Multilayer ceramic electronic component and method for manufacturing same

Abstract

A multilayer ceramic capacitor according to one aspect of the present invention is provided with: a laminated body in which dielectric layers and internal electrodes containing metal as a main component are alternately laminated in a first axis direction and cover layers are disposed at both ends in the lamination direction, and which has a pair of end surfaces perpendicular to a second axis that is orthogonal to the first axis; an element body which has side-margin parts disposed at both ends in the laminated body in a third axis direction orthogonal to the first axis and the second axis; and an external electrode which is disposed across at least the cover layers and the side-margin parts on the surface of the element body and is electrically connected to the internal electrodes. The multilayer ceramic capacitor satisfies the relationship of 0 < (Te, max-Te, c) < (Tc, max-Tc, c) when, in a cross-section which is perpendicular to the second axis and is positioned at the central part in the second axis direction, the maximum dimension of the element body in the first axis direction is denoted as Tc, max, and the dimension of the element body in the first axis direction at the central part in the third axis direction is denoted as Tc, c, and when, in a cross-section which is perpendicular to the second axis and which includes the external electrode, the maximum dimension of the element body in the first axis direction is denoted as Te, max, and the dimension of the element body in the first axis direction at the central part in the third axis direction is denoted as Te, c.

Description

Multilayer ceramic electronic component and its manufacturing method

[0001] The present invention relates to a multilayer ceramic electronic component and a method for manufacturing the same.

[0002] Known multilayer ceramic capacitors are manufactured by a so-called side margin post-attachment method, in which internal electrode patterns containing metal are formed on ceramic green sheets, the green sheets are stacked and pressure-bonded to form a green laminate, the resulting green laminate is cut in the stacking direction to form side surfaces on which the internal electrode patterns are exposed, and the side surfaces are covered with a ceramic material that will become side margins after firing, followed by firing (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

[0003] The side margin post-attachment method prevents insufficient coverage of the internal electrodes on the side surfaces of the multilayer ceramic capacitor due to misalignment of the internal electrode patterns, and therefore the internal electrodes can be protected even by thin side margins. Therefore, the side margin post-attachment method is advantageous for miniaturizing multilayer ceramic capacitors and increasing their capacitance.

[0004] It is also known that, when manufacturing a multilayer ceramic capacitor, a ceramic green sheet is used in which an internal electrode pattern containing a metal is formed on the surface and a dielectric pattern having a thickness approximately equal to that of the internal electrode pattern is formed in a portion of the surface where the internal electrode pattern is not formed (see, for example, Patent Document 2).

[0005] JP 2012-209539 A JP 52-135051 A

[0006] In addition to the advantages mentioned above, the side margin retrofitting method has the advantage that deformation due to density differences in the green laminate is suppressed because areas where no internal electrode patterns are formed are cut and removed before firing, which tends to result in low density because pressure is not easily applied when stacking and pressing the green ceramic sheets.

[0007] Furthermore, the technology disclosed in Patent Document 2 reduces uneven pressure due to position when ceramic green sheets are pressure-bonded, thereby producing a multilayer ceramic capacitor in which delamination, cracking, and deformation are suppressed.

[0008] When the above-mentioned means are employed, the individualized green laminate obtained in the manufacturing process of the multilayer ceramic capacitor has small variations in dimensions in the lamination direction within a plane perpendicular to the lamination direction.

[0009] In the side margin post-attachment method, the side margin-forming surfaces of the singulated green laminate are covered with ceramic green sheets that will become the side margins after firing. In this case, if the ceramic green sheets are arranged so that they wrap around the top and bottom surfaces of the green laminate in the stacking direction, the contact area with the green laminate increases, thereby improving the bonding strength between the side margins and the laminate. However, wrapping the ceramic green sheets for forming the side margins around the top and bottom surfaces of the green laminate leads to the formation of a region with a large dimension in the stacking direction along the edge separating the top and bottom surfaces from the side margin-forming surfaces. If the dimension of this region becomes extremely large, as shown in FIG. 4A , the dimension of the largest point in the stacking direction of the multilayer ceramic capacitor, which is formed when this region is covered with external electrodes, becomes large, which can be a barrier to miniaturization of multilayer ceramic capacitors.

[0010] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a multilayer ceramic electronic component that is small in size and large in capacity, in which an increase in size, particularly in the stacking direction, is suppressed, and in which the bonding strength between the side margins and the laminate is improved.

[0011] The inventors have conducted various studies to solve the above-mentioned problems, and have found that the above-mentioned problems can be solved by forming a ceramic pattern having a thickness similar to that of the internal electrode pattern in a ceramic green sheet, in a region in the singulated green laminate where no internal electrode is formed, so that the ceramic pattern is spaced a predetermined distance from the line segments that become the surface of the green laminate, and thus have completed the present invention.

[0012] That is, a first aspect of the present invention for solving the above-mentioned problems provides a laminate in which dielectric layers and internal electrodes mainly composed of metal are alternately laminated in a first axial direction, with cover layers disposed at both ends in the lamination direction, and having a pair of end faces perpendicular to a second axis perpendicular to the first axis; an element body having side margin portions disposed at both ends in a third axial direction of the laminate, which are perpendicular to the first axis and the second axis, respectively; and external electrodes disposed on a surface of the element body, straddling at least the cover layers and the side margin portions, and electrically connected to the internal electrodes, wherein the maximum dimension of the element body in the first axial direction in a cross section perpendicular to the second axis and located at the center of the second axial direction is defined as T ｃ，ｍａｘ , the dimension of the element body in the first axis direction at the center portion in the third axis direction is T ｃ，ｃ and the maximum dimension of the element body in the first axis direction in a cross section perpendicular to the second axis and including the external electrodes is T ｅ，ｍａｘ , the dimension of the element body in the first axis direction at the center portion in the third axis direction is T ｅ，ｃ When this is the case, 0 < (T ｅ，ｍａｘ -T ｅ，ｃ ) < (T ｃ，ｍａｘ -T ｃ，ｃ ) is a multilayer ceramic electronic component that satisfies the above relationship.

[0013] A second aspect of the present invention for solving the above-mentioned problems includes (A) preparing ceramic powder, (B) mixing the ceramic powder with a binder and forming the mixture into a sheet to obtain a green sheet, (C) forming an internal electrode pattern containing a metal on the green sheet, (D) forming a ceramic pattern in a location on the green sheet where the internal electrode pattern is not formed, at a distance from a line segment through which a plane perpendicular to a third axis passes when cutting as described later in (F), (E) stacking a predetermined number of green sheets on which the internal electrode pattern and the ceramic pattern are formed in a first axial direction, arranging green sheets for cover layers at both ends in the stacking direction, and then pressing the stacked green sheets to obtain a green laminate, and (F) forming the green laminate into a region perpendicular to the first axis. (G) covering the surfaces of the raw pieces perpendicular to the third axis with a ceramic material to obtain a pre-fired body; (H) removing the binder from the pre-fired body; and (J) firing the pre-fired body after the heat treatment to obtain a sintered body, the method also comprising either (I) after (H), applying an external electrode paste to the surface of the pre-fired body after the binder removal, or (K) after (J), forming external electrodes on the surface of the sintered body.

