Method for aligning laminated components and method for manufacturing laminated ceramic electronic components using alignment method

Abstract

To provide a method for aligning laminated components and a method for manufacturing a laminated ceramic electronic component, which can efficiently align laminated components.SOLUTION: A pallet 14 having recesses 15 on its upper surface is prepared, laminated components having internal electrode layers 5 stacked thereon are stored in the recesses 15, and a magnetic field substantially perpendicular to the upper surface is passed through the pallet 14 to align the laminated components in the recesses 15. The method for manufacturing a multilayer ceramic electronic component includes laminated components aligned by the method for manufacturing a multilayer component, and after processing the surfaces of the aligned laminated components, fires the laminated components to manufacture a multilayer ceramic electronic component.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a method for aligning laminated components and a method for manufacturing a laminated ceramic electronic component using the alignment method. [Background technology]

[0002] Multilayer ceramic capacitors and other multilayer components are important electronic components, and their manufacturing process includes processing steps such as polishing the end faces or side faces of the element components and applying protective layers, etc. Prior to this processing step, multiple element components must be rotated and aligned so that the surfaces to be processed are oriented in a uniform direction.

[0003] One known alignment method is to use magnets. For example, Patent Document 1 describes an alignment method in which a magnet is placed on the outside of the bottom surface of a non-magnetic pallet that has recessed pockets larger than the planar dimensions of the stacked components, and the stacked components contained in the pockets are attracted and turned over inside the pockets, thereby aligning the stacked components.

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2003-7574 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] In the method of Patent Document 1, the magnet is moved along the bottom surface of the pallet, outside the bottom surface, so the stacked components pass through a magnetic field whose magnetic field lines are not perpendicular to the stacked components, which prevents the stacked components from turning over sufficiently inside the pocket, and requires the magnet to be moved multiple times to align the stacked components in the specified direction. Therefore, an efficient alignment method is needed. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The method for aligning laminated components according to the present disclosure includes preparing a pallet with a recess on its upper surface, storing laminated components with magnetic layers stacked in the recess, and passing a magnetic field substantially perpendicular to the upper surface through the pallet to cause the laminated components to stand upright within the recess.

[0007] The method for manufacturing a multilayer ceramic electronic component of the present disclosure includes laminate components aligned by the above-described method for aligning laminate components, and after processing the surfaces of the aligned laminate components, the laminate components are fired to manufacture a multilayer ceramic electronic component. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the present disclosure, a magnetic field acting on the front pallet and approximately perpendicular to the pallet surface is passed through the pallet, so that the stacked components can be made to stand up in the recess and aligned by magnetic force, thereby enabling the stacked components to be aligned efficiently. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1A] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a multilayer ceramic capacitor. [Figure 1B] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a multilayer ceramic capacitor. [Figure 1C] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a multilayer ceramic capacitor. [Figure 1D] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a multilayer ceramic capacitor. [Figure 1E] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a multilayer ceramic capacitor. [Figure 2] FIG. [Figure 3] FIG. 1D is a cross-sectional view of a recess in which the element part of FIG. 1C is housed. [Figure 4] 1A to 1C are schematic diagrams illustrating an alignment method according to the present embodiment. [Figure 5] 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a prior art alignment method. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing a magnetic field in which magnetic flux lines are perpendicular to a recess. [Figure 7]FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram illustrating a method for aligning element components using a U-shaped magnet. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram illustrating a method for aligning element components using a U-shaped magnet. [Figure 9] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing an example in which an opposing yoke is positioned below the bottom surface of a pallet. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing an example in which a U-shaped yoke is provided above the pallet as an opposing yoke on the bottom side of the pallet 4. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] Hereinafter, embodiments of the method for aligning laminated components and the method for manufacturing laminated ceramic electronic components according to the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that, although a multilayer ceramic capacitor will be described below as an example of a laminated component, the laminated components that are the subject of the present disclosure are not limited to multilayer ceramic capacitors and can be applied to various laminated components having ferromagnetic layers, such as multilayer piezoelectric elements, multilayer thermistor elements, multilayer chip coils, and ceramic multilayer substrates.

