Multilayer electronic components

Abstract

To provide a multilayer electronic component that offers excellent dielectric properties while also improving resistivity. [Solution] The stacked electronic component includes a main body containing a dielectric layer 111 mainly composed of one of SrTiO3 and TiO2 in which at least one of the elemental positions excluding oxygen (O) is substituted with a donor element, and internal electrodes 121 and 122 arranged alternately with the dielectric layer in a first direction, and an external electrode arranged on the main body, wherein the dielectric layer includes a plurality of dielectric crystal grains 10, crystal grain boundaries GB arranged between adjacent dielectric crystal grains, 3-point MP arranged at points where three or more crystal grain boundaries meet, a first metal oxide 11 arranged at the 3-point, and a second metal oxide 12 arranged at the crystal grain boundaries, wherein the atomic percentage of the first metal element contained in the first metal oxide may be higher than the atomic percentage of the second metal element contained in the second metal oxide.

Description

Technical Field

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

Background Art

[0002] A multilayer ceramic capacitor (MLCC), which is one of multilayer electronic components, is a chip-type capacitor that is mounted on printed circuit boards of various electronic products such as video equipment like liquid crystal display devices (LCDs) and plasma display panel devices (PDPs), computers, smartphones, and mobile phones, and plays a role of charging or discharging electricity.

[0003] Such a multilayer ceramic capacitor can be used as a component of various electronic devices due to its advantages of being small while ensuring high capacitance and being easy to mount. As various electronic devices such as computers and mobile devices are miniaturized and have increased output, the demand for miniaturization and high capacitance of multilayer ceramic capacitors is increasing.

[0004] Currently, due to the limitations of the dielectric constant and layer thinning of commercially available barium titanate (BaTiO3)-based dielectric materials, research on new high-dielectric-constant materials is underway.

[0005] Examples of candidates for such new high-dielectric-constant materials include materials doped, solid-solved, or substituted with donor elements such as strontium titanate (SrTiO3) or titanium dioxide (TiO2) or acceptor elements, but there are problems such as defects such as high dielectric loss and low specific resistance due to doping.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0006] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2018-118878 [Overview of the project] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0007] One of the various problems that this invention aims to solve is to provide a multilayer electronic component that has excellent dielectric properties while also having improved resistivity.

[0008] However, the various problems that the present invention aims to solve are not limited to those described above, and can be more easily understood in the process of describing specific embodiments of the present invention. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] The material comprises a dielectric layer mainly composed of one of SrTiO3 and TiO2, in which at least one of the elemental positions excluding the oxygen element (O) is substituted with a donor element, a main body including internal electrodes arranged alternately with the dielectric layer in a first direction, and external electrodes arranged on the main body, wherein the dielectric layer includes a plurality of dielectric crystal grains, crystal grain boundaries arranged between adjacent dielectric crystal grains, 3-points arranged at locations where three or more crystal grain boundaries meet, a first metal oxide arranged at the 3-points, and a second metal oxide arranged at the crystal grain boundaries, wherein the atomic percentage of the first metal element contained in the first metal oxide may be higher than the atomic percentage of the second metal element contained in the second metal oxide. [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] One of the several effects of the present invention is that the dielectric properties and resistivity characteristics of multilayer electronic components are improved.

[0011] However, the various advantageous features and effects of the present invention are not limited to those described above and can be more easily understood in the process of describing specific embodiments of the present invention. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0012] [Figure 1] This is a schematic perspective view of a stacked electronic component according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] This is a schematic diagram showing the layered structure of the internal electrodes. [Figure 3] This is a schematic cross-sectional view along the line I-I' in Figure 1. [Figure 4] This is a schematic cross-sectional view along the line II-II' in Figure 1. [Figure 5] This is a schematic cross-sectional view along the line II-II' in Figure 1, according to another embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6] This is a schematic diagram of an enlarged view of region P in Figure 3. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0013] Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to specific embodiments and accompanying drawings. However, embodiments of the present invention can be modified into various other forms, and the scope of the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described below. Furthermore, embodiments of the present invention are provided to give a more complete explanation of the present invention to a person of the ordinary skill. Accordingly, the shapes and sizes of elements in the drawings may be exaggerated for clearer explanation, and elements indicated by the same reference numerals in the drawings are the same elements.

[0014] Furthermore, in order to clearly illustrate the present invention in the drawings, parts unrelated to the explanation have been omitted, and the size and thickness of each component shown in the drawings are arbitrarily shown for the convenience of explanation; therefore, the present invention is not necessarily limited to what is shown. Components with the same function within the scope of the same concept are described using the same reference numerals. Moreover, throughout the specification, when a part "includes" a certain component, this does not exclude other components unless otherwise stated, but rather means that it may further include other components.

[0015] In the drawings, the first direction can be defined as the stacking direction or the thickness T direction, the second direction as the length L direction, and the third direction as the width W direction.

[0016] Multilayer electronic component FIG. 1 schematically shows a perspective view of a multilayer electronic component according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 schematically shows a separated perspective view showing the stacked structure of internal electrodes. FIG. 3 schematically shows a cross-sectional view taken along line I-I' of FIG. 1. FIG. 4 schematically shows a cross-sectional view taken along line II-II' of FIG. 1. FIG. 5 schematically shows a cross-sectional view taken along line II-II' of FIG. 1 according to another embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 schematically shows an enlarged view of the P region of FIG. 3.

[0017] Hereinafter, referring to FIGS. 1 to 6, a multilayer electronic component according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail. However, as an example of the multilayer electronic component, a multilayer ceramic capacitor will be described, but the present invention can also be applied to various electronic products using a dielectric composition, such as an inductor, a piezoelectric element, a varistor, or a thermistor.