[0014] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a multilayer ceramic electronic component that is small in size and large in capacity, and in which an increase in size, particularly in the lamination direction, is suppressed.

[0015] 1 is a schematic diagram (overall perspective view) showing the structure of a multilayer ceramic capacitor according to a first embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram (A-A cross-sectional view in FIG. 1) showing the structure of a multilayer ceramic capacitor according to a first embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram (B-B cross-sectional view in FIG. 1) showing the structure of a multilayer ceramic capacitor according to a first embodiment of the present invention, taken along a cross section P perpendicular to a second axis (L axis) and positioned at the center in the second axis direction; ２，ｃ1 is a schematic diagram showing the structure of the multilayer ceramic capacitor according to the first embodiment of the present invention (a cross-sectional view taken along the line CC in FIG. 1), and is a cross-section P perpendicular to the second axis (L axis) and including the external electrodes. ２，ｅ 1 is a schematic diagram showing the structure of a multilayer ceramic capacitor obtained by a conventional side margin post-installation method (a cross-sectional view taken at a position corresponding to the CC cross-section in FIG. 1), and is a cross-section P including the external electrodes, which is perpendicular to the second axis (L axis). ２，ｅ 1 is a schematic diagram showing a preferred shape of internal electrodes in the multilayer ceramic capacitor according to the first embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing a more preferred shape of internal electrodes in the multilayer ceramic capacitor according to the first embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram (longitudinal cross-sectional view) showing the structure of a first modified example of the multilayer ceramic capacitor according to the first aspect of the present invention; FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram (longitudinal cross-sectional view) showing the structure of a second modified example of the multilayer ceramic capacitor according to the first aspect of the present invention; FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram (longitudinal cross-sectional view) showing the structure of a third modified example of the multilayer ceramic capacitor according to the first aspect of the present invention; FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing a preferred shape of internal electrode patterns in a method for manufacturing a multilayer ceramic capacitor according to a second embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a formation position of a ceramic pattern in a method for manufacturing a multilayer ceramic capacitor according to the second embodiment of the present invention;

[0016] The configuration and effects of the present invention will be described below, along with the technical concept, with reference to the drawings. However, the mechanism of action includes assumptions, and the correctness of such assumptions does not limit the present invention.

[0017] [Multilayer Ceramic Electronic Component] <First Embodiment> FIG. 1 shows a first embodiment of a multilayer ceramic capacitor, which is an embodiment of a multilayer ceramic electronic component according to a first aspect of the present invention. The multilayer ceramic capacitor 100 according to the first embodiment has a rectangular parallelepiped shape and includes a pair of faces perpendicular to three mutually perpendicular axes: a first axis (T-axis) in the height direction, a second axis (L-axis) in the length direction, and a third axis (W-axis) in the width direction. The rectangular parallelepiped is not limited to a mathematically defined rectangular parallelepiped; any shape that can be recognized as a rectangular parallelepiped when observed as a whole is acceptable. Therefore, a rectangular parallelepiped in the present disclosure also includes a shape with slightly rounded edges and corners, a shape with slightly curved edges, and a shape with small curvature of the surfaces that constitute the rectangular parallelepiped. The length (L) dimension, width (W) dimension, and height (T) dimension of the multilayer ceramic capacitor 100 can each independently take any value, and the relative sizes among these dimensions are not limited. For example, (L direction dimension) > (W direction dimension) ≥ (T direction dimension), or (W direction dimension) > (L direction dimension), or (T direction dimension) > (W direction dimension).

[0018] The size of the multilayer ceramic capacitor 100 is, for example, 0.25 mm in the L direction, 0.125 mm in the W direction, and 0.125 mm in the T direction, or 0.4 mm in the L direction, 0.2 mm in the W direction, and 0.2 mm in the T direction, or 0.6 mm in the L direction, 0.3 mm in the W direction, and 0.3 mm in the T direction, or 1.0 mm in the L direction, 0.5 mm in the W direction, and 0.5 mm in the T direction, or 3.2 mm in the L direction, 1.6 mm in the W direction, and 1.6 mm in height, or 4.5 mm in the L direction, 3.2 mm in the W direction, and 2.5 mm in the T direction.

[0019] As shown in cross-sectional views schematically in FIG. 2 (LT cross section) and FIG. 3 (WT cross section), the multilayer ceramic capacitor 100 according to the first embodiment comprises a laminate 20 in which dielectric layers 21 and internal electrodes 22 primarily composed of metal are alternately stacked in the direction of a first axis (T axis), a cover layer 23 arranged on both end faces of the laminate 20 in the stacking direction, and a base body 10 having side margin portions 24 arranged on both end faces of the laminate 20 in the direction of a third axis (W axis).

[0020] The element body 10 has lead portions 11 (11a, 11b) on a surface parallel to the stacking direction (T direction) from which the internal electrodes 22 (22a, 22b) are drawn every other layer. That is, the element body 10 has a lead portion 11a from which the internal electrode 22a is drawn in the L direction and a lead portion 11b from which the internal electrode 22b is drawn in the L direction. In the multilayer ceramic capacitor 100 shown in FIG. 2 , a pair of lead portions 11a and 11b are formed on substantially the entire opposing surfaces perpendicular to the L direction of the element body 10. However, the arrangement of the lead portions in the multilayer ceramic capacitor according to the first aspect of the present invention is not limited to this. The lead portions may be formed only in a portion of a surface parallel to the stacking direction, or may be formed only in one surface, or multiple pairs may be formed. Furthermore, the lead portions may not only directly draw the internal electrodes, but also draw connecting conductors that electrically connect internal electrodes of the same polarity to each other, as in a second modified example described below.

[0021] The surface of the element body 10 other than the lead-out portion includes a cover layer 23 arranged in a plane perpendicular to the first axis (T) direction, and a side margin portion 24 arranged in a plane perpendicular to the third axis (W) direction.

[0022] The multilayer ceramic capacitor 100 according to the first embodiment is provided with external electrodes 40a and 40b on the surface of the element body 10, which cover the surface on which the lead-out portions 11 (11a, 11b) are formed, electrically connect the internal electrodes 22a and 22b led out to the lead-out portions 11a and 11b, respectively, and are arranged across at least the cover layer 23 and the side margin portion 24.

[0023] As shown in FIG. 3, the multilayer ceramic capacitor 100 according to the first embodiment has a cross section P ２，ｃ The maximum dimension of the element body 10 in the first axis (T axis) direction is T ｃ，ｍａｘ , the same cross section P ２，ｃ The dimension of the element body 10 in the first axis (T axis) direction at the center in the third axis (W axis) direction is defined as T ｃ，ｃ As shown in FIG. 4A, a cross section P ２，ｅ The maximum dimension of the element body 10 in the first axis (T axis) direction is T ｅ，ｍａｘ , the same cross section P ２，ｅ The dimension of the element body 10 in the first axis direction at the center in the third axis (W axis) direction is T ｅ，ｃ When this is the case, 0 < (T ｅ，ｍａｘ -T ｅ，ｃ ) < (T ｃ，ｍａｘ -T ｃ，ｃ ) relationship is satisfied. As a result, the multilayer ceramic capacitor 100 has improved bonding strength between the side margin portion 24 and the laminate 20, and is also prevented from increasing in size in the third axis (W-axis) direction, i.e., in the lamination direction. Note that in FIG. 4A and FIG. 4B described later, the lamination structure of the external electrodes 40 (40a, 40b) shown in FIG. 2 is omitted.

