Ceramic electronic components and methods for manufacturing the same

Abstract

To provide a ceramic electronic component in which separation of a plating layer in an external electrode can be suppressed, and a manufacturing method for the same.SOLUTION: A multilayer ceramic capacitor includes an element in which a plurality of dielectric layers 11 and a plurality of internal electrode layers 12 are stacked alternately, which has an approximately cuboid shape, and which is formed so that the internal electrode layers are alternately exposed at two end surfaces of the approximately cuboid shape that face each other, external electrodes 20a formed at the two end surfaces, and the like. The external electrode has a structure in which a plating layer 22 is formed on a conductive thin film 21 formed intermittently with a thickness of 0.1 μm or more and 1.5 μm or less.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to ceramic electronic components and methods for manufacturing the same. [Background technology]

[0002] A wide variety of ceramic electronic components are used in high-frequency communication systems, such as mobile phones. One example of this is the multilayer ceramic capacitor (see, for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent Documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] International Publication No. 2007 / 148484 [Overview of the project] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0004] In Patent Document 1, a 0.1 to 1.0 μm metal foil is provided at both ends of a laminate, which consists of a dielectric layer and an internal electrode layer, before firing. The internal electrodes are alternately exposed at both ends of the laminate, and the metal foil functions as the external electrode of the capacitor element. By wrapping the metal foil around the sides and both top and bottom surfaces and using it as a seed layer for plating, the external electrode becomes thinner compared to when the seed layer is formed by paste coating, which contributes to miniaturization and thinning of the element. However, if the metal foil remains continuous after firing, the plating layer and the metal foil may easily peel off, potentially reducing the adhesion strength to the substrate.

[0005] This invention has been made in view of the above problems, and aims to provide a ceramic electronic component and a method for manufacturing the same that can suppress the peeling of the plating layer on the external electrode. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The ceramic electronic component according to the present invention comprises a base body having a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape, in which a plurality of dielectric layers and a plurality of internal electrode layers are alternately stacked, and the plurality of internal electrode layers are alternately exposed on two opposing end faces of the substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape, and external electrodes formed on the two end faces, wherein the external electrodes have a structure in which a plating layer is formed on a conductive thin film that is intermittently formed with a thickness of 0.1 μm or more and 1.5 μm or less.

[0007] In the above-mentioned ceramic electronic component, the continuity of the conductive thin film may be 30% or more and 90% or less.

[0008] In at least a portion of the conductive thin film of the above-mentioned ceramic electronic component, holes with a width of 0.1 μm to 10.0 μm that expose the substrate and island-like portions with a height of 0.1 μm to 1.5 μm may be alternately formed.

[0009] In the above-described ceramic electronic component, the conductive thin film may have discontinuous island-like portions in at least a portion of it.

[0010] In the above-described ceramic electronic component, in a cross-section in the stacking direction of the internal electrode layer and the dielectric layer, the conductive thin film may have island-shaped portions connected to the internal electrode layer and island-shaped portions not connected to the internal electrode layer within the region where the internal electrode layer is exposed.

[0011] In the above-described ceramic electronic component, the conductive thin film may be continuous at the two end faces in the region where the internal electrode layer is exposed.

[0012] In the above-described ceramic electronic component, the external electrode does not necessarily have to be formed on either the upper or lower surface in the stacking direction between the internal electrode layer and the dielectric layer of the base body.

[0013] In the above-mentioned ceramic electronic component, the plating layer may have a thickness of 1 μm or more and 15 μm or less.

[0014] The manufacturing method of the ceramic electronic component according to the present invention alternately laminates a dielectric green sheet and a metal conductive paste, and on two opposing end faces, alternately exposes a plurality of the laminated metal conductive pastes to form a substantially rectangular parallelepiped ceramic laminate. On the two end faces of the ceramic laminate, a conductive thin film is formed by a vacuum film forming method, and the ceramic laminate and the conductive thin film are fired simultaneously, so that the conductive thin film is formed into an intermittent film having a thickness of 0.1 μm or more and 1.5 μm or less, and a plating layer is formed on the conductive thin film that has become an intermittent film.