[0011] First, we will explain a multilayer ceramic capacitor 1, which is an example of a multilayer component. Figs. 1A to 1E are perspective views of a multilayer component and a multilayer ceramic capacitor. Fig. 1A is a diagram showing an element precursor 12, and Fig. 1B is a diagram showing an element component 2. Note that although the element component after firing has shrunk due to firing, it has the same structure as the element component before firing, so these can also be said to be diagrams showing the element component before and after firing.

[0012] FIG. 1D is a perspective view of a multilayer ceramic capacitor 1. The multilayer ceramic capacitor 1 includes an element component 2 and external electrodes 3. As shown in FIG. 1B, the element component 2 has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape. The element component 2 includes multiple dielectric layers 10 and multiple internal electrode layers 5 connected to the external electrodes 3 shown in FIGS. 1D and 1E. The external electrodes 3 are disposed on a pair of end faces of the element component 2 and extend around to the other adjacent face. The multiple internal electrode layers 5 extend inward from one of the pair of end faces and the other of the pair of end faces of the element component 2, and are alternately stacked without contacting each other. The internal electrode layers 5 constitute ferromagnetic layers made of, for example, a ferromagnetic metal material.

[0013] The external electrode 3 is configured to have a base layer that connects to the element component 2 and a plated outer layer that facilitates soldering of external wiring to the external electrode 3. The base layer may be applied and baked onto the element component 2 after firing. The base layer may be disposed on the element component 2 before firing and fired simultaneously with the element component 2. The base layer and plated outer layer may be multiple layers depending on the required function. The external electrode 3 may not have a plated outer layer and may be configured to have a base layer and a conductive resin layer.

[0014] The element part 2 is obtained by adding a protective layer 6 to the element part precursor 12 shown in FIG. 1A. The element part precursor 12 has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape. The element part precursor 12 has a pair of opposing main surfaces 7, a pair of opposing end surfaces 8, and a pair of opposing side surfaces 9. In the element part 2, the long side direction of the main surfaces 7 is the longitudinal direction.

[0015] The internal electrode layers 5 are exposed on the end faces 8 and side faces 9 of the element precursor 12. The protective layer 6 is disposed on the side faces 9 of the element precursor 12. The protective layer 6 prevents an electrical short circuit between the internal electrode layers 5 exposed on one end face 8 and the internal electrode layers 5 exposed on the other end face 8. The protective layer 6 also physically protects the portions of the internal electrode layers 5 exposed on the side faces 9 of the element precursor 12. The protective layer 6 is attached last in the production of the element component 2.

[0016] The protective layer 6 may be made of a ceramic material. In this case, the protective layer 6 can be made to have insulating properties and high mechanical strength. The ceramic material that will become the protective layer 6 is usually disposed on the element precursor 12 before firing. In FIG. 1B, the boundary between the element precursor 12 and the protective layer 6 is indicated by a two-dot chain line, but the actual boundary is not clearly visible.

[0017] FIG. 1C is a perspective view showing another example of an element component 2. Parts of the internal electrode layers 5 are exposed on the surface of the protective layer 6. FIG. 1E is a perspective view showing another example of a multilayer ceramic capacitor 1. External electrodes 3 are further provided to connect with the internal electrode layers 5 exposed on the end faces 8 and side faces 9. These external electrodes 3 are attached by aligning the surfaces to be processed in the same direction. The external electrodes 3 may be attached to the element component 2 before or after firing.

[0018] In the above, in addition to the element component 2, its precursor, the element precursor 12, has also been described, but in this disclosure, the "laminate component" includes both the element component 2 and the element precursor 12. In the method for aligning the laminate component of this embodiment, which will be described below, the magnetic susceptibility of the internal electrode layers 5 needs to be increased in order to apply a magnetic field to the internal electrode layers 5.

