, and alkyd, photosensitive resins, parylene, SiOx, or SiNx.

[0092] The insulating film 200 may be formed by applying a liquid insulating resin onto the surface of the ceramic body 110, by laminating an insulating film such as a dry film onto the surface of the ceramic body 110, or by a thin film process such as atomic layer deposition (ALD) or vapor phase deposition. The insulating film may be an Ajinomoto Build-up Film (ABF) or a polyimide film that does not include a photosensitive insulating resin.

[0093] The insulating film 200 may cover the entire first external electrode 120 on the first surface S1, the third surface S3, and the fourth surface S4 of the ceramic body 110, and may expose a portion of the first external electrode 120 on the sixth surface S6.

[0094] The insulating film 200 may expose only a portion of the outer surface of the first external electrode 120 facing the sixth surface S6 of the ceramic body 110, and may entirely cover the remaining portion of the first external electrode 120.

[0095] A portion of the first plating layer 180 in the first band portion 123 of the first external electrode 120 may be exposed by the insulating film 200 to form a first exposed surface 127. That is, the first exposed surface 127 may be a portion of the outer surface of the first plating layer 180 of the first external electrode 120. The first exposed surface 127 may be rectangular in shape and have four edges surrounded by the insulating film 200.

[0096] For example, the first exposed surface 127 can be formed in the following manner. A photoresist pattern corresponding to the shape of the first exposed surface 127 is formed on the first external electrode 120. Then, the insulating film 200 is deposited so as to cover the first external electrode 120 and the photoresist pattern. Then, a portion of the insulating film 200 and the photoresist pattern are removed so that the first exposed surface 127 is exposed. However, the present embodiment is not limited to this.

[0097] In addition, the insulating film 200 may cover the entire second external electrode 130 on the second surface S2, the third surface S3, and the fourth surface S4 of the ceramic body 110, and may expose a portion of the second external electrode 130 on the sixth surface S6.

[0098] The insulating film 200 may expose only a portion of the outer surface of the second external electrode 130 facing the sixth surface S6 of the ceramic body 110, and may entirely cover the remaining portion of the second external electrode 130.

[0099] A portion of the second plating layer 190 in the second band portion 133 of the second external electrode 130 may be exposed by the insulating film 200 to form a second exposed surface 137. That is, the second exposed surface 137 may be a portion of the outer surface of the second plating layer 190 of the second external electrode 130. The second exposed surface 137 may be rectangular in shape and has four edges surrounded by the insulating film 200.

[0100] For example, the second exposed surface 137 may be formed in the following manner. A photoresist pattern corresponding to the shape of the second exposed surface 137 is formed on the second external electrode 130. Then, the insulating film 200 is deposited so as to cover the second external electrode 130 and the photoresist pattern. Then, a portion of the insulating film 200 and the photoresist pattern are removed so that the second exposed surface 137 is exposed. However, the present embodiment is not limited to this.

[0101] When the multilayer ceramic capacitor 2000 is mounted on a substrate, the first exposed surface 127 of the first external electrode 120 and the second exposed surface 137 of the second external electrode 130 can be connected to electrode pads of the substrate, respectively.

[0102] Meanwhile, the insulating film 200 covers the sixth surface S6 of the ceramic body 110 between the first external electrode 120 and the second external electrode 130. That is, the insulating film 200 is disposed on the sixth surface S6 of the ceramic body 110 to cover a central portion of the sixth surface S6 and extend to both sides in the length direction (L-axis direction) to cover portions of the first external electrode 120 and the second external electrode 130.

[0103] The insulating film 200 can also be disposed on the third surface S3 and the fourth surface S4 of the ceramic body 110.

[0104] On the other hand, the insulating film does not necessarily have to be disposed on the fifth surface S5 of the ceramic body 110.

[0105] As described above, the insulating film 200 is disposed on at least a portion of the first surface S1, the second surface S2, the third surface S3, the fourth surface S4, and the sixth surface S6 of the ceramic body 110, thereby preventing electrical short-circuiting between the external electrodes of the multilayer ceramic capacitor and other electronic components.