Effect of the Invention

[0015] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a ceramic electronic component and a manufacturing method thereof that can suppress peeling of the plating layer in an external electrode.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0016] [Figure 1] It is a partial cross-sectional perspective view of a ceramic capacitor. [Figure 2] It is a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A of FIG. 1. [Figure 3] It is a cross-sectional view taken along line B-B of FIG. 1. [Figure 4] It is a partially enlarged view of the cross-sectional view of FIG. 2. [Figure 5] It is a view of the conductive thin film in plan view. [Figure 6] It is a view tracing the SEM photograph of the cross-section in the stacking direction. [Figure 7] It is a view illustrating the flow of the manufacturing method of the multilayer ceramic capacitor. [Figure 8] (a) and (b) are views illustrating the stacking process. [Figure 9] (a) is a view illustrating the coating process, and (b) is a view illustrating the plating process. [Figure 10] It is a view illustrating the second embodiment. [Figure 11] It is a view illustrating the third embodiment. [Figure 12] (a) is a diagram traced from an SEM image of a cross-section near the conductive thin film of the comparative example, and (b) is a diagram traced from an SEM image of a cross-section near the conductive thin film of the example. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0017] The embodiments will be described below with reference to the drawings.

[0018] (First Embodiment) Figure 1 is a partial cross-sectional perspective view of a multilayer ceramic capacitor 100 according to the first embodiment. Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in Figure 1. Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line BB in Figure 1. As illustrated in Figures 1 to 3, the multilayer ceramic capacitor 100 comprises a base body 10 having a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape and external electrodes 20a and 20b provided on two opposing end faces of either the base body 10. Of the four faces of the base body 10 other than the two end faces, the two faces other than the top and bottom faces in the stacking direction are referred to as side faces. The external electrodes 20a and 20b extend to the top, bottom, and two side faces of the base body 10 in the stacking direction. However, the external electrodes 20a and 20b are spaced apart from each other.

[0019] In Figures 1 to 3, the X-axis direction is the length direction of the base body 10, the direction in which the two end faces of the base body 10 face each other, and the direction in which the external electrodes 20a and 20b face each other. The Y-axis direction is the width direction of the internal electrode layer, the direction in which the two sides of the base body 10 (excluding the two end faces) face each other. The Z-axis direction is the stacking direction, the direction in which the top and bottom surfaces of the base body 10 face each other. The X-axis direction, the Y-axis direction, and the Z-axis direction are mutually orthogonal.

[0020] The base body 10 has a structure in which dielectric layers 11 containing a ceramic material that functions as a dielectric and internal electrode layers 12 mainly composed of metal are alternately stacked. In other words, the base body 10 comprises a plurality of internal electrode layers 12 facing each other and dielectric layers 11 sandwiched between each of the plurality of internal electrode layers 12. The edges of each internal electrode layer 12 in the direction in which it is stretched are alternately exposed at the end face of the base body 10 where the external electrode 20a is provided and at the end face where the external electrode 20b is provided. As a result, each internal electrode layer 12 is alternately conductive to the external electrode 20a and the external electrode 20b. Consequently, the multilayer ceramic capacitor 100 has a structure in which a plurality of dielectric layers 11 are stacked via internal electrode layers 12. Furthermore, in the laminate of dielectric layers 11 and internal electrode layers 12, the outermost layer in the stacking direction is an internal electrode layer 12, and the upper and lower surfaces of the laminate are covered by a cover layer 13. The cover layer 13 is mainly composed of ceramic material. For example, the cover layer 13 may have the same or different composition as the dielectric layer 11.

[0021] The dimensions of the multilayer ceramic capacitor 100 are, for example, 1.0 mm in length, 0.5 mm in width, and 0.1 mm in height, or 1.0 mm in length, 0.5 mm in width, and 0.06 mm in height, or 6.0 mm in length, 0.3 mm in width, and 0.1 mm in height, but are not limited to these dimensions.

[0022] The dielectric layer 11 mainly consists of a ceramic material having a perovskite structure represented by the general formula ABO3. Note that this perovskite structure is an ABO3 structure that deviates from the stoichiometric composition. 3-α This includes, for example, BaTiO3 (barium titanate), CaZrO3 (calcium zirconate), CaTiO3 (calcium titanate), SrTiO3 (strontium titanate), MgTiO3 (magnesium titanate), and Ba forming a perovskite structure. 1-x-y Ca x Sr y Ti 1-z Zr zIt can be selected and used from at least one of O3 (0≦x≦1, 0≦y≦1, 0≦z≦1), etc. Ba 1-x-y Ca x Sr y Ti 1-z Zr z O3 includes barium strontium titanate, barium calcium titanate, barium zirconate, barium titanium zirconate, calcium titanium zirconate, and barium calcium titanium zirconate.