[0019] When the element component 2 or element precursor 12 is before firing, most of the nickel particles in the internal electrode layers 5 are not in contact with each other because they are surrounded by the organic binder. In order to increase the magnetic susceptibility of the internal electrode layers 5, for example, the content of the organic binder may be set to 1.5 times or less by volume of the nickel particles, which are ferromagnetic metal materials.

[0020] 2 is a plan view of pallet 14. In the method for aligning stacked components according to this embodiment, a magnetic field is applied to element components 2 accommodated in recesses 15 of pallet 14, causing element components 2 to rotate, thereby changing the orientation of element components 2 to a desired orientation.

[0021] The pallet 14 is made of a non-magnetic material and includes a plurality of recesses 15 having a bottom surface 17 parallel to the horizontal direction. In this embodiment, one raw part 2 is accommodated in one recess 15. When the raw part 2 is put into the recess 15 without intentionally aligning its orientation, the open surface of the raw part 2 may be the main surface or the side surface, so its orientation will naturally vary without being aligned. Here, as described above, the raw part 2 is substantially rectangular parallelepiped in shape, and the recess 15 for accommodating the raw part 2 is also substantially rectangular parallelepiped in shape. The opening of the recess 15 is rectangular in plan view. Let the long-side dimension (length dimension) be a and the short-side dimension (width dimension) be b. If the longitudinal dimension of the raw part 2 is L, then if the relationship is b < L < a, the raw part 2 is accommodated such that its longitudinal direction is along the longitudinal direction of the recess 15.

[0022] In the example shown in FIG. 2, the recesses 15 are arranged in a matrix in plan view, but it is not limited thereto. In the alignment method of this embodiment, since the relative passing direction between the pallet 14 and the magnet that generates the magnetic field is not limited, there is no limitation on the arrangement of the recesses 15, and the degree of freedom in arrangement is high. The opening shape of the recess 15 is not limited to a rectangular shape, and may be a drum shape or the like. In this case, the side surface 16 of the recess 15 is a curved surface.

[0023] The example of FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the recess 15 in which the raw part 2 of FIG. 1C is accommodated. As shown in FIG. 3, the lid member 18 may be arranged above the pallet 14 at a position separated from the bottom surface 17 of the recess 15 by a predetermined distance. There may be a gap between the lid member 18 and the pallet 14, the lid member 18 may be in contact with the pallet 14, or it may be in a flat plate shape. The length from the bottom surface 17 of the recess 15 to the lid member 18 is longer than the diagonal length d of the cross-section 8a of the raw part 2 and shorter than the length L of the raw part 2. The lid member 18 is not limited to a flat plate shape and may have a recess facing the recess 15 of the pallet 14.

[0024] FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating the alignment method of this embodiment. The alignment method of this embodiment involves passing the element parts 2 housed in the recesses 15 of the pallet 14 through a magnetic field region in which magnetic flux lines 20 are perpendicular to the pallet 14. The example shown in FIG. 4 schematically illustrates directional alignment using a vertical magnetic field region created by a plate-shaped, single-pole magnet 19 having opposite poles on both planes. The single magnetic pole may mean that one main surface of the magnet 19 is a north pole and the other main surface is a south pole, or it may mean that one main surface is a south pole and the other main surface is a north pole. In this embodiment, the bottom surface of the magnet 19 located above the pallet 14 is a north pole, and a vertical magnetic field is generated downward from the north pole. This vertical magnetic field reduces the apparent weight of the element precursor 12 by magnetic force, thereby reducing rotational resistance. Although FIG. 4 depicts only one magnet with a single pole, multiple magnets with a single pole may be used.

[0025] Furthermore, because the other main surface of magnet 19 is directly above element precursor 12, there is an advantage in that the position of magnet 19 and pallet 14 can be easily adjusted when aligning larger or heavier element components 2. That is, it is easy to approach the distance between magnet 19 and pallet 14 to the position where the directional alignment rate is 100%, where all of the element components 2 are aligned, so that the element components 2 can be reliably aligned while suppressing their residual magnetization. Furthermore, as described above, once the position where the directional alignment rate is 100% is known, fixing magnet 19 at that position can reliably align the element components 2 while suppressing their residual magnetization. Even when the main surface of magnet 19 is directly below element precursor 12, the element components 2 can be reliably aligned, and in this case, the alignment of the element components 2 can be observed from above.

