Method for producing electronic components

Abstract

This method for producing electronic components comprises: a printing step ST1 for forming, on a main surface of a base material 50, a three-dimensional shaped article 10 containing an electronic component body 20 that has an insulating part 21 and a conductive part 22, by performing 3D printing by a material jetting procedure of a ceramic material-containing first ink and a metal material-containing second ink; a cutting step ST2 for exposing at least one end surface of the electronic component body 20 by cutting the three-dimensional shaped article 10 toward the main surface of the base material 50 in a direction that contains a component of a stacking direction of the first ink and the second ink; a firing step ST3 for firing the three-dimensional shaped article 10 after cutting or before cutting; and a separation step ST4 for separating the three-dimensional shaped article 10 from the base material 50 after firing.

Description

Manufacturing method of electronic components

[0001] The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing an electronic component.

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a method for manufacturing a multilayer electronic component having an element body in which a functional part and a conductor part are laminated, the method comprising the steps of: forming a green laminate in which a green functional part and a green conductor part are laminated; and processing the green laminate to obtain the element body, the green laminate being a green chip corresponding to the shape and dimensions of the element body; and the step of forming the green laminate comprising the steps of: forming partition areas between each green laminate using a partition area forming ink; a first step of forming a green functional part using a first ink containing functional particles; and a second step of forming a green conductor part using a second ink containing conductor particles.

[0003] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2019-176025

[0004] In one embodiment, Patent Document 1 describes a method in which ink is supplied to each head of a discharge device equipped with a discharge means that utilizes electrostatic attraction, a partitioned area is formed on a workpiece using a partitioned area forming ink, a green functional portion is printed on the workpiece using a first ink, and a green conductor portion is printed on the formed green functional portion using a second ink. In this embodiment, parallel and connected line segments of a predetermined length are repeatedly formed using the partitioned area forming ink, the first ink, and the second ink, and a surface area with a single thickness is formed by connecting the line segments by contacting them with each other.

[0005] According to Patent Document 1, by forming line segments using a discharge device that utilizes electrostatic attraction, it is possible to greatly reduce the deviation (variation) of the length of the actually formed line segment from the set length of the line segment, and the deviation (variation) of the actually formed position from the set formation position. Therefore, it is possible to greatly reduce the deviation (variation) from the set for the surface area formed by connecting the line segments, in other words, to greatly increase the formation accuracy of the surface area, and as a result, it is possible to form the green functional portion and the green conductor portion in the partitioned area without positional deviation.

[0006] In the above embodiment, the partition region forming step, the first step, and the second step are repeated a predetermined number of times to form a green laminate in which green functional parts and green conductor parts are alternately stacked at predetermined intervals via the partition regions. By subjecting the obtained green laminate to a process such as heat treatment, an element main body having a structure in which functional parts and conductor parts are stacked is obtained.

[0007] However, when a green laminate is formed using a discharge device that utilizes electrostatic attraction, ink layer marks tend to remain on the edge surfaces of the green laminate, which may result in reduced flatness of the edge surfaces of the final electronic component.

[0008] The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and has as its object to provide a method for manufacturing electronic components having end faces with high flatness.

[0009] The method for manufacturing an electronic component of the present invention includes: a printing step of 3D printing a first ink containing a ceramic material and a second ink containing a metal material by a material jetting method to form a three-dimensional object on a main surface of a substrate, the three-dimensional object including an electronic component main body having an insulating portion and a conductive portion; a cutting step of cutting the three-dimensional object toward the main surface of the substrate in a direction including a component in the stacking direction of the first ink and the second ink, thereby exposing at least one end face of the electronic component main body; a firing step of firing the three-dimensional object after or before the cutting; and a separation step of separating the fired three-dimensional object from the substrate.

[0010] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a method for manufacturing an electronic component having an end face with high flatness.

[0011] FIG. 1 is a process diagram illustrating a method for manufacturing an electronic component according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a perspective view schematically illustrating an example of a printing process according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a front view schematically illustrating an example of a printing process according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a top view schematically illustrating an example of a printing process according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a front view schematically illustrating an example of a cutting process according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a front view schematically illustrating an example of a firing process according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 7 is a front view schematically illustrating an example of a separation process according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 8A is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of an electronic component having a cut surface where a three-dimensionally shaped object is cut. FIG. 8B is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a state in which another component is mounted on the electronic component shown in FIG. 8A. FIG. 9A is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of an electronic component having an uncut surface where a three-dimensionally shaped object is not cut. FIG. 9B is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a state in which another component is mounted on the electronic component shown in FIG. 9A. FIG. 10 is a front view schematically illustrating an example of a firing process according to a second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 11 is a front view schematically illustrating an example of a printing step according to a second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 12 is a front view schematically illustrating another example of a printing step according to the second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 13 is a perspective view schematically illustrating an example of a printing step according to a third embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 14 is a perspective view schematically illustrating an example of a firing step according to the third embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 15 is a front view schematically illustrating an example of a cutting step according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 16 is a front view schematically illustrating an example of a three-dimensional object cut by the cutting step shown in FIG. 15. FIG. 17 is a front view schematically illustrating another example of a cutting step according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 18 is a perspective view schematically illustrating an example of a printing step according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 19 is a front view schematically illustrating an example of a cutting step according to the fifth embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 20 is a perspective view schematically illustrating an example of a printing step according to another embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 21 is a top view schematically illustrating another example of a printing step according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[0012] The method for manufacturing an electronic component of the present invention will be described below.