[0024] In the side margin post-addition method, as described above, if the ceramic material flows around to the surface of the cover layer 23 when forming the side margins, as shown in FIG. 4A , the contact area between the ceramic material forming the side margins 24 and the laminate 20 increases, thereby improving the bonding strength between the side margins 24 and the laminate 20 compared to the case where the ceramic material does not flow around as shown in FIG. 4B . In this case, a region with a large dimension in the stacking direction is formed in the obtained element body 10 along the edge separating the cover layer 23 and the side margins 24. The increase in the dimension in the stacking direction due to the formation of this region is small compared to the thickness of the external electrodes 40 (40 a, 40 b), and therefore has almost no effect on the dimension in the first axis (T axis) direction of the multilayer ceramic capacitor 100 in the central portion in the second axis (L axis) direction (see FIG. 3 ) where the external electrodes 40 (40 a, 40 b) are not formed. However, when the aforementioned regions with large dimensions in the stacking direction are formed near both ends in the second axis (L axis) direction where the external electrodes 40 (40a, 40b) are formed, the surface spacing of the external electrodes 40 (40a, 40b), which corresponds to the dimension in the first axis (T axis) direction, increases by the area of ​​the regions with large dimensions in the stacking direction, as shown in FIG. 4A. For this reason, the ceramic material is allowed to wrap around the surface of the cover layer 23, that is, the distance between the surfaces of the external electrodes 40 and the external electrodes 40 is set to 0<(T axis) in FIG. ｃ，ｍａｘ -T ｃ，ｃ ) and in FIG. 4A, 0<(T ｅ，ｍａｘ -T ｅ，ｃ ) as an increase in the dimension of the region where the external electrodes 40 (40a, 40b) are formed, while exhibiting the effect of improving the bonding strength between the side margin portion 24 and the laminate 20 due to the wraparound. ｅ，ｍａｘ -T ｅ，ｃ ) is the dimensional increase of the region where it is not formed (T ｃ，ｍａｘ -T ｃ，ｃ 4B , if the ceramic material does not wrap around the cover layer 23, the contact area between the ceramic material constituting the side margin portion 24 and the laminate 20 does not increase, and therefore the effect of improving the bonding strength between the side margin portion 24 and the laminate 20 does not appear.

[0025] In order to significantly suppress the increase in the dimension in the stacking direction, ｅ，ｍａｘ , T ｅ，ｃ , T ｃ，ｍａｘ and T ｃ，ｃ (T ｅ，ｍａｘ -T ｅ，ｃ ) / (T ｃ，ｍａｘ -T ｃ，ｃ It is preferable that the relationship (T )≦0.5 is satisfied. ｅ，ｍａｘ -T ｅ，ｃ ) / (T ｃ，ｍａｘ -T ｃ，ｃ )≦0.2, and more preferably (T ｅ，ｍａｘ -T ｅ，ｃ ) / (T ｃ，ｍａｘ -T ｃ，ｃ )≦0.1.

[0026] Here, the T ｅ，ｍａｘ , T ｅ，ｃ , T ｃ，ｍａｘ and T ｃ，ｃ is determined by the following procedure: First, the multilayer ceramic capacitor 100 is cut in a direction perpendicular to the second axis (L axis) at a location where the external electrodes 40 (40a, 40b) cover the cover layer 23, and the exposed cross section is defined as a cross section P perpendicular to the second axis (L axis) including the external electrodes 40 (40a, 40b). ２，ｅ The multilayer ceramic capacitor 100 is also configured such that the dimension in the second axis (L axis) direction is L ｃ When this is done, it becomes 0.4L. ｃ ≦L≦0.6L ｃ At the position L, the substrate is cut in a direction perpendicular to the second axis (L axis), and the exposed cross section is defined as a cross section P located at the center in the second axis direction perpendicular to the second axis (L axis). ２，ｃ Next, each of the cross sections is observed with an optical microscope or a scanning electron microscope (SEM) at a magnification that allows the entire cross section to fit within the field of view, and the first axis (T axis) direction, which is the stacking direction, and the third axis (W axis) direction perpendicular thereto are determined based on the arrangement of the internal electrodes 22 (22a, 22b). Next, the maximum dimension in the first axis (T axis) direction is measured for the element body 10 observed in each cross section, and the obtained value is divided by the observation magnification. Then, the cross section P ２，ｅ The value calculated from T ｅ，ｍａｘ and the cross section P ２，ｃ The value calculated from T ｃ，ｍａｘNext, the dimensions of the element 10 observed in each cross section are measured at three arbitrarily selected different locations in the third axis (W axis) direction, and the average of the measured values ​​is taken as the width W of the element 10. ｃ Next, for the element body 10 observed in each cross section, the position W in the width direction is set to 0.4W ｃ ≦W≦0.6W ｃ The dimension in the first axis (T axis) direction is measured at three different points arbitrarily selected so as to satisfy the above condition, and the average value of each measurement value is divided by the observation magnification. ２，ｅ The value calculated from T ｅ，ｃ From the cross section, P ２，ｃ The value calculated from T ｃ，ｃ Let's say.

[0027] Each component constituting the multilayer ceramic capacitor 100 according to the first embodiment will be described in detail below.

[0028] (Dielectric Layer) The dielectric layer 21 is made of a dielectric ceramic. The composition of the dielectric ceramic is not particularly limited as long as it forms a dense dielectric ceramic by co-firing with the internal electrodes 22 described later, and may be appropriately selected depending on the properties required for the multilayer ceramic capacitor. Examples of the composition of the dielectric ceramic include barium titanate (BaTiO ３ ) as the main component, strontium titanate (SrTiO ３ ), calcium titanate (CaTiO ３ ) as the main component, and Ba having a perovskite structure １－ｘ－ｙ Ca ｘ Sr ｙ Ti １－ｚ Zr ｚ O ３Examples of the main component include those containing Mo, Nb, Ta, W, Mg, Mn, V, Cr, rare earth elements (Y, Sm, Eu, Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho, Er, Tm, and Yb), and at least one selected from Co, Ni, Li, B, Na, K, and Si. The main component may be Mo, Nb, Ta, W, Mg, Mn, V, Cr, and at least one selected from rare earth elements (Y, Sm, Eu, Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho, Er, Tm, and Yb). The main component may be Mo, Nb, Ta, W, Mg, Mn, V, Cr, and at least one selected from rare earth elements (Y, Sm, Eu, Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho, Er, Tm, and Yb). The main component may be Mo, Nb, Ta, W, Mg, Mn, V, Cr, and at least one selected from Co, Ni, Li, B, Na, K, and Si. The main component may be Mo, Nb, Ta, W, Mg, Mn, V, Cr, Mg, Mn, V, Cr, Mg, Mn, V, Cr, Mg, Mn, V, Cr, Mg, Mn, V, Mn, Mg, Mn, V, Mn, Mg, Mn, V, Mn, Mg, Mn, V, Mn, Mg, Mn, Mn, V, Mn ...