[0026] As shown in Fig. 5, in the alignment method of the prior art, the magnetic flux lines 20 are parallel to the longitudinal direction of the element body precursor 12, and the magnetization direction, which is the orientation of the magnetic flux lines 20, is along the bottom surface 17 of the recess 15 of the pallet 14. As shown in Fig. 6, in this embodiment, the magnetic flux lines 20 are a magnetic field perpendicular to the bottom surface 17 of the recess 15, so that the magnetic field acts on the internal electrode layer 5 and the element body precursor 12 rotates quickly.

[0027] In this embodiment, magnetic flux lines 20 need only be perpendicular to the pallet surface of pallet 14, and the direction of the magnetic field may be upward or downward. In this embodiment, for example, magnet 19 may be positioned above pallet 14, with the bottom surface of magnet 19 serving as the north pole to generate a downward vertical magnetic field, so that magnetic flux lines 20 from the north pole are perpendicular to pallet 14. Furthermore, in addition to the above configuration, magnet 19 may be positioned below pallet 14, with the top surface of magnet 19 serving as the south pole, so that magnetic flux lines 20 perpendicular to pallet 14 are generated from the north pole of the bottom surface of magnet 19 and pass through pallet 14 and are captured by the south pole of the top surface of lower magnet 19 (hereinafter, only the magnet located below pallet 14 is referred to as the lower magnet), thereby controlling the dispersion of magnetic flux lines 20 and converging them to increase density.

[0028] If the underside of magnet 19 is made the north pole, a downward magnetic field will be generated from magnet 19 toward pallet 14. However, the magnetic poles on both sides of magnet 19 and lower magnet 19 may be reversed, with the underside of magnet 19 made the south pole and the upper surface of lower magnet 19 made the north pole, resulting in an upward magnetic field from lower magnet 19 toward pallet 14.

[0029] In this embodiment, the vertical magnetic field may pass through the pallet 14 containing the element parts 2 or element precursors 12, or the vertical magnetic field may pass through the pallet 14 containing the element parts 2 or element precursors 12, or the pallet 14 containing the element parts 2 or element precursors 12 and the vertical magnetic field may pass so as to face each other. Since the vertical magnetic field passes through the element parts 2 or element precursors 12 at a substantially right angle, the side surface 16 of the element parts 2 or element precursors 12 may be horizontal when the magnetic field is oriented vertically, or may be slightly tilted horizontally. Furthermore, since the element parts 2 or element precursors 12 only need to pass through the vertical magnetic field at a substantially right angle, they may pass at an angle other than perpendicular to the magnet 19, as long as they are horizontal.

[0030] As a result, the magnetic force of the vertical magnetic field applies a force that attracts the element parts 2 or element precursors 12 upward, momentarily creating an upright, floating state for the element parts 2 or element precursors 12, which has the effect of enabling smoother rotation of the element parts 2 or element precursors 12. Furthermore, by adjusting the distance between the magnets 19 and the pallet 14, it is possible to prevent the element parts 2 or element precursors 12 from jumping out of the recesses 15 and to prevent the element precursors 12 from becoming magnetized.

[0031] In the present disclosure, the conditions for rotation of element precursor 12 can be found by adjusting the distance between pallet 14 and magnet 19 above it, and the strength of magnet 19. As an example of magnetic flux density, when a 1 mm x 0.5 mm x 0.5 mm multilayer ceramic capacitor is provided with magnets above and below pallet 14, the magnetic flux density is approximately 15 mT.

