Electronic Components

Abstract

To provide an electronic component capable of reducing frictional resistance with a transport path when transporting on the transport path.SOLUTION: An electronic component 10 includes a body portion 11 having a first end face and a second end face that face each other in the length direction, a first side surface 17a and a second side surface 17b facing each other in the width direction, and a first main surface 16a and a second main surface 16b facing each other in the thickness direction, and has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape, a first external electrode 21a provided on one end side in the length direction of the body portion 11, and a second external electrode 21b provided on the other end side in the length direction of the body portion 11, and each of the first external electrode 21a and the second external electrode 21b includes a first protrusion protruding in a direction perpendicular to the first main surface 16a, a second protrusion protruding in a direction perpendicular to the second main surface 16b, a third protrusion protruding in a direction orthogonal to the first side surface 17a, and a fourth protrusion projecting in a direction orthogonal to the second side surface 17b.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to electronic components. [Background technology]

[0002] There are known electronic components, such as multilayer ceramic capacitors, in which a pair of external electrodes are provided on the surface of a main body. As an example of such an electronic component, Patent Document 1 discloses an electronic component 100 in which a main body 110 is formed by laminating a plurality of dielectric layers and a plurality of internal electrodes, and a pair of external electrodes 120 electrically connected to the internal electrodes are provided on the surface of the main body 110 (FIG. 11). In this electronic component 100, the shape of the main body 110 is a substantially rectangular parallelepiped, and the surfaces of the external electrodes 120 on each side of the main body 110 are flat, just like the surfaces of the main body 110.

[0003] In electronic component 100 described in Patent Document 1, a protrusion is provided on a portion of the surface of main body 110 at a position where external electrode 120 is not formed, but this is omitted in FIG. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2020-120097 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, in the case of conventional electronic components, when the electronic components are transported on the transport path, frictional forces occurring between the external electrodes and the transport path may prevent the electronic components from being transported smoothly. That is, when multiple electronic components are supplied to a supply position at the top of the inclined transport path and are transported to a discharge position at the bottom by sliding down the transport path, the frictional forces between the external electrodes and the transport path may cause the electronic components to become stuck on the transport path.

[0006] The present invention is devised to solve the above-mentioned problems, and has an object to provide an electronic component capable of reducing the frictional resistance between the electronic component and the transport path when the electronic component is transported on the transport path. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The electronic component of the present invention comprises: a main body having a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape, the main body having a first end face and a second end face opposed to each other in a length direction, a first side face and a second side face opposed to each other in a width direction, and a first main face and a second main face opposed to each other in a thickness direction; a first external electrode provided on one end side of the main body in the longitudinal direction; a second external electrode provided on the other end side of the main body in the longitudinal direction; Equipped with The first external electrode and the second external electrode each have a first convex portion protruding in a direction perpendicular to the first main surface, a second convex portion protruding in a direction perpendicular to the second main surface, a third convex portion protruding in a direction perpendicular to the first side surface, and a fourth convex portion protruding in a direction perpendicular to the second side surface. Effect of the Invention

[0008] According to the electronic component of the present invention, the first external electrode and the second external electrode each have a first convex portion protruding in a direction perpendicular to the first main surface, a second convex portion protruding in a direction perpendicular to the second main surface, a third convex portion protruding in a direction perpendicular to the first side surface, and a fourth convex portion protruding in a direction perpendicular to the second side surface, so that when the electronic component is transported on the transport path, the contact area between the external electrodes and the transport path can be reduced. This reduces the frictional resistance between the electronic component and the transport path, so that the electronic component can be transported smoothly on the transport path. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating an electronic component according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2]2 is a cross-sectional view showing a schematic structure of the electronic component shown in FIG. 1 taken along line II-II. [Diagram 3] 3 is a cross-sectional view showing a schematic structure of the electronic component shown in FIG. 1 taken along line III-III. [Figure 4] 1 is a plan view of an electronic component in a first embodiment, viewed in a longitudinal direction from a first external electrode side. [Diagram 5] 4 is a cross-sectional view that illustrates a schematic structure of an electronic component in which only the shape of a first protrusion, among four protrusions of a first external electrode of the electronic component illustrated in FIG. 3, is different. FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. 4 is a perspective view illustrating an electronic component according to a second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7] 7 is a cross-sectional view showing a schematic structure of the electronic component shown in FIG. 6 taken along line VII-VII. [Figure 8] 8 is a cross-sectional view showing a schematic structure of the electronic component shown in FIG. 6 taken along line VIII-VIII. [Figure 9] 11 is a cross-sectional view showing a schematic modification of the electronic component according to the second embodiment. FIG. [Figure 10] 4 is a cross-sectional view that illustrates a schematic structure of the electronic component according to the third embodiment when cut at the same position as in the cross-sectional view shown in FIG. [Figure 11] FIG. 1 is a perspective view that illustrates a conventional electronic component having external electrodes that do not have protrusions. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0010] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the embodiments thereof. In the following embodiments, a multilayer ceramic capacitor will be described as an example of an electronic component according to the present invention.

[0011] <First embodiment> Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing a schematic structure of an electronic component 10 according to a first embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing a schematic structure of the electronic component 10 shown in Fig. 1 when cut along line II-II. Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing a schematic structure of the electronic component 10 shown in Fig. 1 when cut along line III-III.

[0012] An electronic component 10 in the first embodiment includes a main body 11, and a first external electrode 21a and a second external electrode 21b provided on a surface of the main body 11. The first external electrode 21a and the second external electrode 21b are arranged to face each other, as shown in FIG.