[0029] (Internal Electrode) The internal electrodes 22 (22a, 22b) are mainly composed of a metal. The type of metal is not particularly limited, but nickel (Ni) is preferably used as the main component element because it can be co-fired with the dielectric layer 21 and is inexpensive. Here, the term "main component element" in this specification refers to the element with the highest content expressed in atomic percentage (atomic %).

[0030] The internal electrodes 22 (22a, 22b) may contain, in addition to metal, a dielectric powder having the same composition as the dielectric ceramic that constitutes the dielectric layers 21, or a glass component.

[0031] The internal electrodes 22 (22a, 22b) preferably have the ends of adjacent internal electrodes 22 (22a, 22b) aligned within 1.0 μm in the direction of the third axis (W axis) in a cross section perpendicular to the second axis (L axis). This reduces the area in the dielectric layer 21 that does not contribute to the capacitance, resulting in a large capacitance.

[0032] Here, whether or not the positions of the ends of the adjacent internal electrodes 22 (22a, 22b) in a cross section perpendicular to the second axis (L axis) are aligned to within 1.0 μm in the direction of the third axis (W axis) is determined by the following procedure. First, the cross section P of the multilayer ceramic capacitor 100 is ２，ｃ Then, the cross section P ２，ｃThe specimen is observed using a scanning electron microscope (SEM) at a magnification that allows 10 to 20 internal electrodes to fit within the field of view, and the first axis (T-axis) direction, which is the stacking direction, and the third axis (W-axis) direction, which is perpendicular to the first axis (T-axis), are determined based on the arrangement of the internal electrodes 22 (22a, 22b). Next, for arbitrarily selected adjacent internal electrodes 22 (22a, 22b), the difference in the positions (coordinates) of the ends in the third axis (W-axis) direction is divided by the observation magnification to calculate the amount of deviation in the end positions. This is performed for 30 different pairs of internal electrodes 22 (22a, 22b), and if the amount of deviation in the end positions for all pairs is 1.0 μm or less, it is determined that the end positions of adjacent internal electrodes 22 (22a, 22b) in the cross section perpendicular to the second axis (L-axis) are aligned within 1.0 μm in the third axis (W-axis) direction.

[0033] As shown in FIG. 5, the internal electrodes 22 (22a, 22b) have a maximum dimension w ｅ，ｍａｘ It is preferable that the multilayer ceramic capacitor 100 has a narrow portion 221, which is a continuous region in the second axis (L-axis) direction and whose dimension in the third axis direction is smaller than that of the narrow portion 221. This results in high dimensional accuracy of the multilayer ceramic capacitor 100 in the third axis (W-axis) direction. The presence of the narrow portion indicates that when the green laminate is cut along a plane perpendicular to the third axis (W-axis) during the manufacturing process of the multilayer ceramic capacitor 100 described below, the proportion of hard internal electrode patterns overlapping the cutting line passing through a plane perpendicular to the first axis (T-axis) is low, and conversely, the proportion of soft ceramic green sheets is high, as shown in FIG. 10 . This confirms that the cutting was performed under low resistance. This is thought to suppress deformation of the cutting blade due to resistance, resulting in improved dimensional accuracy.

[0034] The narrow portion 221 has a dimension in the second axis (L axis) direction of l ｅ，ｎ , the minimum dimension in the third axis (W axis) direction is w ｅ，ｍｉｎ When this is done, (w ｅ，ｍａｘ -w ｅ，ｍｉｎ ) <l ｅ，ｎ It is more preferable to satisfy the relationship: This allows the multilayer ceramic capacitor 100 to have higher dimensional accuracy in the third axis (W axis) direction.

[0035] As shown in FIG. 6, the narrow portion 221 has a dimension w ｅ But, lol ｅ，ｍｉｎ <w ｅ <w ｅ，ｍａｘ It is more preferable that there be a portion that satisfies the relationship: This allows the multilayer ceramic capacitor 100 to have even higher dimensional accuracy in the third axis (W axis) direction.

[0036] As mentioned above ｅ，ｍａｘ , w ｅ，ｍｉｎ , l ｅ，ｎ and w ｅ are determined by polishing the multilayer ceramic capacitor 100 in the lamination direction or cutting it in a plane perpendicular to the lamination direction to expose the internal electrodes 22 (22a, 22b) and measuring the dimensions thereof.

[0037] (Cover Layer) The cover layer 23 functions as a protective portion that protects the dielectric layer 21 and the internal electrodes 22 .

[0038] The material of the main phase of the cover layer 23 is not limited as long as it has high electrical insulation and low permeability to deterioration factors such as moisture. From the viewpoints of making the shrinkage during firing when manufacturing the multilayer ceramic capacitor 100 uniform and alleviating internal stress within the multilayer ceramic capacitor 100, it is preferable that the main phase of the cover layer 23 be the same as the dielectric ceramic that forms the dielectric layer 21.

[0039] (Side Margin) The side margin 24 functions as a protective portion that protects the dielectric layer 21 and the internal electrode 22 .

[0040] There are no limitations on the material of the side margin portion 24, as long as it has high electrical insulation and low permeability to deterioration factors such as moisture. From the viewpoints of making shrinkage during firing uniform when manufacturing the multilayer ceramic capacitor 100 and mitigating internal stress within the multilayer ceramic capacitor 100, it is preferable that the material of the side margin portion 24 be the same as the dielectric ceramic that forms the dielectric layer 21.

[0041] (External Electrodes) The external electrodes 40 (40a, 40b) are arranged on the surface of the element body 10 so as to cover the lead portions 11 (11a, 11b) and to straddle the cover layer 23 and the side margin portion 24, and are electrically connected to the internal electrodes 22 (22a, 22b) led out to the lead portions 11 (11a, 11b). Note that, in the multilayer ceramic capacitor according to the first aspect, as described above, the arrangement of the lead portions is not limited to that shown in FIG. 2 , and therefore, it goes without saying that the arrangement of the external electrodes is not limited to this either.

[0042] The material of the external electrodes 40 (40a, 40b) is not limited as long as it is conductive. Examples of the material include metals such as nickel (Ni), copper (Cu), tin (Sn), palladium (Pd), platinum (Pt), silver (Ag), and gold (Au), alloys containing any of these as a main component, and conductive resins. The external electrodes 40 (40a, 40b) may be formed by laminating multiple conductive materials on the surface of an underlayer 41. In the multilayer ceramic capacitor 100 according to the first embodiment shown in FIG. 2 , the entire external electrode 40 has a laminated structure in which a Cu layer 42, a Ni layer 43, and a Sn layer 44 are formed in this order on the surface of an underlayer 41 made of Ni.

[0043] <Modification (1)> A first modification of the multilayer ceramic capacitor according to the first aspect is a multilayer ceramic capacitor 200 in which external electrodes 40 (40 a, 40 b) are arranged in an L-shape in cross section on the surface of the element body 10, as shown in Fig. 7. The multilayer ceramic capacitor 200 having such a structure has the advantage that it can be made low-profile, since the external electrodes 40 do not extend around the upper cover layer.