[0018] A multilayer electronic component 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a dielectric layer 111 containing as a main component one of SrTiO3 and TiO2 in which a donor element is substituted at at least one of the element positions excluding the oxygen element (O), and a main body 110 including internal electrodes 121 and 122 alternately arranged with the dielectric layer 111 in the first direction, and external electrodes 131 and 132 arranged on the main body 110. The dielectric layer 111 includes a plurality of dielectric crystallites 10, a grain boundary GB arranged between the adjacent dielectric crystallites 10, a triple point MP arranged at a point where three or more grain boundaries GB meet, a first metal oxide 11 arranged at the triple point MP, and a second metal oxide 12 arranged at the grain boundary GB. The atomic percentage of the first metal element contained in the first metal oxide 11 may be higher than the atomic percentage of the second metal element contained in the second metal oxide 12.

[0019] The main body 110 may have a dielectric layer 111 and internal electrodes 121 and 122 laminated alternately.

[0020] More specifically, the main body 110 can include a capacitance forming portion Ac that is disposed inside the main body 110 and forms a capacitance by including a first internal electrode 121 and a second internal electrode 122 that are alternately disposed so as to face each other with the dielectric layer 111 interposed therebetween.

[0021] There is no particular limitation on the specific shape of the main body 110. As shown in the figure, the main body 110 can be formed in a hexahedron shape or a shape similar thereto. Due to the shrinkage of the ceramic particles contained in the main body 110 during the firing process, the main body 110 does not have a perfect hexahedron shape with straight lines, but can have a substantially hexahedron shape.

[0022] The main body 110 can have a first surface 1 and a second surface 2 that face each other in a first direction, a third surface 3 and a fourth surface 4 that are connected to the first surface 1 and the second surface 2 and face each other in a second direction, and a fifth surface 5 and a sixth surface 6 that are connected to the first surface 1, the second surface 2, the third surface 3, and the fourth surface 4 and face each other in a third direction.

[0023] [[ID=K16]]The plurality of dielectric layers 111 forming the main body 110 are in a fired state, and the boundary between adjacent dielectric layers 111 can be integrated to such an extent that it is difficult to confirm without using a scanning electron microscope (SEM).

[0024] Currently, due to the dielectric constant and the limit of thinning of commercially available barium titanate (BaTiO3)-based dielectric materials, research on new high-dielectric-constant materials is underway.

[0025] As a candidate for such new high dielectric constant materials, one example is a material obtained by doping, solid-solving, or substituting (hereinafter referred to as substitution) a donor element or acceptor element into strontium titanate (SrTiO3) or titanium dioxide (TiO2), but this has problems such as defects such as high dielectric loss and low resistivity due to substitution.

[0026] Therefore, a stacked electronic component 100 according to one embodiment of the present invention may include a dielectric layer 111 mainly composed of strontium titanate (SrTiO3) and titanium dioxide (TiO2), in which at least one of the elemental positions other than oxygen (O) is substituted with a donor element.

[0027] In the present invention, "main component" can mean a component that accounts for a relatively large weight ratio or atomic ratio compared to other components, and can mean a component that accounts for more than 50 wt% of the total composition or total dielectric layer by weight, more than 50 at% by atomic number, or more than 50 mol% by mole number.

[0028] Furthermore, as a more specific example of a method for measuring the elemental content of each component of the stacked electronic component 100 in the present invention, the components can be analyzed using the energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) mode of a scanning electron microscope (SEM), the EDS mode of a transmission electron microscope (TEM), or the EDS mode of a scanning transmission electron microscope (STEM). First, an analytical sample is prepared by thinning it using a focused ion beam (FIB) in the area to be measured. Then, damage to the surface of the thinned sample is removed using xenon (Xe) or argon (Ar) ion milling, and then each component to be measured is mapped from the image obtained using SEM-EDS, TEM-EDS, or STEM-EDS, and qualitative / quantitative analysis is performed. In this case, the qualitative / quantitative analysis graphs for each component can be expressed in terms of the content of each element, for example, mass percentage (wt%), atomic percentage (at%), or mole percentage (mol%), and can also represent the content of other specific components relative to the content of a particular component.

[0029] Another method involves crushing the chip to select the region to be measured, and then analyzing the specific components of the selected region containing dielectric microstructure using instruments such as an inductively coupled plasma spectrometer (ICP-OES) or inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer (ICP-MS).

[0030] Furthermore, the raw materials for forming the dielectric layer 111 can be the main component particles of the dielectric material described above, to which various additives, organic solvents, binders, dispersants, etc., can be added according to the purpose of the present invention.

[0031] On the other hand, in order to distinguish it from the dielectric layers included in the cover portions 112, 113 and the side margin portions 114, 115 described later, the dielectric layer 111 included in the capacitance forming portion Ac can be defined as the first dielectric layer 111, the dielectric layers included in the cover portions 112, 113 can be defined as the second dielectric layer, and the dielectric layers included in the side margin portions 114, 115 can be defined as the third dielectric layer. However, unless otherwise contradictory to the present invention, the contents of the first dielectric layer 111 can be described as the dielectric layer 111.

[0032] Furthermore, since the first to third dielectric layers can be formed using dielectric material, they can include a dielectric microstructure after firing. The dielectric microstructure can include multiple dielectric crystal grains, grain boundaries arranged between adjacent dielectric crystal grains, and 3-points arranged at points where three or more grain boundaries meet, and can include multiple dielectric crystal grains, grain boundaries, and 3-points.

[0033] The dielectric layer 111, by containing as its main component one of strontium titanate (SrTiO3) and titanium dioxide (TiO2) in which at least one of the elemental positions other than oxygen (O) is substituted with a donor element, can achieve a higher dielectric constant than a typical barium titanate (BaTiO3) dielectric material.

[0034] In the case of strontium titanate (SrTiO3), the donor element can be substituted at the titanium (Ti) element position, and in the case of titanium dioxide (TiO2), it can be substituted at the titanium (Ti) element position.

[0035] Here, the donor element can mean an element with a valence of +5, and more specifically, it may include, but is not limited to, at least one of Nb, Ta, Sb, Mo, and V, more preferably at least one of Nb and Ta.