[0032] 7 and 8 are examples showing other embodiments, both of which illustrate a method for aligning element components 2 using a U-shaped magnet 19. In FIG. 7, U-shaped magnet 19 may be an integrated magnet, or a portion of it may be a magnet and the remaining portion may be a yoke. For example, in the case of an integrated magnet, it may be an integrated U-shaped magnet. Furthermore, if U-shaped magnet is divided into an intermediate plate 19b extending vertically, an upper plate 19a located above intermediate plate 19b and extending horizontally, and a lower plate 19c located below intermediate plate 19b and extending horizontally, upper plate 19a and lower plate 19c may be magnets and intermediate plate 19b may serve as a connecting yoke. Alternatively, one or two of upper plate 19a, intermediate plate 19b, and lower plate 19c may be magnets, and the remaining plate may serve as a yoke. In U-shaped magnet 19, the two horizontally parallel magnets 19 may be a single magnet with their poles facing each other. In Figure 7, pallets 14 containing element parts 2 or element precursors 12 are passed in the longitudinal direction, with magnets 19 positioned so that one side faces the opening of the U-shape. In Figure 8, pallets 14 containing element parts 2 or element precursors 12 are passed in the width direction. Although the orientations of the element parts 2 or element precursors 12 and the pallets 14 differ by 90° between Figures 7 and 8, in both cases, magnetic flux lines 20 are perpendicular to the element parts 2 or element precursors 12, allowing multiple element parts 2 or element precursors 12 to be aligned at one time.

[0033] In the above case, only one U-shaped magnet 19 is used, but multiple magnets may be used depending on the magnet used and the size and number of element precursors 12 housed on pallet 14. Furthermore, when a U-shaped magnet 19 is used, the length between each magnetic pole portion may be adjustable, so that when a strong magnetic force is desired, depending on the size and number of element parts 2 or element precursors 12 housed on pallet 14, both magnetic pole portions of magnet 19 may be brought close to each other to reduce the distance from element parts 2 or element precursors 12, and when a weaker magnetic force is desired, both magnetic pole portions may be moved away from each other to increase the distance from element precursors 12.

[0034] Magnet 19 is a permanent magnet and can be in various shapes such as ring, rod, prism, plate, or U-shape, and a combination of these can be used, and it can be a single-sided monopole magnet with an N pole and an S pole on each side of the plate, or a single-sided multipole magnet with one end face magnetized to either the N pole or the S pole and the other end face magnetized to the other of the N pole or the S pole. Also, multiple magnets 19 with their magnetic poles aligned and integrated can be used, or retainers made of ferromagnetic material can be arranged in contact with both ends of magnet 19.

[0035] The magnet 19 may be, for example, a neodymium magnet or an electromagnet. Using an electromagnet shortens the time during which a magnetic field is applied to the element components 2 or element precursors 12, thereby suppressing magnetization of the element components 2 or element precursors 12. For example, the magnet 19, which is not generating a magnetic field (power off), and the pallet 14 containing the element components 2 or element precursors 12 are positioned to have a predetermined positional relationship, and a current is supplied to the electromagnet 19 (power on) to generate a magnetic field. When the magnetic field is generated, the element components 2 or element precursors 12 contained in the recesses 15 quickly rotate and are aligned in a specific direction. Once the alignment is complete, the electromagnet can be turned off. Furthermore, when aligning different types of element components 2 or element precursors 12, the strength of the generated magnetic field can be controlled by controlling the current supplied to the electromagnet so that the element components 2 or element precursors 12 are aligned.

[0036] In addition, in the present disclosure, an opposing yoke may be provided to prevent some of the magnetic flux lines from dissipating into the atmosphere and to stably establish a vertical magnetic field in a required region. The yoke may be made of a magnetic material such as soft iron. In the present disclosure, when the magnet 19 is positioned above the pallet 14, the opposing yoke 21 may be provided below the bottom surface of the pallet 14, at an appropriate distance from the pallet 14. FIG. 9 shows an example in which the opposing yoke 21 is positioned below the bottom surface of the pallet 14, spaced apart from the bottom surface. This forms a magnetic field between the opposing yoke 21 and the magnet 19, stabilizing the vertical magnetic flux relative to the pallet 14 and efficiently aligning the element precursor 12.