[0013] Here, the direction in which the first external electrode 21a and the second external electrode 21b face each other is defined as the length direction L of the electronic component 10, the direction in which the dielectric layer 12, the first internal electrode 13, and the second internal electrode 14 described below are stacked is defined as the thickness direction T, and the direction perpendicular to both the length direction L and the thickness direction T is defined as the width direction W. Any two directions out of the length direction L, the thickness direction T, and the width direction W are perpendicular to each other.

[0014] In this embodiment, among the dimensions of electronic component 10 in the length direction L, width direction W, and thickness direction T, the dimension in the length direction L is the largest, but a configuration in which the dimension in the width direction W is the largest is also possible.

[0015] The main body 11 has a first end face 15a and a second end face 15b facing in the length direction L, a first main face 16a and a second main face 16b facing in the thickness direction T, and a first side face 17a and a second side face 17b facing in the width direction W, and has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape. In this embodiment, the main body 11 has rounded corners and ridges, and the substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape also includes shapes in which the corners and ridges of a rectangular parallelepiped are rounded. The corners are the parts where three faces of the main body 11 intersect, and the ridges are the parts where two faces of the main body 11 intersect.

[0016] 2 and 3, the main body 11 includes a plurality of first internal electrodes 13 and second internal electrodes 14 alternately stacked in the thickness direction T, and a dielectric layer 12 disposed between the first internal electrodes 13 and the second internal electrodes 14. That is, the main body 11 has a structure in which the first internal electrodes 13 and the second internal electrodes 14 are alternately stacked in the thickness direction T with the dielectric layer 12 interposed therebetween.

[0017] The dielectric layer 12 is made of, for example, BaTiO3, CaTiO3, SrTiO3, SrZrO 3、 Alternatively, it may be made of a ceramic material mainly composed of CaZrO3, etc. These main components may contain minor components such as Mn compounds, Fe compounds, Cr compounds, Co compounds, Ni compounds, etc., which are contained in smaller amounts than the main components.

[0018] The first internal electrode 13 is extended to a first end face 15a of the body 11 and electrically connected to a first external electrode 21a. The second internal electrode 14 is extended to a second end face 15b of the body 11 and electrically connected to a second external electrode 21b.

[0019] In addition to the first internal electrode 13 and the second internal electrode 14, the main body 11 may include an internal electrode that is not exposed on the surface.

[0020] The first internal electrode 13 includes a counter electrode portion that faces the second internal electrode 14, and an extended electrode portion that is extended from the counter electrode portion to the first end face 15a of the main body portion 11. The second internal electrode 14 includes a counter electrode portion that faces the first internal electrode 13, and an extended electrode portion that is extended from the counter electrode portion to the second end face 15b of the main body portion 11.

[0021] The opposing electrode portion of the first internal electrode 13 and the opposing electrode portion of the second internal electrode 14 face each other via the dielectric layer 12 to form a capacitance, thereby functioning as a capacitor.

[0022] The first internal electrode 13 and the second internal electrode 14 contain, for example, a metal such as Ni, Ag, Pd, Au, Cu, Ti, or Cr, or an alloy mainly composed of the above-mentioned metal. The first internal electrode 13 and the second internal electrode 14 may contain, as a common material, the same ceramic material as the dielectric ceramic contained in the dielectric layer 12. The content ratio of the common material in the first internal electrode 13 is, for example, 20 volume % or less of the entire first internal electrode 13. The same applies to the content ratio of the common material in the second internal electrode 14.

[0023] It is not necessary that all of the first internal electrodes 13 and second internal electrodes 14 are made of the same material, and some of them may be different. Also, each internal electrode 13, 14 may be made of a partially different material.

[0024] The first external electrode 21a is provided on one end side of the body portion 11 in the longitudinal direction L. More specifically, the first external electrode 21a is provided over the entire first end face 15a of the body portion 11, and is provided so as to extend from the first end face 15a around the first main face 16a, the second main face 16b, the first side face 17a, and the second side face 17b.

[0025] The second external electrode 21b is provided on the other end side in the longitudinal direction L of the main body 11. More specifically, the second external electrode 21b is provided on the entire second end face 15b of the main body 11, and is provided so as to extend from the second end face 15b around the first main face 16a, the second main face 16b, the first side face 17a, and the second side face 17b.

[0026] The first external electrode 21a and the second external electrode 21b each have a first protrusion 31 protruding in a direction perpendicular to the first main surface 16a of the body portion 11, a second protrusion 32 protruding in a direction perpendicular to the second main surface 16b, a third protrusion 33 protruding in a direction perpendicular to the first side surface 17a, and a fourth protrusion 34 protruding in a direction perpendicular to the second side surface 17b. In the following description, the first protrusion 31 to the fourth protrusion 34 may be collectively referred to as a protrusion 30.

[0027] Specifically, as shown in Fig. 3, the first external electrode 21a has a first protrusion 31a protruding in a direction perpendicular to the first main surface 16a of the main body 11, a second protrusion 32a protruding in a direction perpendicular to the second main surface 16b, a third protrusion 33a protruding in a direction perpendicular to the first side surface 17a, and a fourth protrusion 34a protruding in a direction perpendicular to the second side surface 17b. In this embodiment, the first protrusion 31a and the second protrusion 32a are located at the center of the width direction W of the first external electrode 21a. Also, the third protrusion 33a and the fourth protrusion 34a are located at the center of the thickness direction T of the first external electrode 21a.

[0028] The second external electrode 21b has a first protrusion 31b protruding in a direction perpendicular to the first main surface 16a of the main body 11, a second protrusion 32b protruding in a direction perpendicular to the second main surface 16b, a third protrusion 33b protruding in a direction perpendicular to the first side surface 17a, and a fourth protrusion 34b protruding in a direction perpendicular to the second side surface 17b. In this embodiment, the first protrusion 31b and the second protrusion 32b are located at the center of the width direction W of the second external electrode 21b. Moreover, the third protrusion 33b and the fourth protrusion 34b are located at the center of the thickness direction T of the second external electrode 21b.