[0036] In this case, the content of the substituted donor element may be greater than 0 mol% and less than or equal to 2 mol%.

[0037] Here, the content (mol%) of the substituted donor element can be expressed as the number of moles of the donor element (D) relative to the total number of moles of the substituted element (B) and the number of moles of the substituted donor element (D), expressed as a percentage ([D / (B+D)]).

[0038] To give a more specific example, if the substituted donor element is niobium (Nb) and the content of the substituted niobium (Nb) is 1 mol%, this can mean that 1 mol of 100 mol of titanium (Ti) is substituted with niobium (Nb), resulting in 99 mol of titanium (Ti) and 1 mol of niobium (Nb). This can then represent the percentage of 1 mol of niobium (Nb) relative to the total of 99 mol of titanium (Ti) and 1 mol of niobium (Nb) (99 + 1 mol) [1 mol / (99 + 1 mol)]%.

[0039] If the content of the substituted donor element is greater than 0 mol% and less than or equal to 2 mol%, the dielectric constant of strontium titanate (SrTiO3) or titanium dioxide (TiO2) can be further improved.

[0040] If the content of substituted donor elements exceeds 2 mol%, it may induce defects and degrade dielectric properties. Furthermore, the reduced dispersibility of the material containing the donor elements and subsequent aggregation may induce negative effects. It may also excessively reduce insulating properties or generate dielectric loss (tanδ).

[0041] On the other hand, at least one of strontium titanate (SrTiO3) and titanium dioxide (TiO2) may have an acceptor element further substituted at least one of the elemental positions excluding the oxygen element (O).

[0042] At least one of strontium titanate (SrTiO3) and titanium dioxide (TiO2) can have its dielectric properties further improved compared to dielectric materials in which only the donor element is substituted, by further substituting an acceptor element at at least one of the elemental positions other than the oxygen element (O).

[0043] In the case of strontium titanate (SrTiO3), the acceptor element can be substituted at both the strontium (Sr) and titanium (Ti) positions (preferably at the titanium (Ti) position), and in the case of titanium dioxide (TiO2), it can be substituted at the titanium (Ti) position.

[0044] Here, the acceptor element can mean an element with a +3 valency, and more specifically, it may include, but is not limited to, at least one of Al, Ga, Mg, Zn, Sc, In, Yb, Er, and Eu, and more preferably at least one of Al, Ga, and In.

[0045] In this case, the content of the substituted acceptor element may be greater than 0 mol% and less than or equal to 1 mol%.

[0046] Here, the content (mol%) of the substituted acceptor element can be expressed as the number of moles of the acceptor element (A) as a percentage ([A / (B'+A)]) relative to the sum of the number of moles of the substituted element (B') and the number of moles of the substituted acceptor element (A) (B'+A).

[0047] The meaning of the content (mol%) of substituted acceptor elements is the same as the content (mol%) of substituted donor elements mentioned above, so the explanation will be omitted.

[0048] If the content of the substituted acceptor element is greater than 0 mol% and less than or equal to 1 mol%, the dielectric constant of strontium titanate (SrTiO3) or titanium dioxide (TiO2) can be further improved.

[0049] If the content of the substituted acceptor element exceeds 1 mol%, it may induce defects and degrade the dielectric properties. Furthermore, the reduced dispersibility of the acceptor element-containing material may lead to aggregation, potentially inducing negative effects. It may also excessively reduce insulating properties or generate dielectric loss (tanδ).

[0050] On the other hand, when both a donor element and an acceptor element are substituted into strontium titanate (SrTiO3) and titanium dioxide (TiO2), the total content of the substituted donor and acceptor elements may be greater than 0 mol% and less than or equal to 2 mol%.

[0051] If the total content of substituted donor and acceptor elements is greater than 0 mol% and less than or equal to 2 mol%, the dielectric constant of strontium titanate (SrTiO3) or titanium dioxide (TiO2) can be further improved.

[0052] If the total content of substituted donor and acceptor elements exceeds 2 mol%, it may induce defects and degrade dielectric properties. Furthermore, reduced dispersibility and aggregation of materials containing donor or acceptor elements may induce negative effects. Additionally, it may excessively degrade insulating properties or induce dielectric loss (tanδ).

[0053] On the other hand, although not limited to this, the ratio of the content of substituted donor elements to acceptor elements (donor element:acceptor element) is preferably 1:1 to 2:1. In other words, it is preferable that the content (mol%) of substituted donor elements and the content (mol%) of substituted acceptor elements are the same, or that the content (mol%) of substituted donor elements is twice the content (mol%) of substituted acceptor elements. Here, the ratio of substituted donor elements to acceptor elements may include an error range of ±10%.

[0054] When the ratio of substituted donor elements to acceptor elements is 1:1 to 2:1, the dielectric constant of strontium titanate (SrTiO3) or titanium dioxide (TiO2) can be further improved, and no negative effects may occur.

[0055] In a stacked electronic component 100 according to one embodiment of the present invention, the dielectric layer 111 may include a first metal oxide 11 arranged at the 3-weighted MP and a second metal oxide 12 arranged at the grain boundary GB, and the atomic percentage M1 of the first metal element contained in the first metal oxide 11 may be higher than the atomic percentage M2 of the second metal element contained in the second metal oxide 12.

[0056] The dielectric layer 111 includes a first metal oxide 11 located at the 3-weighted MP and a second metal oxide 12 located at the grain boundary GB. By making the atomic percentage M1 of the first metal element contained in the first metal oxide 11 higher than the atomic percentage M2 of the second metal element contained in the second metal oxide 12, the resistivity characteristics can be improved.

[0057] In the case of the aforementioned high dielectric constant materials, such as strontium titanate (SrTiO3) or titanium dioxide (TiO2) with substituted donor or acceptor elements, while their dielectric properties are excellent, their resistivity properties may be inferior.