[0037] In another embodiment, in addition to the opposing yoke 21 below the bottom surface of pallet 14, a U-shaped yoke (holder yoke) 22 of sufficient size to cover the magnet 19 may be provided to cover the magnet 19, with both ends of the U-shaped yoke 22 facing the opposing yoke 21 below the bottom surface of pallet 4. Figure 10 shows an example in which, in addition to the opposing yoke 21 below the bottom surface of pallet 4 in Figure 9, a U-shaped yoke 22 is provided to cover the magnet 19 above pallet 14 in the longitudinal direction of pallet 14. In this way, the yoke 22 covering the magnet 19 is magnetized and a magnetic circuit is formed between the opposing yoke 21, which stabilizes the vertical magnetic field between the magnet 19 and the opposing yoke 21 and enables more efficient alignment of the element parts 2 or element precursors 12.

[0038] These yokes 21 and 22 may be made of a material other than a non-magnetic material, such as a soft magnetic material with high magnetic permeability and low coercivity, such as silicon iron, permalloy, or ferritic stainless steel SUS410.

[0039] Furthermore, in the alignment method of the present disclosure, a lid member 18 may be provided above the pallet 14 and below the magnet 19. This makes it easier to handle the pallet 14 containing the element parts 2 and reduces the likelihood of the element parts 2 or element precursors 12 flying out of the recesses 15 when a magnetic field is applied. The lid member 18 and the pallet 14 are preferably made of a non-magnetic material. For example, resin materials such as bakelite or acrylic, or aluminum or austenitic stainless steel SUS304 can be used.

[0040] The following describes a method for manufacturing the element component 2 and the multilayer ceramic capacitor 1. This manufacturing method includes the alignment method described above. First, a ceramic powder mixture consisting of BaTiO3, a ceramic dielectric material, and additives is wet-pulverized and mixed in a bead mill. A polyvinyl butyral binder, a plasticizer, and an organic solvent are added to this pulverized and mixed slurry and mixed to produce a ceramic slurry.

[0041] Next, a die coater is used to form a ceramic green sheet on a carrier film. The thickness of the ceramic green sheet may be, for example, about 0.5 to 10 μm. The thinner the ceramic green sheet, the higher the capacitance of the multilayer ceramic capacitor. The method for forming the ceramic green sheet is not limited to a die coater, and may also be performed using, for example, a doctor blade coater or a gravure coater. Next, a conductive paste containing nickel (Ni), a ferromagnetic metal material that will become the internal electrode layers, is printed in a predetermined pattern on the ceramic green sheet prepared above using a screen printing method. The printing of the conductive paste is not limited to a screen printing method, and may also be performed using, for example, a gravure printing method. The conductive paste may contain, in addition to Ni, metals such as Pd, Cu, Ag, or alloys thereof.

[0042] After printing, the conductive paste is dried. The drying process primarily volatilizes the solvent, leaving the internal electrode layer 5 with nickel particles dispersed in the organic binder. The thinner the internal electrode layer 5, the more likely it is to prevent internal defects due to internal stress, as long as the capacitor's characteristics are maintained. For a capacitor with a high number of layers, the thickness of the internal electrode layer 5 may be, for example, 2.0 μm or less.

[0043] Next, a predetermined number of ceramic green sheets with printed internal electrode layers are stacked on top of the predetermined number of stacked ceramic green sheets, and then a predetermined number of ceramic green sheets are stacked on top of that. A predetermined number of the ceramic green sheets with printed internal electrode layers are stacked while shifting the patterns of the internal electrode layers. Next, a laminate formed by stacking multiple ceramic green sheets is pressed in the stacking direction to obtain a base laminate. The pressing of the laminate can be performed using, for example, an isostatic press. Inside the base laminate, the internal electrode layers are embedded in a layered pattern, sandwiching the ceramic green sheets between them. When the base laminate is cut lengthwise and crosswise, it becomes an element precursor 12 shown in FIG. 1A.