[0029] 1, the convex portions 30 of the first external electrode 21a and the second external electrode 21b extend in the length direction L. That is, when the first external electrode 21a and the second external electrode 21b are cut at any position on a plane parallel to the first end face 15a and the second end face 15b of the main body 11, the first convex portions 31 have the same shape. The same is true for the second convex portion 32, the third convex portion 33, and the fourth convex portion 34.

[0030] 1, some ridges of the first external electrode 21a and the second external electrode 21b appear to form right angles, but are rounded like the main body 11. Also, some of the protrusions 30 and recesses 40, which will be described later, appear to form right angles, but may be rounded.

[0031] 11, the shape of external electrode 120 corresponds to the shape of main body 110, which is a substantially rectangular parallelepiped. That is, the surface of external electrode 120 is flat, just like the surface of main body 110.

[0032] In contrast, in the electronic component 10 of this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4, the surface of the first external electrode 21a is not flat, and there are portions that protrude outward. FIG. 4 is a plan view of the electronic component 10 when viewed in the length direction L from the first external electrode 21a side. In FIG. 4, the first convex portion 31a, the second convex portion 32a, the third convex portion 33a, and the fourth convex portion 34a of the first external electrode 21a are hatched. Similarly, the surface of the second external electrode 21b is not flat, and there are portions that protrude outward. That is, the first convex portion 31a to the fourth convex portion 34a of the first external electrode 21a and the first convex portion 31b to the fourth convex portion 34b of the second external electrode 21b refer to portions that protrude outward from a flat or substantially flat surface.

[0033] In the electronic component 10 of this embodiment, the first external electrode 21a has the first protrusion 31a to the fourth protrusion 34a, and thus the first external electrode 21a has recesses 40 as shown in Fig. 3. Specifically, recesses 40 are present on both sides of the first protrusion 31a to the fourth protrusion 34a. Similarly, the second external electrode 21b has the first protrusion 31b to the fourth protrusion 34b, and thus the second external electrode 21b has recesses 40.

[0034] In this embodiment, in a cross section of the first external electrode 21a cut along a plane parallel to the first end face 15a and the second end face 15b, the surfaces of the first convex portion 31a, the second convex portion 32a, the third convex portion 33a, and the fourth convex portion 34a are each arc-shaped, as shown in Fig. 3. That is, the surfaces of the first convex portion 31a, the second convex portion 32a, the third convex portion 33a, and the fourth convex portion 34a of the first external electrode 21a are curved rather than flat.

[0035] Similarly, in a cross section of the second external electrode 21b cut along a plane parallel to the first end face 15a and the second end face 15b, the surfaces of the first convex portion 31b, the second convex portion 32b, the third convex portion 33b, and the fourth convex portion 34b are each arc-shaped. That is, the surfaces of the first convex portion 31b, the second convex portion 32b, the third convex portion 33b, and the fourth convex portion 34b of the second external electrode 21b are curved rather than flat.

[0036] In this embodiment, the shapes and sizes of all the protrusions 30 of the first external electrode 21a, the first protrusion 31a to the fourth protrusion 34a, and the first protrusion 31b to the fourth protrusion 34b of the second external electrode 21b are the same. However, it is not necessary that all the protrusions 30 have completely the same shape and size, and at least one of all the protrusions 30 may have a different shape and size. That is, in the electronic component 10 of the first embodiment, it is only necessary that at least one of the first protrusion 31, the second protrusion 32, the third protrusion 33, and the fourth protrusion 34 has an arc shape in a cross section obtained by cutting the first external electrode 21a and the second external electrode 21b, respectively, in a plane parallel to the first end face 15a and the second end face 15b.

[0037] Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view that shows a schematic structure of electronic component 10 in which only first protrusion 31a has a different shape among four protrusions 31a to 34a of first external electrode 21a. The cutting position of the cross-sectional view shown in Fig. 5 is the same as the cutting position of the cross-sectional view shown in Fig. 3. In the example shown in Fig. 5, first protrusion 31a has a substantially rectangular shape in a cross section obtained by cutting first external electrode 21a along a plane parallel to first end face 15a and second end face 15b. Note that "substantially rectangular" also includes a rectangular shape with at least some corners rounded.

[0038] Since the shape of the first protrusion 31a is different from the shapes of the second protrusion 32a, the third protrusion 33a, and the fourth protrusion 34a, it is possible to identify the first protrusion 31a side, i.e., the first main surface 16a side of the body portion 11 which is substantially rectangular shaped. This allows the electronic component 10 to be mounted on the board in a position where, for example, the second main surface 16b of the body portion 11 faces the board and the first main surface 16a faces the side opposite to the board, so that the stacking direction of the first internal electrode 13 and the second internal electrode 14 can be aligned with the mounting direction.

[0039] The shape of not only the first protrusion 31a of the first external electrode 21a but also the first protrusion 31b of the second external electrode 21b may be different from the shapes of the second protrusion 32b to the fourth protrusion 34b. All the protrusions 30 may have the same shape, but the size of the first protrusions 31a, 31b may be different from the size of the other protrusions 30. In order to align the stacking direction and mounting direction of the first internal electrode 13 and the second internal electrode 14, at least one of the shape and size of the second protrusion 32 may be different from at least one of the shape and size of the other protrusions 30.

[0040] The first external electrode 21a and the second external electrode 21b each include, for example, a base electrode layer and a plating layer disposed on the base electrode layer.