[0023] An additive may be added to the dielectric layer 11. Examples of additives to the dielectric layer 11 include oxides of magnesium (Mg), manganese (Mn), molybdenum (Mo), vanadium (V), chromium (Cr), rare earth elements (yttrium (Y), samarium (Sm), europium (Eu), gadolinium (Gd), terbium (Tb), dysprosium (Dy), holmium (Ho), erbium (Er), thulium (Tm), and ytterbium (Yb)), or oxides containing cobalt (Co), nickel (Ni), lithium (Li), boron (B), sodium (Na), potassium (K), or silicon (Si), or glasses containing cobalt, nickel, lithium, boron, sodium, potassium, or silicon.

[0024] The internal electrode layer 12 is mainly composed of base metals such as nickel (Ni), copper (Cu), and tin (Sn). As the internal electrode layer 12, noble metals such as platinum (Pt), palladium (Pd), silver (Ag), and gold (Au), or alloys containing these may be used.

[0025] As illustrated in FIG. 2, the region where the internal electrode layer 12 connected to the external electrode 20a and the internal electrode layer 12 connected to the external electrode 20b face each other is the region where capacitance occurs in the multilayer ceramic capacitor 100. Therefore, the region where the capacitance occurs is referred to as the capacitance portion 14. That is, the capacitance portion 14 is the region where adjacent internal electrode layers 12 connected to different external electrodes face each other.

[0026] The region in which internal electrode layers 12 connected to external electrode 20a face each other without being connected to an internal electrode layer 12 connected to external electrode 20b is called the end margin 15. Similarly, the region in which internal electrode layers 12 connected to external electrode 20b face each other without being connected to an internal electrode layer 12 connected to external electrode 20a is also called the end margin 15. In other words, the end margin 15 is the region in which internal electrode layers 12 connected to the same external electrode face each other without being connected to an internal electrode layer 12 connected to a different external electrode. The end margin 15 is a region in which no capacitance is generated. The end margin 15 may have the same composition as the dielectric layer 11 of the capacitance portion 14, or it may have a different composition.

[0027] As illustrated in Figure 3, in the base body 10, the region extending from the two sides of the base body 10 to the internal electrode layer 12 is called the side margin 16. That is, the side margin 16 is a region provided so as to cover the ends of the multiple internal electrode layers 12 stacked in the above-described laminated structure that extend to the two sides. The side margin 16 is also a region that does not generate capacitance. The side margin 16 may have the same composition as the dielectric layer 11 of the capacitance portion 14, or it may have a different composition.

[0028] Figure 4 is a partially enlarged view of the cross-sectional view of Figure 2. As illustrated in Figure 4, the external electrodes 20a and 20b have a structure in which a plating layer 22 is formed on a conductive thin film 21. The conductive thin film 21 is a discontinuous film in which multiple island-like portions that form the framework and holes (discontinuities) that expose the base body 10 are arranged alternately. A portion of the plating layer 22 is in contact with the base body 10 at the portions of holes where the conductive thin film 21 is interrupted.

[0029] The conductive thin film 21 has holes that expose the base body 10, in addition to the curved corners (edges) of the base body 10. Furthermore, in the cross-section in the stacking direction, within the region where multiple internal electrode layers 12 are exposed at two end faces of the base body 10, the conductive thin film 21 may have island-like portions connected to the internal electrode layers 12, or it may have island-like portions that are not connected to the internal electrode layers 12.

[0030] Figure 5 shows a plan view of the conductive thin film 21. As illustrated in Figure 5, in a plan view, the conductive thin film 21 may have a mesh structure. The base body 10 may be exposed from each mesh. In addition, the conductive thin film 21 may have discontinuous island-like portions that are completely isolated from the surrounding conductive thin films, to the extent that the plating layer 22 can cover the base body 10.

[0031] The main component of the conductive thin film 21 is not particularly limited as long as it is a conductive metal, but is a metal or alloy containing at least one of the following: Ni, Cu, Ti, Cr, Al, Mg, Fe, Zn, Mo, Pd, Ag, Sn, Ta, W, Pt, Au, etc. The conductive thin film 21 may have a single-layer structure or a multi-layer structure. Furthermore, the conductive thin film 21 may have a mixed film structure comprising a metal oxide film, a carbide film, etc., as long as the conductivity of the conductive thin film 21 as a whole can be maintained.