[0044] Next, the element precursors 12 or element components 2 are aligned using the alignment method described above, and the side surfaces 9 of each element component 2 are subjected to the necessary processing. This processing may involve forming a protective layer 6 on the element precursor 12 or polishing the element components 2. The element components 2 thus obtained are then fired, and external electrodes 3 are then formed to produce the multilayer ceramic capacitor 1. The firing temperature can be appropriately set depending on the metal materials contained in the conductive paste that will form the dielectric layers 10 and internal electrode layers 5. The firing temperature may be, for example, 1100 to 1250°C. When removing the element precursors 12 after aligning their orientation in the magnetic field, they can be removed while maintaining their orientation alignment by moving them to a region where the element components do not reverse their orientation within the perpendicular magnetic field range. If the magnets 19 are electromagnets, they may be removed after being switched off.

[0045] The present disclosure can be implemented in the following configurations (1) to (6).

[0046] (1) Prepare a pallet with a recess on the top surface, A method for aligning laminated components, comprising storing a laminated component having a magnetic layer stacked thereon in the recess, and passing a magnetic field through the pallet that is approximately perpendicular to the top surface, thereby aligning the laminated component within the recess so that the direction of the magnetic layer coincides with the direction of the magnetic field.

[0047] (2) The method for aligning stacked components according to the above configuration (1), wherein the magnetic field is formed by magnets arranged either above and below the pallet, or above and below the pallet.

[0048] (3) The method for aligning stacked components according to the above configuration (1), wherein the magnetic field is formed by a magnet arranged either above or below the pallet and an opposing yoke arranged either above or below the pallet.

[0049] (4) The method for aligning stacked components according to the above-described configuration (1), wherein the magnetic field is formed by a magnet disposed either above or below the pallet and a U-shaped connecting yoke having two opposing portions that respectively face the two magnetic poles of the magnet.

[0050] (5) The method for aligning stacked components according to the above configuration (1), wherein the recess is covered with a lid.

[0051] (6) A laminated component aligned by the method for aligning laminated components according to any one of the above configurations (1) to (5), The method for manufacturing a multilayer ceramic electronic component includes processing the surfaces of the aligned laminate components, and then firing the laminate components to manufacture a multilayer ceramic electronic component.

[0052] Although the embodiments of the present disclosure have been described in detail above, the present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications and improvements are possible within the scope of the gist of the present disclosure. It goes without saying that all or part of the components constituting each of the above-described embodiments can be combined as appropriate within the scope of not contradicting each other.

[0053] 1. Multilayer ceramic capacitors 2 Body parts 3 External electrode 5 Internal electrode layer 6 Protective layer 7 Main Surface 8 End face 8a cross section 9 Side 10 Dielectric Layer 12 Prime Precursor 14 palettes 15 recess 16 Side 17 Bottom 18 Lid member 19 Magnet 20 Magnetic flux lines 21 Opposing Yoke 22 Holder Yoke

Claims

1. A pallet having a recess on its top surface is prepared. a laminate component having magnetic layers stacked thereon is placed in the recess; A method for aligning laminated components includes passing a magnetic field through the pallet that is substantially perpendicular to the top surface, and aligning the laminated components within the recess so that the direction of the magnetic layers coincides with the direction of the magnetic field.

2. 2. The method for aligning stacked components according to claim 1, wherein the magnetic field is formed by magnets disposed either above and below the pallet, or above and below the pallet.

3. 2. The method for aligning stacked components according to claim 1, wherein the magnetic field is formed by a magnet disposed either above or below the pallet and an opposing yoke disposed either above or below the pallet.

4. 2. The method for aligning stacked components according to claim 1, wherein the magnetic field is formed by a magnet disposed above or below the pallet and a U-shaped connecting yoke having two opposing portions that respectively face two magnetic poles of the magnet.

5. The method for aligning stacked components according to claim 1 , wherein the recess is covered with a lid.

6. A laminated component aligned by the method for aligning laminated components according to any one of claims 1 to 5, The method for manufacturing a multilayer ceramic electronic component includes processing the surfaces of the aligned laminate components, and then firing the laminate components to manufacture a multilayer ceramic electronic component.

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