[0041] The base electrode layer includes at least one layer selected from layers such as a baked electrode layer, a resin electrode layer, and a thin-film electrode layer, which will be described later. In order to make the linear expansion coefficients of the first external electrode 21a and the second external electrode 21b closer to that of the dielectric layer 12, the base electrode layer may contain a common material made of a material that is the same as or similar to the material contained in the dielectric layer 12, or glass. When the base electrode layer contains a common material or glass, the content is preferably 30% by volume or more and 70% by volume or less of the entire external electrode.

[0042] The baked electrode layer is a layer containing glass and metal, and may be one layer or multiple layers. The baked electrode layer contains, for example, metals such as Cu, Ni, Ag, Pd, Ti, Cr, and Au, or alloys containing these metals. The baked electrode layer can be formed, for example, by immersing the main body in a paste tank in which a conductive paste containing glass and metal is stored, and then baking it.

[0043] The resin electrode layer can be formed, for example, as a layer containing conductive particles and a thermosetting resin. When forming the resin electrode layer, it may be formed directly on the main body without forming a baked electrode layer. The resin electrode layer may be a single layer or multiple layers.

[0044] The thin-film electrode layer is, for example, a layer of 1 μm or less in thickness in which metal particles are deposited, and can be formed by a known thin-film formation method such as a sputtering method or a vapor deposition method.

[0045] The plating layer disposed on the base electrode layer contains, for example, a metal such as Cu, Ni, Ag, Pd, Ti, Cr, or Au, or an alloy mainly composed of these metals. The plating layer may be a single layer or multiple layers. However, the plating layer is preferably a two-layer structure of a Ni plating layer and a Sn plating layer. The Ni plating layer serves to prevent the base electrode layer from being eroded by solder when mounting the electronic component 10. In addition, the Sn plating layer serves to improve the wettability of the solder when mounting the electronic component 10.

[0046] In the first external electrode 21a and the second external electrode 21b, the material of the protrusion 30 is the same as the material of the portions other than the protrusion 30, but may be different.

[0047] To give an example of the size of electronic component 10, the dimension of electronic component 10 in the length direction L is, for example, 0.7 mm or more and 1.2 mm or less, and is, for example, 1.0 mm. The dimension of electronic component 10 in the width direction W is, for example, 0.4 mm or more and 0.6 mm or less, and is, for example, 0.5 mm. The dimension of electronic component 10 in the thickness direction T is, for example, 0.4 mm or more and 0.6 mm or less, and is, for example, 0.5 mm. In other words, the dimension of electronic component 10 in the width direction W is the same as the dimension of electronic component 10 in the thickness direction T. However, the dimension of electronic component 10 in the width direction W is not limited to the dimension of electronic component 10 in the thickness direction T.

[0048] In the main body 11, the dimension in the length direction L between the first external electrode 21a and the second external electrode 21b is, for example, 0.4 mm to 0.6 mm, for example, 0.5 mm. The dimension in the length direction L of the first external electrode 21a and the second external electrode 21b is, for example, 0.05 mm to 0.4 mm, for example, 0.25 mm.

[0049] The dimension of the dielectric layer 12 in the thickness direction T is, for example, 0.001 mm or more and 0.01 mm or less, for example, 0.002 mm. The dimension of the first inner electrode 13 and the second inner electrode 14 in the thickness direction T is, for example, 0.001 mm or more and 0.008 mm or less, for example, 0.002 mm. The dimension of the first inner electrode 13 and the second inner electrode 14 in the width direction W is, for example, 0.18 mm or more and 0.568 mm or less, for example, 0.4 mm.

[0050] The thickness of the first external electrode 21a and the second external electrode 21b is, for example, 0.003 mm or more and 0.05 mm or less, for example, 0.01 mm. The maximum thickness T1 (see FIG. 4) among the thicknesses of the first convex portion 31, the second convex portion 32, the third convex portion 33, and the fourth convex portion 34 of the first external electrode 21a and the second external electrode 21b is, for example, 0.003 mm or more and 0.05 mm or less, for example, 0.01 mm.

[0051] As described above, the first external electrode 21a and the second external electrode 21b each have the first protrusion 31 protruding in a direction perpendicular to the first main surface 16a of the main body 11, the second protrusion 32 protruding in a direction perpendicular to the second main surface 16b, the third protrusion 33 protruding in a direction perpendicular to the first side surface 17a, and the fourth protrusion 34 protruding in a direction perpendicular to the second side surface 17b. Therefore, when the electronic component 10 is transported on the transport path, among the above-mentioned protrusions 31 to 34, the protrusion 30 facing the transport path comes into contact with the transport path. Therefore, compared to the conventional configuration (see FIG. 11) in which no protrusions exist on the external electrodes, the contact area between the first external electrode 21a and the second external electrode 21b and the transport path is smaller, and the frictional resistance between the first external electrode 21a and the second external electrode 21b and the transport path is also smaller.

[0052] That is, according to the electronic component 10 of this embodiment, frictional resistance during transport on the transport path is small, so that the electronic component 10 can be prevented from stagnating on the transport path and can be transported smoothly. As a result, the manufacturing time required for transporting the electronic component 10 to the next process to manufacture electronic devices and the like can be shortened.

[0053] Furthermore, the first external electrode 21a and the second external electrode 21b each have a convex portion 30 protruding in a direction perpendicular to the first main surface 16a, the second main surface 16b, the first side surface 17a, and the second side surface 17b of the main body portion 11, respectively. Therefore, regardless of which of the four surfaces, including the main surfaces and side surfaces, of the main body portion 11 faces the transport path, the contact area with the transport path can be reduced, and frictional resistance can be reduced.