[0058] Therefore, by improving the resistivity characteristics by including the first metal oxide 11 and the second metal oxide 12 in the dielectric layer 111, it is possible to provide a multilayer electronic component 100 with improved dielectric constant and resistivity characteristics, and in the case of titanium dioxide (TiO2), the resistivity characteristics can be further improved.

[0059] To give a more specific example, in a dielectric layer 111 mainly composed of strontium titanate (SrTiO3) or titanium dioxide (TiO2) with a substituted donor or acceptor element, a multilayer electronic component 100 containing a first metal oxide 11 positioned at the 3-weighted MP and a second metal oxide 12 positioned at the grain boundary GB has a resistivity of 10% compared to a multilayer electronic component that does not contain the first metal oxide 11 positioned at the 3-weighted MP and the second metal oxide 12 positioned at the grain boundary GB. 5 There is a possibility of improvement of Ω or more.

[0060] In the present invention, the elements of the first metal contained in the first metal oxide 11 and the elements of the second metal contained in the second metal oxide 12 may include, for example, at least one selected from the group consisting of Si, Al, Nb, Ta, Mo, V, Mg, In, Sn, Cu, Ni, Cr, Mn, Sb, Ga, and Ti (may include ITO and FTO, etc.), preferably at least one selected from the group consisting of Si and Al, and more preferably Si. However, it is not limited thereto, and any metallic substance that can improve resistivity characteristics may be used.

[0061] Furthermore, the first and second metallic elements may be the same or different, or if multiple metallic elements are included, only some of the metals may be the same, but this is not limited to these cases.

[0062] On the other hand, although not limited thereto, for example, regarding the atomic percentage M1 of the first metal element contained in the first metal oxide 11 and the atomic percentage M2 of the second metal element contained in the second metal oxide 12, the difference (M1-M2) between the atomic percentage M1 of the first metal element contained in the first metal oxide 11 and the atomic percentage M2 of the second metal element contained in the second metal oxide 12 may be 10 at% or more.

[0063] To give a more specific example, the atomic percentage M1 of the first metal element contained in the first metal oxide 11 may be 70 at% or more, and the atomic percentage M2 of the second metal element contained in the second metal oxide 12 may be less than 30 at%.

[0064] In the present invention, the atomic percentage (at%) of the first metal element contained in the first metal oxide 11 and the atomic percentage (at%) of the second metal element contained in the second metal oxide 12 can be determined, for example, by measuring the cross-sections of the volume-forming portion Ac in the first and second directions using SEM, TEM, or STEM, and then determining the atomic percentage (at%) of the metal element to be measured by EDS analysis mode from the resulting image.

[0065] To give a more specific example, the atomic percentage (at%) of the first metal element contained in the first metal oxide 11 can be determined by averaging the atomic percentages (at%) of the first metal element detected by EDS analysis at five points within a single first metal oxide 11. Furthermore, when imaging a certain area of ​​the capacitance-forming Ac, if multiple first metal oxides 11 are detected, the atomic percentages (at%) of the multiple first metal oxides 11 contained in that area can be measured using the method described above, and then the average atomic percentage (at%) of the multiple first metal oxides 11 can be determined by averaging the values ​​of the atomic percentages (at%) of the multiple first metal oxides 11. In this case, if the average atomic percentage (at%) of the multiple first metal oxides 11 is 70 at% or higher, it may be a more preferable case in which the resistivity characteristics can be improved.

[0066] Although the first metal oxide 11 was explained as an example, it is self-evident that the atomic percentage (at%) of the second metal element contained in the second metal oxide 12 can be determined using a similar method.

[0067] The thickness td of the dielectric layer 111 does not need to be particularly limited.

[0068] To ensure the reliability of the multilayer electronic component 100 in a high-voltage environment, the thickness td of the dielectric layer may be 10.0 μm or less. Furthermore, to achieve miniaturization and high capacitance of the multilayer electronic component 100, the thickness td of the dielectric layer may be 3.0 μm or less. To more easily achieve ultra-miniaturization and high capacitance, the thickness td of the dielectric layer may be 1.0 μm or less, preferably 0.6 μm or less, and more preferably 0.4 μm or less.

[0069] In this case, the thickness td of the dielectric layer can be a concept that includes the thickness of at least one of the multiple dielectric layers, or a concept that includes the thickness of all of the dielectric layers.

[0070] Here, the thickness td of the dielectric layer can mean the thickness td of the dielectric layer placed between the first internal electrode 121 and the second internal electrode 122.

[0071] On the other hand, the thickness td of the dielectric layer can represent the size of the dielectric layer 111 in the first direction.

[0072] Furthermore, the dielectric layer thickness td can refer to the average thickness td of a single dielectric layer, or the average thickness td of multiple dielectric layers.

[0073] The average size of the dielectric layer 111 in the first direction can be measured by scanning the cross-section of the main body 110 in the first and second directions with a scanning electron microscope (SEM) at 10,000x magnification. More specifically, the average size of a single dielectric layer in the first direction can be said to be the average value calculated by measuring the size of the dielectric layer in the first direction at 10 equally spaced points in the second direction in the scanned image. These 10 equally spaced points can be specified by the capacitance forming section Ac. Furthermore, by extending this average value measurement to 10 dielectric layers and measuring the average values, the average size of multiple dielectric layers in the first direction can be further generalized.

[0074] The internal electrodes 121 and 122 may be stacked alternately with the dielectric layer 111.

[0075] The internal electrodes 121 and 122 may include a first internal electrode 121 and a second internal electrode 122, which are arranged alternately facing each other across the dielectric layer 111 that constitutes the main body 110, and can be exposed on the third surface 3 and the fourth surface 4 of the main body 110, respectively.

[0076] More specifically, the first internal electrode 121 can be separated from the fourth surface 4 and exposed via the third surface 3, and the second internal electrode 122 can be separated from the third surface 3 and exposed via the fourth surface 4. The first external electrode 131 is positioned on the third surface 3 of the main body 110 and connected to the first internal electrode 121, and the second external electrode 132 is positioned on the fourth surface 4 of the main body 110 and connected to the second internal electrode 122.