[0032] In this embodiment, the thickness of the conductive thin film 21 is 0.1 μm or more. This ensures sufficient conductivity in the conductive thin film 21. Furthermore, from the viewpoint of thinning the film, the thickness of the conductive thin film 21 is 1.5 μm or less. The thickness of the conductive thin film 21 can be measured by taking cross-sectional SEM images of 20 μm × 20 μm areas at 10 locations and calculating the average value of the maximum thickness in each SEM image.

[0033] The plating layer 22 may have a single-layer structure or a multi-layer laminated structure. For example, the plating layer 22 may have a structure in which a Cu plating layer, a Ni plating layer, and a Sn plating layer are formed in that order.

[0034] In this embodiment, since the conductive thin film 21 is a discontinuous film, the plating layer 22 is formed to fill the gaps where the conductive thin film 21 is not formed, and the anchoring effect suppresses delamination at the interface between the conductive thin film 21 and the plating layer 22. As a result, the adhesion strength to the substrate is improved. In addition, since the conductive thin film 21 is a discontinuous film, stress concentration in a part of the conductive thin film 21 is suppressed. As a result, delamination of the conductive thin film 21 from the substrate 10 can be suppressed. Even if delamination occurs, the progression of delamination can be suppressed.

[0035] From the viewpoint of obtaining a sufficient anchoring effect, the thickness of the conductive thin film 21 is preferably 0.2 μm or more, and more preferably 0.5 μm or more. Furthermore, the thickness of the conductive thin film 21 is preferably 1.0 μm or less, and more preferably 0.7 μm or less.

[0036] If the continuity of the conductive thin film 21 is low, there is a risk that the stress cannot be sufficiently distributed. Therefore, it is preferable to set a lower limit on the continuity of the conductive thin film 21. For example, the continuity of the conductive thin film 21 is preferably 30% or more, more preferably 40% or more, and even more preferably 50% or more.

[0037] Even if the continuity of the conductive thin film 21 is high, there is a risk that the stress may not be sufficiently distributed. Therefore, it is preferable to set an upper limit on the continuity of the conductive thin film 21. For example, the continuity of the conductive thin film 21 is preferably 90% or less, more preferably 80% or less, and even more preferably 70% or less.

[0038] The continuity of the conductive thin film 21 is obtained by measuring the length of the island-like portions and the length of the holes (discontinuities) that expose the base material 10 in an SEM photograph of the cross-section in the stacking direction, as illustrated in Figure 6, and calculating the ratio of the sum of the lengths of the island portions to the total measured length.

[0039] Furthermore, as illustrated in Figure 6, in the SEM image of the cross-section of the conductive thin film 21 in the stacking direction, holes with a width of 0.1 μm to 10.0 μm that expose the base body 10 and island-like portions with a height of 0.1 μm to 1.5 μm may be formed alternately. By randomly forming holes with a width of 0.1 μm to 10.0 μm in this way, stress concentration can be further reduced. For example, stress can be distributed compared to the case where the conductive thin film is formed only on the exposed portion of the internal electrode layer 12 at two end faces of the base body 10.

[0040] In at least one of the cross-sections of the XZ plane at multiple different locations in the Y-axis direction, the continuity of the conductive thin film 21 may be 30% to 90%, and alternating holes with a width of 0.1 μm to 10.0 μm that expose the base material 10 and peaks with a height of 0.1 μm to 1.5 μm may be formed.

[0041] If the plating layer 22 is too thin, it may not adequately cover the holes that expose the base material 10. Therefore, it is preferable to set a lower limit on the thickness of the plating layer 22. For example, the thickness of the plating layer 22 is preferably 1 μm or more, more preferably 3 μm or more, and even more preferably 5 μm or more. The thickness of the plating layer 22 can be measured by taking cross-sectional SEM images of 20 μm × 20 μm areas at 10 locations and calculating the average value of the maximum thickness in each SEM image.

[0042] On the other hand, if the plating layer 22 is thick, not only is the thickness of the region that generates capacitance reduced, but there is also a risk of peeling of the external electrode due to film stress. Therefore, it is preferable to set an upper limit on the thickness of the plating layer 22. For example, the thickness of the plating layer 22 is preferably 15 μm or less, more preferably 12 μm or less, and even more preferably 10 μm or less.