[0054] In a conventional electronic component 100 (FIG. 11) having no protrusions on the external electrodes, internal cracks or peeling may occur due to collisions between electronic components when transported on a transport path, but such internal defects are difficult to detect. In contrast, in the electronic component 10 of the present embodiment, when electronic components 10 collide with each other, collisions are likely to occur at the protrusions 30 of the first external electrode 21a and the second external electrode 21b that protrude outward. Therefore, defects such as cracks and chips are likely to appear in the protrusions 30 of the structurally weak external electrodes 21a and 21b, so defects can be detected by visually inspecting the protrusions 30. This makes it easier to select defective products including structural defects, and the inclusion of defective products in electronic devices can be further reduced.

[0055] In the electronic component 10 of this embodiment, the frictional resistance between the electronic component 10 and the transport path is reduced, and therefore the transport speed of the electronic component 10 is increased, and damage during collision increases. However, as described above, defects that occur during collisions are easily found, and therefore it is possible to both improve the transport speed of the electronic component 10 and reduce the inclusion of defective products.

[0056] Furthermore, in electronic component 10 of this embodiment, first external electrode 21a and second external electrode 21b have protrusions 30, which increases the surface area of ​​external electrodes 21a, 21b compared to a conventional configuration without protrusions 30. As a result, when electronic component 10 is mounted on a board via solder, the contact area between first external electrode 21a and second external electrode 21b and the solder increases, increasing the adhesive strength and making it possible to prevent electronic component 10 from peeling off from the board.

[0057] Furthermore, when the electronic component 10 of this embodiment, which is a multilayer ceramic capacitor, is mounted on a substrate, the first external electrode 21a and the second external electrode 21b have the protrusions 30, and thus the distance between the main body 11 and the substrate is increased by the amount of the protrusions 30. This makes it difficult for vibrations of the electronic component 10 to be transmitted to the substrate, thereby making it possible to suppress the generation of noise such as ringing. Furthermore, when the electronic component 10 mounted on the substrate warps, the warping occurs starting from the protrusions, making it possible to suppress the generation of noise such as ringing.

[0058] Here, the dimensions in the width direction W of the first protrusion 31 and the second protrusion 32 and the dimensions in the thickness direction T of the third protrusion 33 and the fourth protrusion 34 were changed to check the low friction resistance, surface cracks, mounting strength, magnitude of deflection, and corner protection. As described above, the friction resistance is the friction resistance between the electronic component 10 and the transport path when the electronic component 10 is transported on the transport path. The surface cracks were checked to see whether or not cracks were generated on the surface due to collision when multiple electronic components 10 were transported on the transport path. The mounting strength is the strength when the electronic component 10 is mounted on the board. The magnitude of deflection represents the magnitude of deflection of the electronic component 10 mounted on the board. The corner protection was checked to see whether or not the shape of the electronic component 10 was such that the corners of the electronic component 10 were easily protected. The checked results are shown in Table 1.

[0059] [Table 1]

[0060] In Table 1, Wa represents the dimension of the electronic component 10 in the width direction W excluding the convex portion 30, and Wb represents the dimension of the first convex portion 31 and the second convex portion 32 in the width direction W and the dimension of the third convex portion 33 and the fourth convex portion 34 in the thickness direction T (FIG. 4). In the present embodiment, the dimension of the electronic component 10 in the width direction W is the same as the dimension in the thickness direction T. Further, the dimension Wb of the electronic component 10 is smaller than the dimension Wa. Regarding the evaluation of low frictional resistance, surface cracks, mounting strength, deflection magnitude, and corner protection, when it is equivalent to the conventional electronic component 100 shown in FIG. 11, it is denoted as "-", when it is slightly superior, it is denoted as "Δ", when it is superior, it is denoted as "○", and when it is very superior, it is denoted as "◎". Here, the evaluation was performed by changing the dimension Wb to the following eight levels of (1) to (8). (1) 0 < Wb < Wa / 8 (2) Wa / 8 ≤ Wb < Wa / 4 (3) Wa / 4 ≤ Wb < 3Wa / 8 (4) 3Wa / 8 ≤ Wb < Wa / 2 (5) Wa / 2 ≤ Wb < 5Wa / 8 (6) 5Wa / 8 ≤ Wb < 3Wa / 4 (7) 3Wa / 4 ≤ Wb < 7Wa / 8 (8) 7Wa / 8 ≤ Wb < Wa

[0061] As shown in Table 1, in the electronic component 10 according to the present embodiment, regardless of how the dimension Wb of the convex portion 30 is set, the frictional resistance is significantly reduced compared to the conventional electronic component.

[0062] Regarding the surface cracks, when the dimension Wb of the convex portion 30 is Wa / 8 or more, the result is superior to that of the conventional electronic component. When the dimension Wb of the convex portion is small, the electronic component collides at positions other than the convex portion 30, and cracks and delamination are likely to occur inside. In order to make cracks more likely to occur on the surface due to the collision, as shown in Table 1, the dimension Wb of the convex portion 30 is preferably Wa / 4 ≤ Wb < Wa, and more preferably 3Wa / 8 ≤ Wb < 3Wa / 4.

[0063] Also, in the electronic component 10 of the present embodiment, regardless of how the dimension Wb of the convex portion 30 is set, the mounting strength is improved as compared with the conventional electronic component. As shown in Table 1, in order to further improve the mounting strength, it is preferable that the dimension Wb of the convex portion 30 satisfies 3Wa / 8 ≦ Wb < 7Wa / 8.

[0064] Also, in the electronic component 10 of the present embodiment, regardless of how the dimension Wb of the convex portion 30 is set, the deflection becomes larger as compared with the conventional electronic component. The magnitude of the deflection is determined by the dimension T1 (see FIG. 4) of the convex portion 30 described above, and the larger the dimension T1, the larger the deflection.