[0077] In other words, the first internal electrode 121 is not connected to the second external electrode 132, but can be connected to the first external electrode 131, and the second internal electrode 122 is not connected to the first external electrode 131, but can be connected to the second external electrode 132. In this case, the first internal electrode 121 and the second internal electrode 122 can be electrically isolated from each other by the dielectric layer 111 placed in between them.

[0078] On the other hand, the main body 110 can be formed by alternately stacking a first ceramic green sheet printed with a paste for the first internal electrode, which will become the first internal electrode 121, and a second ceramic green sheet printed with a paste for the second internal electrode, which will become the second internal electrode 122, and then firing them.

[0079] The materials used to form the internal electrodes 121 and 122 are not particularly limited, and any material with excellent electrical conductivity can be used. For example, the internal electrodes 121 and 122 may include one or more of nickel (Ni), copper (Cu), palladium (Pd), silver (Ag), gold (Au), platinum (Pt), tin (Sn), tungsten (W), titanium (Ti), and alloys thereof.

[0080] Furthermore, the internal electrodes 121 and 122 can be formed by printing a conductive paste for internal electrodes containing one or more of the following onto a ceramic green sheet: nickel (Ni), copper (Cu), palladium (Pd), silver (Ag), gold (Au), platinum (Pt), tin (Sn), tungsten (W), titanium (Ti), and alloys thereof. While screen printing or gravure printing can be used as the printing method for the conductive paste for internal electrodes, the present invention is not limited thereto.

[0081] On the other hand, the thickness te of the internal electrodes 121 and 122 does not need to be particularly limited.

[0082] To ensure the reliability of the multilayer electronic component 100 in a high-voltage environment, the thickness te of the internal electrodes may be 3.0 μm or less. Furthermore, to achieve miniaturization and high capacitance of the multilayer electronic component 100, the thickness te of the internal electrodes may be 1.0 μm or less. To more easily achieve ultra-miniaturization and high capacitance, the thickness te of the internal electrodes may be 0.6 μm or less, and more preferably 0.4 μm or less.

[0083] In this case, the thickness te of the internal electrode can be a concept that includes the thickness te of at least one of the multiple internal electrodes, or a concept that includes the thickness te of all of the internal electrodes.

[0084] Here, the thickness te of the internal electrode can mean the size of the internal electrodes 121 and 122 in the first direction.

[0085] Furthermore, the internal electrode thickness te can refer to the average thickness te of a single internal electrode, or the average thickness te of multiple internal electrodes.

[0086] The average size of the internal electrodes 121 and 122 in the first direction can be measured by scanning an image of the cross-section of the main body 110 in the first and second directions with a scanning electron microscope (SEM) at a magnification of 10,000. More specifically, the average size of one internal electrode in the first direction can be the average value calculated by measuring the size of one internal electrode in the first direction at 10 equally spaced points in the second direction in the scanned image. The 10 equally spaced points can be specified in the capacitance forming portion Ac. Also, when the measurement of such an average value is extended to 10 internal electrodes to measure the average value, the average size of the plurality of internal electrodes in the first direction can be further generalized.

[0087] On the other hand, in one embodiment of the present invention, at least one thickness td of the plurality of dielectric layers and at least one thickness te of the plurality of internal electrodes can satisfy 2×te < td.

[0088] In other words, the thickness td of one dielectric layer may be even greater than twice the thickness te of one internal electrode. Preferably, the average thickness td of the plurality of dielectric layers may be even greater than twice the average thickness te of the plurality of internal electrodes.

[0089] Generally, for electronic components for high-voltage electrical equipment, the main issue is the reliability problem due to the decrease in the breakdown voltage (BDV) in a high-voltage environment.

[0090] Therefore, in order to prevent the decrease in the breakdown voltage in a high-voltage environment, by making the average thickness td of the dielectric layer greater than twice the average thickness te of the internal electrodes, the thickness of the dielectric layer, which is the distance between the internal electrodes, can be increased, and the breakdown voltage characteristics can be improved.

[0091] When the average thickness td of the dielectric layer is less than or equal to twice the average thickness te of the internal electrodes, the average thickness of the dielectric layer, which is the distance between the internal electrodes, becomes thin, so the breakdown voltage may decrease, and there is a possibility of a short circuit between the internal electrodes.

[0092] On the other hand, the main body 110 may include cover portions 112 and 113 that are positioned on both end surfaces (end-surfaces) of the capacity forming portion Ac in the first direction.

[0093] Specifically, it may include a first cover portion 112 positioned on one side of the volume-forming portion Ac in the first direction, and a second cover portion 113 positioned on the other side of the volume-forming portion Ac in the first direction. More specifically, it may include an upper cover portion 112 positioned on the upper part of the volume-forming portion Ac in the first direction, and a lower cover portion 113 positioned on the lower part of the volume-forming portion Ac in the first direction.

[0094] The first cover portion 112 and the second cover portion 113 can be formed by arranging or stacking a single second dielectric layer or two or more second dielectric layers in a first direction on the upper and lower surfaces of the capacitance forming portion Ac, respectively, and can essentially serve to prevent damage to the internal electrodes 121 and 122 due to physical or chemical stress.

[0095] The first cover portion 112 and the second cover portion 113 do not include internal electrodes 121 and 122 and may contain the same dielectric material as the first dielectric layer 111 of the capacitance forming portion. That is, the first cover portion 112 and the second cover portion 113 may contain ceramic material, for example, barium titanate (BaTiO3) based ceramic material.

[0096] On the other hand, the thickness tc of the cover portions 112 and 113 does not need to be particularly limited, and in the following description of the thickness tc of the cover portions 112 and 113, it can mean the thickness tc of the first cover portion 112 and the second cover portion 113, respectively.