[0043] Next, the manufacturing method of the multilayer ceramic capacitor 100 will be described. Figure 7 is a diagram illustrating the flow of the manufacturing method of the multilayer ceramic capacitor 100.

[0044] (Process for producing raw material powder) First, a dielectric material is prepared to form the dielectric layer 11. The A-site and B-site elements contained in the dielectric layer 11 are usually present in the form of a sintered body of ABO3 particles. For example, BaTiO3 is a tetragonal compound having a perovskite structure and exhibits a high dielectric constant. This BaTiO3 can generally be obtained by synthesizing barium titanate by reacting a titanium raw material such as titanium dioxide with a barium raw material such as barium carbonate. Various methods have been conventionally known for synthesizing the main component ceramic of the dielectric layer 11, such as the solid-phase method, the sol-gel method, and the hydrothermal method. In this embodiment, any of these can be employed.

[0045] A predetermined additive compound is added to the obtained ceramic powder according to the purpose. Examples of additive compounds include oxides of magnesium (Mg), manganese (Mn), molybdenum (Mo), vanadium (V), chromium (Cr), rare earth elements (yttrium (Y), samarium (Sm), europium (Eu), gadolinium (Gd), terbium (Tb), dysprosium (Dy), holomium (Ho), erbium (Er), thulium (Tm), and ytterbium (Yb)), or oxides containing cobalt (Co), nickel (Ni), lithium (Li), boron (B), sodium (Na), potassium (K), or silicon (Si), or glass containing cobalt, nickel, lithium, boron, sodium, potassium, or silicon. Of these, SiO2 mainly functions as a sintering aid.

[0046] For example, a ceramic material can be prepared by wet-mixing a ceramic raw material powder with a compound containing an additive, followed by drying and pulverization. For example, the ceramic material obtained as described above may be subjected to pulverization as needed to adjust the particle size, or the particle size may be adjusted by combining this with a classification process. A dielectric material can be obtained through the above steps.

[0047] (Lamination process) Next, a binder such as polyvinyl butyral (PVB) resin, an organic solvent such as ethanol or toluene, and a plasticizer are added to the obtained raw material powder and wet-mixed. Using the resulting slurry, a ceramic green sheet 52 is coated onto the substrate 51 by, for example, a die coater or doctor blade method and then dried. The substrate 51 is, for example, a PET (polyethylene terephthalate) film.

[0048] Next, as illustrated in Figure 8(a), an internal electrode pattern 53 is printed on the ceramic green sheet 52. In Figure 8(a), as an example, four layers of the internal electrode pattern 53 are printed on the ceramic green sheet 52 at predetermined intervals. The ceramic green sheet 52 with the printed internal electrode pattern 53 is used as the stacking unit.

[0049] A metal paste of the main component metal of the internal electrode layer 12 is used for the internal electrode pattern 53. The film deposition method may be other than printing, such as sputtering or vapor deposition.

[0050] Next, the ceramic green sheet 52 is peeled off the base material 51, and the laminated units are stacked and molded as illustrated in Figure 8(b).

[0051] Next, a predetermined number of cover sheets 54 are laminated onto the top and bottom of the molded body obtained by laminating the lamination units, and then heat-pressed and cut to a predetermined chip size. In the example shown in Figure 8(b), the ceramic laminate is obtained by cutting along the dotted line. This cut exposes the ends of the internal electrode pattern 53 on two opposing end faces of the ceramic laminate. The cover sheets 54 may have the same composition as the ceramic green sheet 52, or they may have different additives.

[0052] (Film forming process) After chamfering the ceramic laminate obtained in this manner, a binder removal treatment is performed in an N2 atmosphere at, for example, 250°C to 400°C, and a conductive thin film 21 is formed on two end faces of the ceramic laminate by sputtering, as illustrated in Figure 9(a). In Figure 9(a), the hatching of the conductive thin film 21 is omitted. In addition to the two end faces, the conductive thin film 21 may also be formed on the top surface, bottom surface, and two side surfaces of the ceramic laminate. At this point, the conductive thin film 21 may be a continuous film. During film formation, a resin or metal mask is used to separate the conductive thin film 21 in the longitudinal direction (Y-axis direction). In addition to sputtering, other vacuum deposition methods such as vacuum deposition, CVD (Chemical Vapor Deposition), and ALD (Atomic Layer Deposition) may be used for film formation.