[0065] Also, in the electronic component 10 of the present embodiment, when the dimension Wb of the convex portion 30 is larger than Wa / 2, the corner protection effect of the external electrodes 21a and 21b is superior to that of the conventional electronic component. That is, when the dimension Wb of the convex portion 30 is small, it is difficult to protect the corners of the external electrodes 21a and 21b, but when the dimension Wb of the convex portion 30 is large, the corners are easily protected by the convex portion 30 protruding outward. As shown in Table 1, in order to further enhance the effect of protecting the corners, it is preferable that the dimension Wb of the convex portion 30 satisfies 3Wa / 4 ≦ Wb < Wa, and more preferably 7Wa / 8 ≦ Wb < Wa.

[0066] (Manufacturing Method) An example of the manufacturing method of the above-described electronic component 10 will be described below.

[0067] First, a ceramic green sheet and a conductive paste for internal electrodes are prepared respectively. As the ceramic green sheet and the conductive paste for internal electrodes, known ones containing an organic binder and an organic solvent can be used respectively.

[0068] Subsequently, an internal electrode pattern is formed by printing the conductive paste for internal electrodes on the ceramic green sheet. As the printing method of the conductive paste for internal electrodes, for example, printing methods such as screen printing and gravure printing can be used.

[0069] Next, a predetermined number of ceramic green sheets not having an internal electrode pattern formed thereon are stacked, and then ceramic green sheets having an internal electrode pattern formed thereon are stacked in sequence, and a predetermined number of ceramic green sheets not having an internal electrode pattern formed thereon are stacked on top of the stacked ceramic green sheets to produce a mother laminate.

[0070] Next, the mother laminate is pressed in the lamination direction by a method such as a rigid press or a hydrostatic press, and then cut to a predetermined size by a cutting method such as press cutting, dicing, or laser to obtain a ceramic body. Thereafter, the corners and ridges of the ceramic body may be rounded by barrel polishing or the like.

[0071] Next, the ceramic body is fired, and protrusions are formed on the surface of the fired ceramic body at positions where the first protrusion 31 to the fourth protrusion 34 are to be formed, using a conductive paste for external electrodes. A known conductive paste for external electrodes can be used. The protrusions are formed, for example, using a dispenser.

[0072] Next, a conductive paste for external electrodes is applied to both end faces, parts of both main faces, and parts of both side faces of the ceramic body by, for example, a dipping method.

[0073] Next, the conductive paste for the external electrodes is baked onto the ceramic body, and then a plating layer is formed as required.

[0074] Through the steps described above, the electronic component 10 can be manufactured. However, the method for manufacturing the electronic component 10 is not limited to the above-described manufacturing method, and the electronic component 10 can also be manufactured through another manufacturing method.

[0075] <Second embodiment> Fig. 6 is a perspective view showing an electronic component 10A according to a second embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 7 is a cross-sectional view showing a structure of the electronic component 10A shown in Fig. 6 taken along line VII-VII. Fig. 8 is a cross-sectional view showing a structure of the electronic component 10A shown in Fig. 6 taken along line VIII-VIII.

[0076] Electronic component 10A in the second embodiment differs from electronic component 10 in the first embodiment in the shapes of first convex portion 31a to fourth convex portion 34a in first external electrode 21a and first convex portion 31b to fourth convex portion 34b in second external electrode 21b.

[0077] As shown in Fig. 8, in a cross section of the first external electrode 21a cut along a plane parallel to the first end face 15a and the second end face 15b, the first protrusion 31a, the second protrusion 32a, the third protrusion 33a, and the fourth protrusion 34a each have a substantially rectangular shape. As shown in Fig. 8, "substantially rectangular" also includes a rectangular shape with at least some corners rounded.

[0078] Similarly, in a cross section of the second external electrode 21b cut along a plane parallel to the first end face 15a and the second end face 15b, the first convex portion 31b, the second convex portion 32b, the third convex portion 33b, and the fourth convex portion 34b each have a substantially rectangular shape.

[0079] In electronic component 10A of this embodiment, since first external electrode 21a has first protrusion 31a to fourth protrusion 34a, first external electrode 21a has recesses 40 as shown in Fig. 8. More specifically, recesses 40 recessed inward from first protrusion 31a to fourth protrusion 34a are present on the ridge line between first protrusion 31a and fourth protrusion 34a, the ridge line between fourth protrusion 34a and second protrusion 32a, the ridge line between second protrusion 32a and third protrusion 33a, and the ridge line between third protrusion 33a and first protrusion 31a.

[0080] Similarly, the presence of the first to fourth convex portions 31b to 34b in the second external electrode 21b causes the second external electrode 21b to have recesses 40. More specifically, recesses 40 that are recessed inward compared to the first to fourth convex portions 31b to 34b are present on the ridge line between the first convex portion 31b and the fourth convex portion 34b, the ridge line between the fourth convex portion 34b and the second convex portion 32b, the ridge line between the second convex portion 32b and the third convex portion 33b, and the ridge line between the third convex portion 33b and the first convex portion 31b.

[0081] In the electronic component 10A according to the second embodiment, the shapes and sizes of all the convex portions 30 of the first convex portion 31a to the fourth convex portion 34a of the first external electrode 21a and the first convex portion 31b to the fourth convex portion 34b of the second external electrode 21b are not necessarily completely the same. That is, at least one of all the convex portions 30 may be different in at least one of the shape and the size. Therefore, in the electronic component 10A according to the second embodiment, it is sufficient that at least one of the first convex portion 31, the second convex portion 32, the third convex portion 33, and the fourth convex portion 34 has a substantially rectangular shape in a cross section of the first external electrode 21a and the second external electrode 21b cut along a plane parallel to the first end face 15a and the second end face 15b, respectively.