[0097] However, in order to more easily achieve miniaturization and high capacity of stacked electronic components, the thickness tc of the cover portion may be 50 μm or less, preferably 30 μm or less, and more preferably 20 μm or less for ultra-small products.

[0098] Here, the thickness tc of the cover portion can mean the size of the cover portions 112 and 113 in the first direction.

[0099] Furthermore, the thickness tc of the cover portion can refer to the average thickness tc of the first cover portion 112 and the second cover portion 113, or the average thickness tc of the first cover portion 112 and the second cover portion 113.

[0100] The average size of the cover portion in the first direction can be measured by scanning the cross-sections of the main body 110 in the first and second directions with a scanning electron microscope (SEM) at 10,000x magnification. More specifically, it can mean the average value calculated by measuring the size in the first direction at 10 equally spaced points in the second direction within the scanned image of one cover portion.

[0101] Furthermore, the average size of the cover portion in the first direction measured by the method described above can be substantially the same as the average size of the cover portion in the first direction in the cross-section of the main body 110 in the first and third directions.

[0102] On the other hand, the stacked electronic component 100 may include side margin regions 114' and 115' of the third direction region of the internal electrodes 121 and 122.

[0103] More specifically, the side margin regions 114' and 115' may include a first side margin region 114' located between the internal electrodes 121 and 122 and the fifth surface 5, and a second side margin region 115' located between the internal electrodes 121 and 122 and the sixth surface 6.

[0104] The side margin regions 114' and 115' can be defined as the regions between the end-surfaces of the first internal electrode 121 and the second internal electrode 122 in the third direction and the interface surface of the main body 110, with respect to the cross-sections of the main body 110 in the first and third directions, as shown in the figure.

[0105] The side margin regions 114' and 115' can refer to the ceramic green sheet region excluding the internal electrodes 121 and 122 when the paste for the internal electrodes is applied to the ceramic green sheet applied to the volume-forming portion Ac, excluding the areas where the side margin regions 114' and 115' are formed.

[0106] The side margin regions 114' and 115' essentially serve to prevent damage to the internal electrodes 121 and 122 due to physical or chemical stress.

[0107] The first side margin region 114' and the second side margin region 115' do not include the internal electrodes 121 and 122 and may contain the same material as the first dielectric layer 111, for example, they may correspond to a part of the first dielectric layer 111. That is, the first side margin region 114' and the second side margin region 115' may contain a ceramic material, for example, a barium titanate (BaTiO3) based ceramic material.

[0108] On the other hand, the stacked electronic component 100 may include side margin portions 114 and 115 arranged on both end surfaces (end-surfaces) of the main body 110 in the third direction.

[0109] More specifically, the side margins 114 and 115 may include a first side margin 114 located on the fifth surface 5 of the main body 110, and a second side margin 115 located on the sixth surface 6 of the main body 110.

[0110] The side margin portions 114 and 115 can be formed by applying conductive paste to the ceramic green sheet applied to the capacitance forming portion Ac, except for the areas where the side margin portions 114 and 115 are formed, to form the internal electrodes 121 and 122. In order to suppress the step caused by the internal electrodes 121 and 122, the laminated internal electrodes 121 and 122 can be cut so that they are exposed on the fifth surface 5 and sixth surface 6 of the main body 110, and then a single third dielectric layer or two or more third dielectric layers can be formed by arranging or laminating them in the third direction on both end surfaces (end-surfaces) of the capacitance forming portion Ac in the third direction.

[0111] The side margins 114 and 115 can essentially serve to prevent damage to the internal electrodes 121 and 122 due to physical or chemical stress.

[0112] The first side margin portion 114 and the second side margin portion 115 do not include the internal electrodes 121 and 122 and may contain the same material as the dielectric layer 111. That is, the first side margin portion 114 and the second side margin portion 115 may contain a ceramic material, for example, a barium titanate (BaTiO3) based ceramic material.

[0113] On the other hand, the widths wm of the side margins 114 and 115 do not need to be particularly limited, and in the following description of the widths wm of the side margins 114 and 115, it is possible to mean the widths wm of the first side margin 114 and the second side margin 115, respectively.

[0114] However, in order to more easily achieve miniaturization and high capacitance of the stacked electronic component 100, the width wm of the side margin portion may be 50 μm or less, preferably 30 μm or less, and more preferably 20 μm or less for ultra-small products.

[0115] Here, the width wm of the side margin can represent the size of the side margins 114 and 115 in the third direction.

[0116] Furthermore, the width wm of the side margins 114 and 115 can represent the average width wm of the first side margin 114 and the second side margin 115, or the average width wm of the first side margin 114 and the second side margin 115.

[0117] The average size of the side margins 114 and 115 in the third direction can be measured by scanning the cross-section of the main body 110 in the first and third directions with a scanning electron microscope (SEM) at 10,000x magnification. More specifically, it can mean the average value calculated by measuring the size in the third direction at 10 equally spaced points in the first direction in an image scanned from a single side margin.

[0118] One embodiment of the present invention describes a structure in which a stacked electronic component 100 has two external electrodes 131 and 132. However, the number and shape of the external electrodes 131 and 132 can be changed according to the form of the internal electrodes 121 and 122 or other purposes.

[0119] The external electrodes 131 and 132 are positioned on the main body 110 and can be connected to the internal electrodes 121 and 122.

[0120] More specifically, the external electrodes 131 and 132 may include a first external electrode 131 and a second external electrode 132, which are arranged on the third surface 3 and the fourth surface 4 of the main body 110, respectively, and connected to a first internal electrode 121 and a second internal electrode 122, respectively. That is, the first external electrode 131 may be arranged on the third surface 3 of the main body and connected to the first internal electrode 121, and the second external electrode 132 may be arranged on the fourth surface 4 of the main body and connected to the second internal electrode 122.