[0044] <Modification (2)> A second modification of the multilayer ceramic capacitor according to the first aspect is a multilayer ceramic capacitor 300 in which connection conductors 25 (25a, 25b) electrically connecting internal electrodes 22 (22a, 22b) of the same polarity formed inside the element body 10 are extended to one cover layer 23 to form extension portions 11 (11a, 11b), as shown in Fig. 8. The multilayer ceramic capacitor 300 having such a structure has the advantage of being miniaturizable because there are no external electrodes 40 (40a, 40b) in the L direction and the W direction.

[0045] <Modification (3)> A third modification of the multilayer ceramic capacitor according to the first aspect is a multilayer ceramic capacitor 400 in which external electrodes 40 are arranged at four positions, as shown in Fig. 9. Even in a multilayer ceramic capacitor having such a structure, the effect of the present invention, i.e., improved reliability, can be obtained by setting the amount of sulfur contained in the element body within a specific range.

[0046] [Method for Manufacturing Multilayer Ceramic Electronic Component] Second Embodiment Next, a method for manufacturing a multilayer ceramic electronic component according to a second aspect of the present invention will be described below as a second embodiment, taking as an example the case of manufacturing the multilayer ceramic capacitor according to the first embodiment.

[0047] (A) Preparation of Dielectric Porcelain Composition Powder) First, a powder of the dielectric porcelain composition is prepared. Commercially available powder of the dielectric porcelain composition can be used as appropriate. When the dielectric porcelain composition is produced in-house, various raw material powders containing the constituent elements thereof are mixed in a predetermined ratio and pre-fired (calcined). When the various raw material powders are mixed in a predetermined ratio, various additives such as the above-mentioned additive elements and sintering aids may be further added, and these various additives may be further added to the powder after calcination.

[0048] (B) Preparation of Green Sheet Next, the powder of the dielectric ceramic composition described above is mixed with a binder and a dispersion medium to prepare a slurry, and the slurry is formed into a sheet to obtain a green sheet.

[0049] The binder used is one that can maintain the shape of the green sheet and volatilizes without leaving carbon or other residues during the binder removal process prior to firing. Examples of binders that can be used include polyvinyl alcohol, polyvinyl butyral, cellulose, urethane, and vinyl acetate binders. The amount of binder used is not particularly limited, but since it is removed in a later process, it is preferable to keep it as small as possible within a range that achieves the desired moldability and shape retention in order to reduce raw material costs.

[0050] The dispersion medium used is one that does not cause aggregation of the calcined powder and binder and can be easily removed by volatilization or the like after forming into a green sheet, as described below. Examples of the dispersion medium that can be used include water and alcohol-based solvents.

[0051] Components for adjusting the properties of the slurry, such as dispersants, plasticizers, and thickeners, may be added to the slurry.

[0052] The method for mixing the mixed powder with the binder and the dispersion medium is not particularly limited as long as the components are mixed uniformly while preventing the inclusion of impurities. One example is ball mill mixing.

[0053] The prepared slurry can be formed into a sheet to obtain a green sheet by a commonly used method such as a doctor blade method or a die coating method.

[0054] (C) Formation of Internal Electrode Pattern Next, an internal electrode pattern containing a metal is formed on the green sheet. The internal electrode pattern can be formed by printing or applying an internal electrode paste onto the green sheet in a predetermined pattern, or by forming a metal film on the green sheet in a predetermined pattern by vapor deposition or sputtering.

[0055] When forming an internal electrode pattern using an internal electrode paste, the internal electrode paste used is obtained by mixing metal particles forming the internal electrodes and a vehicle in a triple roll mill. The internal electrode paste may contain glass frit and dielectric ceramic composition powder in addition to the above-mentioned components.

[0056] The type and amount of binder and solvent contained in the vehicle to be used are not limited, and may be selected appropriately taking into consideration the viscosity of the internal electrode paste, ease of handling, compatibility with the green sheet, and the like.

[0057] The printing of the internal electrode paste onto the green sheet can be carried out, for example, using a screen mask on which a predetermined internal electrode pattern is formed.

[0058] The shape and dimensions of the internal electrode pattern are not particularly limited, but the maximum dimension w in the third axis (W axis) direction is ｅ，ｍａｘ a narrow portion p which is a continuous region in the second axis (L axis) direction and whose dimension in the third axis direction is smaller than ｅ，ｎ It is preferable that the internal electrode pattern has the narrow portion p ｅ，ｎ As shown in FIG. 10, by having the above-mentioned internal electrode pattern p, when cutting in (F) described later, a hard internal electrode pattern p overlaps with the cutting line passing through the plane of each green sheet s1, s2. ｅ This reduces the resistance force applied to the cutting blade during cutting, suppresses deformation of the cutting blade, and produces green pieces with high dimensional accuracy.

[0059] In order to obtain raw pieces with higher dimensional accuracy, the narrow width portion is ｅ，ｎ The minimum dimension of the narrow portion in the third axial direction is w ｅ，ｍｉｎ When this is done, (w ｅ，ｍａｘ -w ｅ，ｍｉｎ ) <l ｅ，ｎ It is more preferable that the narrow portion has a dimension w ｅ But w ｅ，ｍｉｎ <w ｅ <w ｅ，ｍａｘ It is more preferable that there is a portion that satisfies the relationship:

[0060] ((D) Formation of Ceramic Pattern) Next, a ceramic pattern is formed in the aforementioned green sheet in a location where no internal electrode pattern is formed, at a distance from a line segment through which a plane perpendicular to the third axis passes when cutting in (F) described below (hereinafter referred to as a "cutting line perpendicular to the third axis"). Examples of the position at which the ceramic pattern is formed are shown in Figures 11A and 11B. To form the ceramic pattern, a method of printing or applying a paste containing ceramic powder, or a method of forming a film of ceramic material in a predetermined pattern by vapor deposition or sputtering can be used.

[0061] The ceramic material forming the ceramic pattern may be the same as or different from the dielectric ceramic composition contained in the green sheet. From the viewpoints of making the shrinkage during firing, which will be described later, uniform and alleviating the internal stress in the resulting multilayer ceramic capacitor, it is preferable to use the same ceramic material as the dielectric ceramic composition contained in the green sheet.

[0062] When forming a ceramic pattern using a paste containing ceramic powder, the paste to be used is obtained by mixing the ceramic powder and a vehicle in a triple roll mill. The vehicle to be used may be the same as the above-mentioned internal electrode paste.

[0063] The ceramic pattern is formed at a location where the internal electrode pattern is not formed, at a distance from the cutting line perpendicular to the third axis, so that the internal electrode pattern p is formed on the green sheet. ｅ and ceramic pattern p ｃThis results in a region in which neither of the above is formed. Because these regions overlap in the stacking direction when the green sheets are stacked, they form a region in which the deformation amount in the first axis (T axis) direction is larger than that in other regions when pressing is performed as described below in (E), i.e., a region in which the dimension in the first axis (T axis) direction is smaller than that in other regions in the green laminate and the green pieces obtained by singulating the green laminate. The region thus formed, in which the dimension in the first axis (T axis) direction is smaller than that in other regions, is selectively located at both ends in the second axis (L axis) direction of the ridge separating the side margin forming surface of the green piece from the cover layer, where the external electrodes are formed. This absorbs the increase in dimension in the first axis (T axis) direction caused by the rise of the ceramic material when the surfaces perpendicular to the third axis (W axis) of the green piece are covered with ceramic material as described below in (G), thereby contributing to suppressing the increase in dimension of the external electrode formation portion.