[0082] Like the electronic component 10 in the first embodiment, the electronic component 10A in the second embodiment has the first external electrode 21a having the first convex portion 31a to the fourth convex portion 34a, and the second external electrode 21b having the first convex portion 31b to the fourth convex portion 34b, and therefore provides the same effects as the electronic component 10 in the first embodiment.

[0083] The shapes of the first to fourth protrusions 31 to 34 are not limited to those shown in Figures 6 to 8. For example, as shown in Figure 9, the straight line portions of the rectangles of the first to fourth protrusions 31a to 34a of the first external electrode 21a may be longer than those of the structure shown in Figure 8, and the corners of the rectangle of the protrusion 30 may be more rounded. The same applies to the shapes of the first to fourth protrusions 31b to 34b of the second external electrode 21b.

[0084] In the conventional electronic component 100 in which the external electrode 120 does not have a protrusion as shown in FIG. 11, the ridges and corners of the external electrode 120 are thinner than other parts, and therefore the main body is easily exposed due to wear caused by collision or the like. However, in the electronic component 10A of the present embodiment, the ridges and corners described above have an inwardly recessed shape, which makes it difficult for the ridges and corners of the external electrodes 21a and 21b to collide with other electronic components, and therefore exposure of the main body 11 due to wear or the like can be suppressed. In particular, in the present embodiment, as described above, the shape of the protrusion 30 in the cross section is approximately rectangular, and therefore the ridges and corners are more easily protected by the protrusion 30 than in the electronic component 10 of the first embodiment in which the surface of the protrusion 30 is arc-shaped. Therefore, in the electronic component 10A of the present embodiment, wear of the ridges and corners of the external electrodes 21a and 21b can be suppressed more than in the electronic component 10 of the first embodiment.

[0085] As with electronic component 10 in the first embodiment, electronic component 10A in the second embodiment was also checked for low friction resistance, surface cracks, mounting strength, magnitude of deflection, and corner protection by changing the dimension Wb of first protrusion 31 and second protrusion 32 in the width direction W and the dimension Wb of third protrusion 33 and fourth protrusion 34 in the thickness direction T. The checked results are shown in Table 2.

[0086] [Table 2]

[0087] As shown in Table 2, the results other than low frictional resistance are the same as those shown in Table 1, so only low frictional resistance will be described here. In electronic component 10A of the second embodiment, as dimension Wb of protrusion 30 increases, the contact area with the transport path increases, and therefore frictional resistance increases. For this reason, in order to reduce frictional resistance, as shown in Table 2, dimension Wb of the protrusion is preferably less than 7Wa / 8, more preferably less than 3Wa / 4, and even more preferably less than 5Wa / 8.

[0088] <Third embodiment> 10 is a cross-sectional view that illustrates a schematic structure of an electronic component 10B according to a third preferred embodiment of the present invention, taken along the same line as the cross-sectional view of FIG.

[0089] As in electronic component 10 in the first embodiment, in electronic component 10B in the third embodiment, in a cross section of first external electrode 21a cut along a plane parallel to first end face 15a and second end face 15b, the surfaces of first convex portion 31a, second convex portion 32a, third convex portion 33a, and fourth convex portion 34a each have an arc shape, as shown in Fig. 10. More specifically, in a cross section of first external electrode 21a cut along a plane parallel to first end face 15a and second end face 15b, the surfaces of first convex portion 31a, second convex portion 32a, third convex portion 33a, and fourth convex portion 34a each have a substantially rectangular shape, and the surfaces opposite to main body portion 11 have an arc shape.

[0090] Similarly, in a cross section of the second external electrode 21b cut along a plane parallel to the first end face 15a and the second end face 15b, the first convex portion 31b, the second convex portion 32b, the third convex portion 33b, and the fourth convex portion 34b each have an arc shape. More specifically, in a cross section of the second external electrode 21b cut along a plane parallel to the first end face 15a and the second end face 15b, the first convex portion 31b, the second convex portion 32b, the third convex portion 33b, and the fourth convex portion 34b each have a substantially rectangular shape, and the surface opposite to the main body portion 11 has an arc shape.

[0091] In electronic component 10B of this embodiment, first external electrode 21a has first protrusion 31a to fourth protrusion 34a, and thus first external electrode 21a has recesses 40 as shown in Fig. 10. More specifically, recesses 40 recessed inward from first protrusion 31a to fourth protrusion 34a are present on the ridge line between first protrusion 31a and fourth protrusion 34a, the ridge line between fourth protrusion 34a and second protrusion 32a, the ridge line between second protrusion 32a and third protrusion 33a, and the ridge line between third protrusion 33a and first protrusion 31a.

[0092] Similarly, the presence of the first to fourth convex portions 31b to 34b in the second external electrode 21b causes the second external electrode 21b to have recesses 40. More specifically, recesses 40 that are recessed inward compared to the first to fourth convex portions 31b to 34b are present on the ridge line between the first convex portion 31b and the fourth convex portion 34b, the ridge line between the fourth convex portion 34b and the second convex portion 32b, the ridge line between the second convex portion 32b and the third convex portion 33b, and the ridge line between the third convex portion 33b and the first convex portion 31b.