[0053] (Firing process) After that, for example, oxygen partial pressure 10 -5 ~10 -8 The material is fired in an ATM reducing atmosphere at 1000°C to 1400°C for 10 minutes to 2 hours. In this way, the base material 10 and the conductive thin film 21 can be fired simultaneously.

[0054] In this firing process, by softening the conductive thin film 21 and intentionally promoting spheroidization, a discontinuous film can be obtained in which island-like portions are connected via pores. The coverage of the discontinuous film can be controlled by changing the material, film thickness, deposition conditions, firing conditions, etc., of the conductive thin film 21. For example, in sputtering, by setting the Ar partial pressure to 0.1 Pa to 10 Pa and using direct current (DC) or alternating current (RF) of 0.1 kV to 7 kV, a conductive thin film 21 that becomes discontinuous during the firing process can be formed. When selectively forming island-like portions of the conductive thin film 21 in areas where the internal electrode layer 12 is exposed, the same type of metal or its alloy, or a metal that diffuses easily, can be selected.

[0055] (Plating process) Subsequently, a plating layer 22 is formed on the conductive thin film 21 by a plating process, as illustrated in Figure 9(b). For example, a Cu plating layer, a Ni plating layer, and a Sn plating layer may be formed sequentially on the conductive thin film 21. For example, a 3 μm Cu plating layer, a 2 μm Ni plating layer, and a 5 μm Sn plating layer may be formed sequentially. By forming the plating layer 22 thicker than the conductive thin film 21, the influence of the discontinuous film is less likely to remain on the plating layer 22, and the plating layer 22 can be made into a continuous layer.

[0056] According to the manufacturing method of this embodiment, the conductive thin film 21, which has been deposited by vacuum deposition, can be fired simultaneously with the base body 10 to create an intermittent film of conductive thin film 21. As a result, the plating layer 22 is formed to fill the gaps where the conductive thin film 21 is not formed, and the peeling of the interface between the conductive thin film 21 and the plating layer 22 can be suppressed by the anchoring effect. Furthermore, stress concentration in a part of the conductive thin film 21 is suppressed, and peeling of the conductive thin film 21 from the base body can be suppressed. Even if peeling occurs, the progression of peeling can be suppressed. By firing the base body 10 and the conductive thin film 21 simultaneously, the conductive thin film 21 and the internal electrode layer 12 become integrated, and the adhesion of the conductive thin film 21 is improved.

[0057] (Second Embodiment) The entire conductive thin film 21 does not have to be a discontinuous film. For example, the conductive thin film 21 may have a structure in which a part of a continuous film is a discontinuous film. For example, it is preferable that the film is discontinuous in areas where stress concentration is likely to occur. For example, as illustrated in Figure 10, the conductive thin film 21 is a continuous film in the region where the internal electrode layer 12 is exposed at the two end faces of the base body 10, and is preferably a discontinuous film at the corners (edges), the top surface, the bottom surface, and the ends of the two sides of the base body 10.

[0058] Partial formation of a discontinuous film is possible by partially changing the material and film thickness. For example, by creating an opening in the region to be a continuous film and applying a mask to the region to be a discontinuous film, partial formation of a discontinuous film is possible.

[0059] (Third embodiment) From the viewpoint of making the multilayer ceramic capacitor 100 thinner, the formation of external electrodes on either the upper or lower surface of the base body 10 may be omitted. For example, as illustrated in Figure 11, the formation of the conductive thin film 21 on the upper surface of the base body 10 may be omitted, as may the formation of the plating layer 22. This configuration makes it possible to make the multilayer ceramic capacitor 100 thinner.

[0060] Although the above embodiments describe multilayer ceramic capacitors as an example of ceramic electronic components, they are not limited to this. For example, the configurations of the above embodiments can also be applied to other multilayer ceramic electronic components such as varistors and thermistors. [Examples]

[0061] (Examples) A multilayer ceramic capacitor was fabricated according to the manufacturing method of the above embodiment. A conductive thin film was formed by sputtering on two end faces of a ceramic laminate, which consisted of laminated units with internal electrode patterns printed on ceramic green sheets. The sputtering conditions were a Ni-based target, DC output of 1 kW, deposition pressure of 0.7 Pa, and film thickness of 500 nm. Subsequently, the conductive thin film was made intermittent by firing the ceramic laminate and the conductive thin film simultaneously. After that, a plating layer was formed using the conductive thin film as a seed layer.