[0064] The shape and dimensions of the ceramic pattern are not particularly limited, but it is preferable that the distance a from the cutting line perpendicular to the third axis be 10 μm or more and 30 μm or less. By setting the distance a to 10 μm or more, in the raw pieces obtained through the (F) raw piece production process described below, the spacing in the first axis (T axis) direction of the ridge separating the side margin forming surface and the cover layer at both ends in the second axis (L axis) direction is sufficiently small. This effectively suppresses dimensional increase caused by the ceramic material wrapping around the surface perpendicular to the stacking direction of the raw laminate in the (G) pre-fired body production process described below. Furthermore, the dimensional accuracy of the raw pieces is significantly improved. The improvement in dimensional accuracy by setting the distance a to 10 μm or more is presumably due to a reduction in cutting resistance, which is achieved by combining a shorter cutting distance during singulation with a reduction in the density of the raw laminate at the cutting position. On the other hand, by setting the distance a to 30 μm or less, in the (G) pre-fired body manufacturing process described below, the ceramic material can more easily reach the surface perpendicular to the stacking direction of the raw laminate, and the increased contact area significantly improves the bonding strength between the side margin portion and the laminate.

[0065] (E) Preparation of green laminate Next, a predetermined number of green sheets on which the internal electrode patterns have been formed are stacked and the green sheets are pressure-bonded together to obtain a green laminate. The stacking and pressure-bonding may be performed by a conventional method, and a method such as pressing the stacked green sheets together in the stacking direction while heating them and thermo-compressing them by the action of a binder can be used.

[0066] During lamination and compression bonding, green sheets that will become cover layers when the multilayer ceramic capacitor is completed are added to both ends in the lamination direction. In this case, the green sheets to be added may have the same composition as the green sheets on which the internal electrode patterns are printed, or a different composition. From the viewpoint of making the shrinkage rate during firing uniform, it is preferable that the composition of the green sheets to be added is the same as or similar to the green sheets on which the above-mentioned internal electrode precursors are arranged.

[0067] (F) Production of Raw Pieces Next, the raw laminate is divided into individual pieces to obtain pre-fired elements. For the division, a commonly used means such as a dicing saw or a laser cutting machine can be used.

[0068] (G) Preparation of Pre-fired Body) Next, the surface of the raw piece perpendicular to the third axis (W axis) (hereinafter referred to as the "side margin forming surface") is covered with a ceramic material to obtain a pre-fired body. Methods for covering the side margin forming surface with ceramic material include pressing the side margin forming surface against a ceramic green sheet and punching it out, attaching a green sheet cut to a predetermined shape in advance to the side margin forming surface, and applying ceramic slurry or paste to the side margin portion. Examples of methods for applying ceramic slurry or paste include dipping the side margin forming surface in a slurry or paste bath and applying slurry or paste to the side margin forming surface.

[0069] (H) Removal of Binder) Next, the obtained pre-fired body is heated to volatilize and remove the binder. The heating conditions may be appropriately set in consideration of the volatilization temperature and content of the binder. For example, nitrogen (N ２ ) atmosphere at a temperature of 200°C to 500°C for 5 to 20 hours.

[0070] (I) Application of External Electrode Paste Next, as necessary, external electrode paste is applied to the surface of the pre-fired body from which the binder has been removed, so as to cover the lead-out portions and to extend across the cover layer and side margin portions. If external electrode paste is not applied to the pre-fired body at this stage, external electrodes are formed by (K) described below.

[0071] The external electrode paste used is obtained by mixing metal particles and ceramic particles having the same composition as the dielectric ceramic composition contained in the pre-fired element body together with a vehicle in a triple roll mill. The external electrode paste may contain glass frit in addition to the above-mentioned components.

[0072] There are no limitations on the type and amount of binder and solvent contained in the vehicle used, and they may be selected appropriately taking into consideration the viscosity of the external electrode paste, ease of handling, and the like.

[0073] Methods for applying the external electrode paste include, for example, immersing (dipping) a portion of the pre-fired element body in a bath of the external electrode paste, or applying the external electrode paste to the surface of the pre-fired element body.

[0074] (J) Firing of Pre-Fired Body) Next, the pre-fired body from which the binder has been removed and to which the external electrode paste has been applied as necessary is heated to a predetermined temperature and fired. When setting the firing conditions, it is preferable to take into consideration the sinterability of the dielectric ceramic composition, as well as the heat resistance and oxidation resistance of the metal contained in the internal electrode paste. Furthermore, when the external electrode paste has been applied to the surface of the pre-fired body prior to firing, it is also preferable to take into consideration the heat resistance and oxidation resistance of the metal contained therein. Examples of firing conditions include nitrogen (N ２ ) and hydrogen (H ２ ) and water vapor (H ２ The firing is carried out in a reducing atmosphere containing a mixture of nitrogen (N O ) at a temperature of 1100°C to 1400°C for 10 minutes to 2 hours. ２ ) A reoxidation treatment may be performed in a gas atmosphere or a low-oxygen atmosphere at a temperature of 600°C to 1000°C.

[0075] (K) Formation of External Electrodes If the above (I) is not carried out and the sintered body obtained by firing does not have external electrodes, external electrodes are formed on the surface of the sintered body so as to cover the lead-out portions and to extend over the cover layer and side margin portions. Examples of methods for forming external electrodes include a method in which a conductive paste is applied by printing, dipping, or coating and then baked, as well as vapor deposition and sputtering.

[0076] The sintered body thus obtained may be used as a multilayer ceramic capacitor as is, or may be used as a multilayer ceramic capacitor after forming a conductive layer on the surface of the external electrodes by means of plating, vapor deposition, etc. The multilayer ceramic capacitor thus obtained has a structure shown in Figures 1 and 2, 4A, or 7.

[0077] <Modification (1) of the Second Embodiment> In the second embodiment, in order to form a connecting conductor pattern inside the element body, through holes may be formed in the green sheet prior to the formation of the internal electrode pattern. Punching, laser processing, or the like can be used as a method for forming the through holes in the green sheet. By forming the internal electrode pattern on the green sheet with the through holes formed therein, or by filling the through holes with a conductor separately from the internal electrode pattern, a green sheet with a conductor penetrating in the thickness direction can be obtained.

[0078] When green sheets having conductors penetrating therethrough in the thickness direction are stacked to form a green laminate, the conductors in the through holes are connected in the stacking direction and connected to internal electrode patterns formed on green sheets adjacent in the stacking direction, thereby forming precursors of connecting conductors. In this case, by forming through holes filled with conductors in one of the green sheets for the cover layer as well, part of the precursor of the connecting conductor is exposed on the surface of the cover layer.

[0079] <Variation (2) of the Second Embodiment> In the second embodiment, holes through which the internal electrode patterns are drawn out to the wall surfaces may be formed in the thickness direction (stacking direction) of the green laminate obtained by stacking and pressing green sheets, and a conductor may be filled in the holes to form precursors of connecting conductors.