[0093] In electronic component 10B according to the third embodiment, the shapes and sizes of all of convex portions 30 of first convex portion 31a to fourth convex portion 34a of first external electrode 21a and first convex portion 31b to fourth convex portion 34b of second external electrode 21b are not necessarily completely the same. That is, at least one of all of convex portions 30 may be different in at least one of shape and size. Therefore, in electronic component 10B according to the third embodiment, in a cross section obtained by cutting first external electrode 21a and second external electrode 21b on a plane parallel to first end face 15a and second end face 15b, at least one of first convex portion 31, second convex portion 32, third convex portion 33, and fourth convex portion 34 may have a substantially rectangular shape, and the surface opposite to main body portion 11 may have an arc shape.

[0094] Like the electronic component 10 in the first embodiment, the electronic component 10B in the third embodiment has the first external electrode 21a having the first convex portion 31a to the fourth convex portion 34a, and the second external electrode 21b having the first convex portion 31b to the fourth convex portion 34b, and therefore provides the same effects as the electronic component 10 in the first embodiment.

[0095] Furthermore, in electronic component 10B of the third embodiment, convex portions 30 protrude further outward than in electronic component 10A of the first embodiment, and therefore ridges and corners are more likely to be protected by convex portions 30. Therefore, in electronic component 10B of the present embodiment, wear of the ridges and corners of external electrodes 21a, 21b can be suppressed more effectively than in electronic component 10 of the first embodiment.

[0096] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various applications and modifications can be made within the scope of the present invention. For example, in the above-described embodiments, a multilayer ceramic capacitor has been described as an example of the electronic component of the present invention, but the electronic component is not limited to a multilayer ceramic capacitor, and may be an EMI removal filter, a piezoelectric element, or the like, as long as the electronic component has a structure in which a first external electrode is provided on one end of a main body and a second external electrode is provided on the other end. Furthermore, the structure of the main body is not limited to a structure in which dielectric layers and internal electrodes are alternately laminated in multiple layers.

[0097] The shapes of the protrusions 30 of the first external electrode 21a and the second external electrode 21b are not limited to those in the above-mentioned embodiments. For example, in the first embodiment, in a cross section of the first external electrode 21a cut by a plane parallel to the first end face 15a and the second end face 15b, the first protrusion 31a protruding in a direction perpendicular to the first main face 16a, the second protrusion 32a protruding in a direction perpendicular to the second main face 16b, the third protrusion 33a protruding in a direction perpendicular to the first side face 17a, and the fourth protrusion 34a protruding in a direction perpendicular to the second side face 17b each have one vertex, but may have multiple vertices. The shapes of the first protrusion 31b to the fourth protrusion 34b of the second external electrode 21b are similar.

[0098] In each of the above-described embodiments, two external electrodes, the first external electrode 21a and the second external electrode 21b, are provided on the surface of the main body 11, but another external electrode may also be provided. [Explanation of symbols]

[0099] 10, 10A, 10B Electronic Components 11 Main body 12 Dielectric layer 13 First inner electrode 14 Second internal electrode 15a: First end surface of main body 15b second end surface of main body 16a: First main surface of main body 16b second main surface of main body 17a: First side surface of the main body 17b second side of the main body 21a First external electrode 21b Second external electrode 31a, 31b First protrusion 32a, 32b Second protrusion 33a, 33b Third protrusion 34a, 34b Fourth protrusion 40 Recess

Claims

1. An electronic component, a main body having a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape, the main body having a first end face and a second end face opposed to each other in a length direction, a first side face and a second side face opposed to each other in a width direction, and a first main face and a second main face opposed to each other in a thickness direction; a first external electrode provided on one end side of the main body in the longitudinal direction; a second external electrode provided on the other end side of the main body in the longitudinal direction; Equipped with each of the first external electrode and the second external electrode has a first convex portion protruding in a direction perpendicular to the first main surface, a second convex portion protruding in a direction perpendicular to the second main surface, a third convex portion protruding in a direction perpendicular to the first side surface, and a fourth convex portion protruding in a direction perpendicular to the second side surface; An electronic component characterized in that, when the dimension in the width direction of the electronic component excluding the first to fourth convex portions and the dimension in the thickness direction of the electronic component excluding the first to fourth convex portions are Wa, and the dimension in the width direction of the first convex portion, the dimension in the width direction of the second convex portion, the dimension in the thickness direction of the third convex portion, and the dimension in the thickness direction of the fourth convex portion are Wb, the following formula (1) is satisfied: 3Wa / 8≦Wb<3Wa / 4...(1)

2. 2. The electronic component according to claim 1, wherein in a cross section obtained by cutting the first external electrode and the second external electrode, respectively, with a plane parallel to the first end face and the second end face, the shape of a surface of at least one of the first convex portion, the second convex portion, the third convex portion, and the fourth convex portion is arc-shaped.

3. 2. The electronic component according to claim 1, characterized in that in a cross section obtained by cutting the first external electrode and the second external electrode, respectively, with a plane parallel to the first end face and the second end face, at least one of the first convex portion, the second convex portion, the third convex portion, and the fourth convex portion has a substantially rectangular shape.

4. 2. The electronic component according to claim 1, characterized in that in a cross section obtained by cutting the first external electrode and the second external electrode, respectively, with a plane parallel to the first end face and the second end face, the shape of at least one of the first convex portion, the second convex portion, the third convex portion, and the fourth convex portion is approximately rectangular, and a surface opposite the main body portion is arc-shaped.

5. The electronic component is a multilayer ceramic capacitor, the main body portion includes first internal electrodes and second internal electrodes alternately stacked in the thickness direction, and a dielectric layer disposed between the first internal electrodes and the second internal electrodes, the first internal electrode is extended to the first end face and electrically connected to the first external electrode, 5. The electronic component according to claim 1, wherein the second internal electrode is extended to the second end face and electrically connected to the second external electrode.

6. The electronic component according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that at least one of the first convex portion, the second convex portion, the third convex portion, and the fourth convex portion differs in at least one of shape and size.

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