[0062] (Comparative example) In the comparative example, the sputtered film thickness was set to 1000 nm. Other conditions were the same as in the example. The conductive thin film remained a continuous film without discontinuity.

[0063] Figure 12(a) is a diagram traced from an SEM image of a cross-section near the conductive thin film of the comparative example. As shown in Figure 12(a), it can be seen that the conductive thin film 21 is a continuous film. The plating layer 22 is formed on this conductive thin film 21. It can be seen that there is a void (the black-painted area) between the conductive thin film 21 and the plating layer 22. Figure 12(b) is a diagram traced from an SEM image of a cross-section near the conductive thin film of the example. As shown in Figure 12(b), it can be seen that the conductive thin film 21 is a discontinuous film. The plating layer 22 is formed on this conductive thin film 21. It can be seen that the plating layer 22 has entered into the discontinued portion of the conductive thin film 21, and that high adhesion is obtained due to the anchoring effect.

[0064] Although embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above, the present invention is not limited to these specific embodiments, and various modifications and changes are possible within the scope of the gist of the present invention as described in the claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0065] 10 Base Body 11 Dielectric layer 12 Internal electrode layer 13. Cover layer 14 Capacity part 15 End margin 16 Side margins 20a,20b external electrode 21 Conductive Thin Film 22 Plating layer 51 Base material 52 Ceramic Green Sheet 53 Internal electrode pattern 100 Multilayer Ceramic Capacitors

Claims

1. A substrate having a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape, in which multiple dielectric layers and multiple internal electrode layers are alternately stacked, and the multiple internal electrode layers are alternately exposed on two opposing end faces of the substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape, The system comprises external electrodes formed on the two end faces, The ceramic electronic component is characterized in that the external electrodes are formed intermittently with a thickness of 0.1 μm to 1.5 μm, and have a structure in which a plating layer is formed on a conductive thin film having a continuity ratio of 30% to 90%.

2. The ceramic electronic component according to claim 1, characterized in that at least a portion of the conductive thin film alternately forms holes with a width of 0.1 μm to 10.0 μm that expose the substrate, and island-like portions with a height of 0.1 μm to 1.5 μm.

3. The ceramic electronic component according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the conductive thin film comprises discontinuous island-like portions in at least a portion of it.

4. The ceramic electronic component according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, in a cross-section in the stacking direction of the internal electrode layer and the dielectric layer, the conductive thin film comprises island-shaped portions connected to the internal electrode layer and island-shaped portions not connected to the internal electrode layer within the region where the internal electrode layer is exposed.

5. The ceramic electronic component according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the conductive thin film is continuous in the region where the internal electrode layer is exposed at the two end faces.

6. The ceramic electronic component according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the external electrode is not formed on either the upper or lower surface in the stacking direction between the internal electrode layer and the dielectric layer of the base body.

7. The ceramic electronic component according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the plating layer has a thickness of 1 μm or more and 15 μm or less.

8. A substrate having a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape, wherein a plurality of dielectric layers and a plurality of internal electrode layers are alternately stacked, and the plurality of internal electrode layers are alternately exposed on two opposing end faces of the substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape, The system comprises external electrodes formed on the two end faces, The external electrode has a structure in which a plating layer is formed on a conductive thin film that is intermittently formed with a thickness of 0.1 μm to 1.5 μm. A ceramic electronic component characterized in that, in at least a portion of the conductive thin film, holes with a width of 0.1 μm to 10.0 μm that expose the substrate and island-like portions with a height of 0.1 μm to 1.5 μm are alternately formed.

9. By alternately laminating dielectric green sheets and metal conductive paste, and alternately exposing multiple laminated metal conductive pastes on two opposing end faces, a ceramic laminate with a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape is formed. A conductive thin film is formed on the two end faces of the ceramic laminate by a vacuum deposition method. By firing the ceramic laminate and the conductive thin film simultaneously, the conductive thin film is made into a discontinuous film having a thickness of 0.1 μm or more and 1.5 μm or less. A method for manufacturing ceramic electronic components, characterized by forming a plating layer on the conductive thin film which has become a discontinuous film.

Images