[0080] The multilayer ceramic capacitor obtained by each of the modifications of the second embodiment has the structure shown in FIG.

[0081] The present invention will be explained in more detail below with reference to examples, but the present invention is not limited to these examples.

[0082] [Example 1] As a powder of a dielectric ceramic composition, pre-fired barium titanate (BaTiO ３) powder was prepared as the main raw material, and powders of Mn, Ho, and Si oxides were prepared as trace additive components. A polyvinyl butyral binder and an alcohol-based solvent were added to these powders and mixed in a wet ball mill. The resulting mixed slurry was formed with a doctor blade to obtain a green sheet. Nickel paste was screen-printed onto this green sheet as an internal electrode paste to form a rectangular internal electrode pattern, and then ceramic paste was screen-printed in the areas where the internal electrode pattern was not formed, forming a ceramic pattern at a 30 μm interval from the cutting line perpendicular to the third axis. 500 green sheets with internal electrode patterns and ceramic patterns were stacked, and 20 green sheets for cover layers were stacked on the top and bottom surfaces, and then pressed together under heat at a pressure of approximately 190 MPa to obtain a green laminate. This green laminate was singulated to obtain individual green pieces having side margin-forming surfaces and lead-out surfaces where the internal electrode patterns were exposed. The green cover layer sheet was then punched out at the side margin-forming surfaces and attached to the individual green pieces to obtain a pre-fired element. The pre-fired element was heated to 300°C in a nitrogen atmosphere to remove the binder. The surface of the pre-fired element from which the binder had been removed, perpendicular to the second axis (L-axis), was dipped into a nickel paste bath to form external electrodes. The pre-fired element with the external electrodes formed thereon was sintered by holding it at 1200°C for 2 hours in a so-called reducing-steam atmosphere, in which water vapor was introduced into a reducing gas containing hydrogen in nitrogen, and then cooled to near room temperature to obtain a sintered body. A Cu layer, a Ni layer, and a Sn layer were formed in this order on the surfaces of the external electrodes of the obtained sintered body by plating, thereby obtaining the multilayer ceramic capacitor of Example 1. The obtained multilayer ceramic capacitor had a rectangular shape with a plane perpendicular to the lamination direction of the multilayer chip measuring 1.0 mm x 0.5 mm, and the thickness of the dielectric layer was 0.6 μm.

[0083] [Example 2] A multilayer ceramic capacitor according to Example 2 was obtained in the same manner as in Example 1, except that the internal electrode pattern formed on the green sheet had a narrow portion 50 μm long in the second axis (L axis) direction, 50 μm away from the cutting line perpendicular to the third axis (W axis).

[0084] Example 3 A multilayer ceramic capacitor according to Example 3 was obtained in the same manner as in Example 2, except that when forming a ceramic pattern on a green sheet, the distance between the pattern and the cutting line perpendicular to the third axis was set to 10 μm.

[0085] Comparative Examples 1 and 2 Multilayer ceramic capacitors according to Comparative Examples 1 and 2 were obtained in the same manner as in Examples 1 and 2, except that no ceramic pattern was formed on the green sheet.

[0086] [Comparative Examples 3 and 4] Multilayer ceramic capacitors according to Comparative Examples 3 and 4 were obtained in the same manner as in Examples 1 and 2, except that the ceramic pattern formed on the green sheet was the entire area where no internal electrode pattern was formed.

[0087] [Evaluation of Multilayer Ceramic Capacitors] (Dimensions of Each Part) Each of the obtained multilayer ceramic capacitors was measured by the above-mentioned T ｃ，ｍａｘ , T ｃ，ｃ , T ｅ，ｍａｘ and T ｅ，ｃ was determined by the method described above. ｅ，ｍａｘ and T ｅ，ｃ The cross section P used to determine ２，ｅ The maximum dimension of the external electrodes in the first axial direction in the microscope image was measured, and this was taken as the maximum thickness of the multilayer ceramic capacitor. The results are shown in Table 1.

[0088] (Determination of whether the positions of the internal electrode ends are aligned in the third axis (W axis) direction) For each of the obtained multilayer ceramic capacitors, it was determined by the method described above whether the positions of the internal electrodes were aligned in the third axis (W axis) direction. As a result, it was determined that the positions of the internal electrode ends of all the obtained multilayer ceramic capacitors were aligned within 1.0 μm in the third axis (W axis) direction.

[0089] (Dimensional Accuracy) For each of the obtained multilayer ceramic capacitors, the above-mentioned T ｃ，ｍａｘ and T ｃ，ｃ The cross section P used to determine ２，ｃ In the microscope image of the element part, the maximum dimension W in the third axis direction ｃ，ｍａｘ and minimum dimension W ｃ，ｍｉｎ and the difference between them (Wｃ，ｍａｘ -W ｃ，ｍｉｎ The dimensional accuracy was evaluated by the following method. The results are shown in Table 1.

[0090]

[0091] From Table 1, the above-mentioned T ｃ，ｍａｘ , T ｃ，ｃ , T ｅ，ｍａｘ and T ｅ，ｃ However, (T ｅ，ｍａｘ -T ｅ，ｃ ) < (T ｃ，ｍａｘ -T ｃ，ｃ It can be seen that the multilayer ceramic capacitors according to the examples, which satisfy the relationship of (a) and (b) above, have a suppressed increase in size in the stacking direction, whereas the multilayer ceramic capacitors according to the comparative examples 3 and 4, which do not satisfy the relationship, have a large size in the stacking direction. Since the comparative examples 1 and 2 satisfy the relationship above, the increase in size in the stacking method is suppressed, but ｅ，ｍａｘ -T ｅ，ｃ The value of is 0, that is, T ｅ，ｍａｘ and T ｅ，ｃ Since the contact area between the side margin and the laminate is small, an increase in the bonding strength between them cannot be expected.

[0092] Furthermore, from a comparison between Example 1 and Example 2 in Table 1, (T ｅ，ｍａｘ -T ｅ，ｃ ) < (T ｃ，ｍａｘ -T ｃ，ｃ It can be seen that among the multilayer ceramic capacitors that satisfy the relationship of (1) and (2), those having narrowed portions in the internal electrodes have higher dimensional accuracy than those that do not have such narrowed portions.

[0093] This specification also discloses the following techniques.

[0094] (Supplementary Note 1) A laminate in which dielectric layers and internal electrodes mainly composed of metal are alternately stacked in a first axial direction, with cover layers disposed at both ends in the stacking direction, and having a pair of end faces perpendicular to a second axis perpendicular to the first axis; an element body having side margin portions disposed at both ends in a third axial direction of the laminate perpendicular to the first axis and the second axis, respectively; and external electrodes disposed on a surface of the element body, straddling at least the cover layers and the side margin portions, and electrically connected to the internal electrodes, wherein the maximum dimension of the element body in the first axial direction in a cross section perpendicular to the second axis and located at the center of the second axial direction is defined as T ｃ，ｍａｘ , the dimension of the element body in the first axis direction at the center portion in the third axis direction is T ｃ，ｃ The maximum dimension of the element body in the first axis direction in a cross section perpendicular to the second axis and including the external electrodes is T ｅ，ｍａｘ , the dimension of the element body in the first axis direction at the center portion in the third axis direction is T ｅ，ｃ When this is the case, 0 < (T ｅ，ｍａｘ -T ｅ，ｃ ) < (T ｃ，ｍａｘ -T ｃ，ｃ ) Multilayer ceramic electronic components that satisfy the relationship.