[0121] Furthermore, the external electrodes 131 and 132 may extend and be arranged on parts of the first surface 1 and the second surface 2 of the main body 110, or on parts of the fifth surface 5 and the sixth surface 6 of the main body 110. That is, the first external electrode 131 may be arranged on the third surface 3 of the main body 110 and on parts of the first surface 1, the second surface 2, the fifth surface 5 and the sixth surface 6 of the main body 110, and the second external electrode 132 may be arranged on the fourth surface 4 of the main body 110 and on parts of the first surface 1, the second surface 2, the fifth surface 5 and the sixth surface 6 of the main body 110.

[0122] On the other hand, the external electrodes 131 and 132 may be formed using any material that has electrical conductivity, such as metal, and the specific material may be determined by considering electrical properties, structural stability, etc., and may also have a multilayer structure.

[0123] For example, the external electrodes 131 and 132 may include an electrode layer placed on the main body 110 and a plating layer placed on the electrode layer. In this case, the electrode layer may include a first electrode layer placed on the main body and a second electrode layer placed on the first electrode layer, and the plating layer may include a first plating layer placed on the electrode layer and a second plating layer placed on the first plating layer, but is not limited thereto. The details of the electrode layer and the plating layer will be explained in more detail below.

[0124] To give a more specific example for the electrode layers 131a, 132a, 131b, and 132b, the electrode layers 131a, 132a, 131b, and 132b may include first electrode layers 131a and 132a, which are fired electrodes containing a first conductive metal and glass, or second electrode layers 131b and 132b, which are resin-based electrodes containing a second conductive metal and resin.

[0125] Here, the conductive metal contained in the first electrode layers 131a and 132a can be called the first conductive metal, and the conductive metal contained in the second electrode layers 131b and 132b can be called the second conductive metal. In this case, the first conductive metal and the second conductive metal may be the same or different from each other, and if multiple conductive metals are included, only some of them may be the same conductive metal, but this is not particularly limited.

[0126] Furthermore, the electrode layers 131a, 132a, 131b, and 132b may be formed in a manner in which first electrode layers 131a and 132a, which are fired electrode layers, and second electrode layers 131b and 132b, which are resin-based electrode layers, are formed sequentially on the main body 110.

[0127] The electrode layers 131a, 132a, 131b, and 132b may be formed by transferring a sheet containing a conductive metal onto the main body, or by transferring a sheet containing a conductive metal onto a fired electrode. Alternatively, they may be formed by applying a conductive paste for external electrodes containing a conductive metal to the main body 110 and then firing it, or by a dipping method in which the main body 110 is immersed in a conductive paste for external electrodes containing a conductive metal, but are not limited to these methods.

[0128] Materials with excellent electrical conductivity can be used as the conductive metal contained in the electrode layers 131a, 132a, 131b, and 132b. For example, the conductive metal may include one or more selected from the group consisting of nickel (Ni), copper (Cu), palladium (Pd), silver (Ag), gold (Au), platinum (Pt), tin (Sn), tungsten (W), titanium (Ti), and alloys thereof, but is not particularly limited thereto.

[0129] In one embodiment of the present invention, the electrode layers 131a, 132a, 131b, and 132b may have a two-layer structure including a first electrode layer 131a, 132a and a second electrode layer 131b, 132b. More specifically, the external electrodes 131 and 132 may include a first electrode layer 131a, 132a comprising a first conductive metal and glass, and a second electrode layer 131b, 132b disposed on the first electrode layers 131a, 132a and comprising a second conductive metal and resin.

[0130] The first electrode layers 131a and 132a, by containing glass, serve to improve bonding with the main body 110, while the second electrode layers 131b and 132b, by containing resin, serve to improve bending strength.

[0131] The first conductive metal contained in the first electrode layers 131a and 132a is not particularly limited as long as it is a material that can be electrically connected to the internal electrodes 121 and 122 for the formation of capacitance, and may include, for example, at least one of nickel (Ni), copper (Cu), palladium (Pd), silver (Ag), gold (Au), platinum (Pt), tin (Sn), tungsten (W), titanium (Ti), and alloys thereof.

[0132] The first electrode layers 131a and 132a can be formed by applying a conductive paste, which is made by adding glass frit to first conductive metal particles, and then firing it.

[0133] The second conductive metal contained in the second electrode layers 131b and 132b can serve to electrically connect with the first electrode layers 131a and 132a.

[0134] The second conductive metal contained in the second electrode layers 131b and 132b is not particularly limited as long as it is a material that can be electrically connected to the first electrode layers 131a and 132a, and may include at least one of nickel (Ni), copper (Cu), palladium (Pd), silver (Ag), gold (Au), platinum (Pt), tin (Sn), tungsten (W), titanium (Ti), and alloys thereof.

[0135] The second conductive metal contained in the second electrode layers 131b and 132b may include one or more spherical particles and flake-shaped particles. That is, the second conductive metal may consist only of flake-shaped particles, only of spherical particles, or as a mixture of flake-shaped and spherical particles. Here, spherical particles may include forms that are not perfectly spherical, for example, forms with a ratio of the length of the long axis to the short axis (long axis / short axis) of 1.45 or less. Flake-shaped particles mean particles that are flat and elongated, and are not particularly limited, but for example, the ratio of the length of the long axis to the short axis (long axis / short axis) may be 1.95 or more. The lengths of the long axis and short axis of the spherical particles and flake-shaped particles can be measured from images obtained by scanning the cross-sections in the first and second directions, which are cut in the center of the third direction of the stacked electronic component, with a scanning electron microscope (SEM).

[0136] The resin contained in the second electrode layers 131b and 132b is not particularly limited as long as it can ensure bonding and absorb shock and can be mixed with the second conductive metal particles to make a paste; for example, it can include epoxy resins.

[0137] Furthermore, the second electrode layers 131b and 132b may further contain an intermetallic compound.