[0106] Although a preferred embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited thereto, and can be embodied in various modified forms within the scope of the claims, the description of the invention, and the accompanying drawings, which of course also fall within the scope of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0107] 1000, 2000: Multilayer ceramic capacitor 110: Ceramic body 120: 1st external electrode 121: First connection part 123: First Band 125: 1st corner 127: 1st exposed surface 130: 2nd external electrode 131: Second connection part 133: Second Band 135:Second corner 137:Second exposed surface 140: Dielectric layer 143: First cover layer 145: Second cover layer 150: 1st internal electrode 160:Second internal electrode 171: 1st metal layer 173:Second metal layer 180: First plating layer 190: Second plating layer 181, 191: 1st layer 183, 193: 2nd layer 185, 195: 3rd layer 200: Insulating film

Claims

1. a ceramic body including a first surface and a second surface facing each other in a first direction, a third surface and a fourth surface facing each other in a second direction and connecting the first surface and the second surface, and a fifth surface and a sixth surface facing each other in a third direction and connecting the first surface and the second surface; a plurality of first internal electrodes and a plurality of second internal electrodes disposed within the ceramic body; A first external electrode disposed on the exterior of the ceramic body; and a second external electrode disposed outside the ceramic body; Including, the first external electrode includes a first metal layer disposed on the first surface and the sixth surface of the ceramic body and electrically connected to the first internal electrodes on the first surface, and a first plating layer disposed on the first metal layer; the second external electrode includes a second metal layer disposed on the second surface and the sixth surface of the ceramic body and electrically connected to the plurality of second internal electrodes on the second surface, and a second plating layer disposed on the second metal layer.

2. an insulating film covering a portion of the first external electrode and a portion of the second external electrode on the sixth surface of the ceramic body; The multilayer ceramic capacitor of claim 1 , further comprising:

3. 3. The multilayer ceramic capacitor according to claim 2, wherein the insulating film exposes a portion of an outer surface of the first external electrode facing the sixth surface of the ceramic body and covers a remaining portion of the first external electrode, and exposes a portion of an outer surface of the second external electrode facing the sixth surface of the ceramic body and covers the remaining portion of the second external electrode.

4. The multilayer ceramic capacitor according to claim 3 , wherein an outer surface of the first external electrode exposed by the insulating film has a rectangular shape with four edges surrounded by the insulating film.

5. The multilayer ceramic capacitor according to claim 4 , wherein an outer surface of the second external electrode exposed by the insulating film has a rectangular shape with four edges surrounded by the insulating film.

6. The multilayer ceramic capacitor according to claim 3 , wherein the insulating film covers the sixth surface of the ceramic body between the first external electrode and the second external electrode.

7. The multilayer ceramic capacitor according to claim 2 , wherein the insulating film covers the first external electrode on the first surface of the ceramic body and covers the second external electrode on the second surface of the ceramic body.

8. The first plating layer is a first layer covering the first metal layer; a second layer overlying the first layer; and a third layer covering the second layer The multilayer ceramic capacitor of claim 1 .

9. the first layer comprises nickel (Ni); the second layer comprises copper (Cu); The multilayer ceramic capacitor of claim 8 , wherein the third layer comprises tin (Sn).

10. The second plating layer is a first layer covering the second metal layer; a second layer overlying the first layer; and a third layer covering the second layer The multilayer ceramic capacitor of claim 1 .

11. the first layer comprises nickel (Ni); the second layer comprises copper (Cu); The multilayer ceramic capacitor of claim 10 , wherein the third layer comprises tin (Sn).

12. 2. The multilayer ceramic capacitor of claim 1, wherein the first metal layer and the second metal layer each include a nickel (Ni) layer, a titanium / copper (Ti / Cu) layer, or a titanium / chromium (Ti / Cr) layer.

13. 2. The multilayer ceramic capacitor of claim 1, wherein the first plating layer and the second plating layer each include a nickel / tin (Ni / Sn) layer, a tin / nickel / tin (Sn / Ni / Sn) layer, or a nickel / copper / tin (Ni / Cu / Sn) layer.

14. 2. The multilayer ceramic capacitor according to claim 1, wherein the thickness of the first internal electrode and the thickness of the second internal electrode are 100 nm to 300 nm.

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