[0095] (Appendix 2) The above T ｅ，ｍａｘ , T ｅ，ｃ , T ｃ，ｍａｘ and T ｃ，ｃ But, (T ｅ，ｍａｘ -T ｅ，ｃ ) / (T ｃ，ｍａｘ -T ｃ，ｃ )≦0.5.

[0096] (Supplementary Note 3) The multilayer ceramic electronic component according to (Supplementary Note 1) or (Supplementary Note 2), wherein the positions of the ends of adjacent internal electrodes in a cross section perpendicular to the second axis are aligned to within 1.0 μm in the third axis direction.

[0097] (Note 4) The internal electrode has a maximum dimension w ｅ，ｍａｘThe multilayer ceramic capacitor according to any one of (Supplementary Note 1) to (Supplementary Note 3), wherein the multilayer ceramic capacitor has a narrow portion that is a region that is continuous in the second axis direction and has a dimension in the third axis direction smaller than the narrow portion.

[0098] (Note 5) The narrow portion has a dimension w ｅ But w ｅ，ｍｉｎ <w ｅ <w ｅ，ｍａｘ The multilayer ceramic electronic component according to any one of (Appendix 1) to (Appendix 4), wherein there is a portion that satisfies the relationship:

[0099] (Supplementary Note 6) (A) preparing ceramic powder; (B) mixing the ceramic powder with a binder and forming it into a sheet to obtain a green sheet; (C) forming an internal electrode pattern containing a metal on the green sheet; (D) forming a ceramic pattern in a location on the green sheet where the internal electrode pattern is not formed, at a distance from a line segment through which a plane perpendicular to a third axis passes when cutting in (F) described below; (E) stacking a predetermined number of green sheets on which the internal electrode pattern and the ceramic pattern are formed in a first axial direction, arranging green sheets for cover layers at both ends in the stacking direction, and then pressing the sheets together to obtain a green laminate; (F) cutting the green laminate into individual pieces along a plane perpendicular to a second axis perpendicular to the first axis and a third axis perpendicular to each of the first axis and the second axis, and obtaining green pieces in which the internal electrode pattern is exposed at least on a plane perpendicular to the third axis; (G) covering the plane perpendicular to the third axis of the green piece with a ceramic material to obtain a pre-fired element; (H) removing the binder from the pre-fired body; and (J) firing the heat-treated pre-fired body to obtain a sintered body, and the method for manufacturing a multilayer ceramic electronic component according to any one of (Appendix 1) to (Appendix 5) further comprises either: (I) after (H), applying an external electrode paste to the surface of the pre-fired body from which the binder has been removed; or (K) after (J), forming external electrodes on the surface of the sintered body.

[0100] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a multilayer ceramic electronic component that is small in size, has a large capacity, and is particularly suppressed from increasing in size in the stacking direction. Such a multilayer ceramic electronic component is useful for miniaturizing circuit boards.

[0101] 100, 200, 300, 400 Multilayer ceramic capacitor 10 Body 11 Lead surface 21 Dielectric layer 22, 22a, 22b Internal electrode 221 Narrow width portion 23 Cover layer 24 Side margin portion 25, 25a, 25b Connecting conductor 40, 40a, 40b External electrode 41 Underlayer 42 Cu layer 43 Ni layer 44 Sn layer pe Internal electrode pattern pc Ceramic pattern

Claims

1. A laminate in which dielectric layers and internal electrodes mainly composed of metal are alternately laminated in a first axial direction, with cover layers disposed at both ends in the lamination direction, and having a pair of end faces perpendicular to a second axis perpendicular to the first axis; an element body having side margin portions disposed at both ends in a third axial direction of the laminate perpendicular to the first axis and the second axis, respectively; and an external electrode disposed on a surface of the element body, straddling at least the cover layers and the side margin portions, and electrically connected to the internal electrodes, wherein the maximum dimension of the element body in the first axial direction in a cross section perpendicular to the second axis and located at the center of the second axial direction is defined as T. ｃ，ｍａｘ The dimension of the element body in the first axis direction at the center portion in the third axis direction is T ｃ，ｃ The maximum dimension of the element body in the first axis direction in a cross section perpendicular to the second axis and including the external electrode is T ｅ，ｍａｘ The dimension of the element body in the first axis direction at the center portion in the third axis direction is T ｅ，ｃ When this is the case, 0 < (T ｅ，ｍａｘ -T ｅ，ｃ ) < (T ｃ，ｍａｘ -T ｃ，ｃ ) Multilayer ceramic electronic components that satisfy the above relationship.

2. Said T ｅ，ｍａｘ , T ｅ，ｃ , T ｃ，ｍａｘ and T ｃ，ｃ But, (T ｅ，ｍａｘ -T ｅ，ｃ ) / (T ｃ，ｍａｘ -T ｃ，ｃ 2. The multilayer ceramic electronic component according to claim 1, wherein the relationship:

3. The multilayer ceramic electronic component according to claim 1, wherein the positions of the ends of adjacent internal electrodes in a cross section perpendicular to said second axis are aligned to within 1.0 μm in the third axis direction.

4. The internal electrode has a maximum dimension w ｅ，ｍａｘ 2. The multilayer ceramic electronic component according to claim 1, further comprising a narrow portion which is a region continuous in the second axial direction and has a dimension in the third axial direction smaller than the narrow portion.

5. The narrow portion has a dimension w ｅ But w ｅ，ｍｉｎ <w ｅ <w ｅ，ｍａｘ 5. The ceramic electronic component according to claim 4, wherein there is a portion that satisfies the relationship:

6. (A) preparing a ceramic powder; (B) mixing the ceramic powder with a binder and forming the mixture into a sheet to obtain a green sheet; (C) forming an internal electrode pattern containing a metal on the green sheet; (D) forming a ceramic pattern on a portion of the green sheet on which the internal electrode pattern is not formed, with a space from a line segment through which a plane perpendicular to a third axis passes when the green sheet is cut as described below in (F); (E) stacking a predetermined number of green sheets on which the internal electrode pattern and the ceramic pattern are formed in a first axial direction, disposing green sheets for cover layers at both ends in the stacking direction, and then pressing the sheets together to obtain a green laminate; (F) cutting the green laminate into individual pieces along a plane perpendicular to a second axis perpendicular to the first axis and a third axis perpendicular to each of the first axis and the second axis, to obtain individual pieces in which the internal electrode pattern is exposed at least on a plane perpendicular to the third axis; (G) covering the plane perpendicular to the third axis of the individual pieces with a ceramic material to obtain a pre-fired body; 6. The method for producing a multilayer ceramic electronic component according to claim 1, further comprising: (H) removing a binder from the pre-sintered body; and (J) firing the pre-sintered body after the heat treatment to obtain a sintered body, and further comprising either: (I) applying an external electrode paste to a surface of the pre-sintered body after the binder removal after (H); or (K) forming external electrodes on the surface of the sintered body after (J).

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