[0138] The inclusion of an intermetallic compound can further improve the electrical connectivity with the first electrode layers 131a and 132a. The intermetallic compound plays a role in improving electrical connectivity by linking multiple second conductive metal particles, and can also play a role in surrounding and connecting multiple second conductive metal particles to one another.

[0139] In this case, the intermetallic compound may include a metal having a melting point lower than the curing temperature of the resin. That is, because the intermetallic compound includes a metal having a melting point lower than the curing temperature of the resin, the metal with a melting point lower than the curing temperature of the resin melts during the drying and curing process, forming an intermetallic compound with some of the metal particles and surrounding the metal particles. In this case, the intermetallic compound may preferably include a low-melting-point metal of 300°C or lower.

[0140] For example, it may contain Sn having a melting point of 213-220°C. During the drying and hardening process, the Sn melts, and the molten Sn moistens high-melting-point metal particles such as Ag, Ni, or Cu by capillary action, reacting with some of the Ag, Ni, or Cu metal particles to form intermetallic compounds such as Ag3Sn, Ni3Sn4, Cu6Sn5, and Cu3Sn. The Ag, Ni, or Cu that do not participate in the reaction remain in the form of metal particles.

[0141] Therefore, the multiple second conductive metal particles may include one or more of Ag, Ni, and Cu, and the intermetallic compound may include one or more of Ag3Sn, Ni3Sn4, Cu6Sn5, and Cu3Sn.

[0142] The plating layers 131c and 132c can play a role in improving mounting characteristics.

[0143] The types of plating layers 131c and 132c are not particularly limited and may be single-layer plating layers 131c and 132c containing one or more of nickel (Ni), tin (Sn), silver (Ag), palladium (Pd), and alloys thereof, or they may be formed in multiple layers.

[0144] To give a more specific example of the plating layers 131c and 132c, the plating layers 131c and 132c may be Ni plating layers or Sn plating layers, and may be in a form in which Ni plating layers and Sn plating layers are sequentially formed on the electrode layer, or may be in a form in which Sn plating layers, Ni plating layers and Sn plating layers are sequentially formed. Furthermore, the plating layers 131c and 132c may include multiple Ni plating layers and / or multiple Sn plating layers.

[0145] There is no particular limit to the size of the stacked electronic component 100.

[0146] However, in order to achieve both miniaturization and high capacitance simultaneously, the thickness of the dielectric layer and internal electrodes must be reduced and the number of layers increased. Therefore, the effects of the present invention may become more pronounced in multilayer electronic components 100 of size 3216 (length × width: 3.2 mm × 1.6 mm, where the length and width satisfy an error of ±5%) or smaller.

[0147] As described above, embodiments of the present invention have been explained in detail, but the present invention is not limited by the embodiments described above and the accompanying drawings, but is limited by the claims provided. Therefore, within the scope of the technical idea of ​​the present invention as described in the claims, various forms of substitution, modification, and alteration are possible by persons with ordinary skill in the art, and these also fall within the scope of the present invention.

[0148] Furthermore, the expression "one embodiment" as used in this invention does not mean that each embodiment is the same as another, but is provided to emphasize and describe the unique and distinct features of each embodiment. However, the above-presented embodiments do not preclude their realization in combination with the features of other embodiments. For example, even if a matter described in a particular embodiment is not described in another embodiment, it can be understood as a description related to the other embodiment, as long as there is no description in the other embodiment that contradicts or is contrary to that matter.

[0149] The terms used in this invention are used solely to describe one embodiment and are not intended to limit the invention. In this context, singular expressions include plural expressions unless the context clearly indicates a different meaning. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0150] 100: Stacked Electronic Components 110: Main unit 111: Dielectric layer 112, 113: Cover section 114', 115': Side margin area 114, 115: Side margin section 121, 122: Internal electrode 131, 132: External electrode 10: Dielectric crystal grains 11: First metal oxide 12: Second metal oxides GB: Grain boundary MP:3-emphasis

Claims

1. SrTiO in which at least one of the elemental positions other than the oxygen element (O) is substituted with a donor element. ３ and TiO ２ A body comprising a dielectric layer containing one of the above as the main component, and internal electrodes arranged alternately with the dielectric layer in a first direction, The body includes an external electrode disposed on the main body, The dielectric layer includes a plurality of dielectric crystal grains, grain boundaries arranged between adjacent dielectric crystal grains, and triple-points arranged at locations where three or more grain boundaries meet, and a first metal oxide arranged at the triple-points and a second metal oxide arranged at the grain boundaries. A multilayer electronic component wherein the atomic percentage of the first metal element contained in the first metal oxide is higher than the atomic percentage of the second metal element contained in the second metal oxide.

2. The stacked electronic component according to claim 1, wherein the donor element comprises at least one of Nb, Ta, Sb, Mo, and V.

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

4. The aforementioned SrTiO ３ and TiO ２ The stacked electronic component according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the elements is further substituted with an acceptor element at at least one of the elemental positions other than the oxygen element (O).

5. The stacked electronic component according to claim 4, wherein the acceptor element comprises at least one of Al, Ga, Mg, Zn, Sc, In, Yb, Er, and Eu.

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

7. The stacked electronic component according to claim 4, wherein the total content of the substituted donor element and acceptor element is greater than 0 mol% and less than or equal to 2 mol%.

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

1.

9. The stacked electronic component according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the difference between the atomic percentage of the first metal element contained in the first metal oxide and the atomic percentage of the second metal element contained in the second metal oxide is 10 at% or more.

10. A multilayer electronic component according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the atomic percentage of the first metal element contained in the first metal oxide is 70 at% or more, and the atomic percentage of the second metal element contained in the second metal oxide is less than 30 at%.

11. The multilayer electronic component according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the elements of the first metal contained in the first metal oxide and the elements of the second metal contained in the second metal oxide include at least one selected from the group consisting of Si, Al, Nb, Ta, Mo, V, Mg, In, Sn, Cu, Ni, Cr, Mn, Sb, Ga, and Ti.

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