[0013] FIG. 1 is a process diagram showing a method for manufacturing an electronic component according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0014] 1, the method for manufacturing an electronic component includes a printing step ST1, a cutting step ST2, a firing step ST3, and a separation step ST4. In each embodiment described below, the cutting step ST2 is performed after the printing step ST1 and before the firing step ST3, as shown in FIG. 1, but the cutting step ST2 may also be performed after the firing step ST3 and before the separation step ST4.

[0015] The following embodiments are merely examples, and it goes without saying that partial substitution or combination of the configurations shown in different embodiments is possible. From the second embodiment onwards, descriptions of matters common to the first embodiment will be omitted, and only the differences will be described. In particular, similar effects resulting from similar configurations will not be mentioned one after the other for each embodiment.

[0016] The present invention is not limited to the following embodiments, and can be appropriately modified and applied within the scope of the present invention. A combination of two or more of the individual desirable configurations of the present invention described in the following embodiments also constitutes the present invention.

[0017] In the following description, unless otherwise specified, each embodiment will be referred to simply as the "method for manufacturing an electronic component of the present invention."

[0018] The drawings shown below are schematic diagrams, and the dimensions, aspect ratio, and other scales may differ from those of the actual product. In the drawings, the same or equivalent parts will be designated by the same reference numerals. In addition, the same elements will be designated by the same reference numerals in each drawing, and duplicate explanations will be omitted.

[0019] In this specification, terms indicating the relationship between elements (e.g., "perpendicular," "parallel," "orthogonal," etc.) and terms indicating the shape of elements are not expressions that only express a strict meaning, but are expressions that also include a range of substantial equivalence, for example, a difference of about a few percent.

[0020] First Embodiment In a method for manufacturing an electronic component according to a first embodiment of the present invention, a three-dimensional object including only an electronic component body is formed in the printing step.

[0021] <Printing Process> Fig. 2 is a perspective view schematically showing an example of a printing process according to the first embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 3 is a front view schematically showing an example of a printing process according to the first embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 4 is a top view schematically showing an example of a printing process according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

[0022] As shown in Figures 2, 3, and 4, in the printing process ST1, a first ink containing a ceramic material and a second ink containing a metal material are 3D printed using a material jetting method to form a three-dimensional object 10 including an electronic component main body 20 having an insulating portion 21 and a conductive portion 22 on the main surface of a substrate 50.

[0023] There are no particular limitations on the shape of the three-dimensional object 10. For example, the three-dimensional object 10 has a rectangular parallelepiped shape.

[0024] In the examples shown in FIGS. 2, 3, and 4, the three-dimensional object 10 includes only the electronic component body 20.

[0025] The insulating portion 21 of the electronic component body 20 is formed from the ceramic material contained in the first ink, and the conductive portion 22 of the electronic component body 20 is formed from the metal material contained in the second ink.

[0026] There are no particular limitations on the position of the conductive portion 22 relative to the insulating portion 21. For example, the conductive portion 22 may be exposed on the surface of the electronic component body 20 or may be buried inside the electronic component body 20.

[0027] There is no particular limitation on the number of conductive portions 22. For example, the conductive portion 22 may be composed of one conductive member, or may be composed of two or more conductive members.

[0028] The shape of the conductive portion 22 is not particularly limited. When the conductive portion 22 is made up of a plurality of conductive members, the shapes of the conductive portions 22 may all be the same, or some or all of the conductive portions 22 may be different.

[0029] Examples of the ceramic material contained in the first ink include alumina, aluminum nitride, low-temperature co-fired ceramic (LTCC) material, etc. Among these, the ceramic material is preferably a low-temperature co-fired ceramic material.

[0030] In this specification, the low-temperature sintering ceramic material means a ceramic material that can be sintered at a firing temperature of 1000° C. or less.

[0031] Examples of low-temperature sintered ceramic materials include glass composite low-temperature sintered ceramic materials containing ceramic materials such as quartz, alumina, and forsterite and borosilicate glass, and ZnO—MgO—Al ２ O ３ -SiO ２ low-temperature sintered ceramic material containing BaO-Al ２ O ３ -SiO ２ Ceramic materials, Al ２ O ３ -CaO-SiO ２ -MgO-B ２ O ３ Among them, non-glass-based low-temperature sintered ceramic materials including alumina-based ceramic materials and SiO ２ Low temperature co-fired ceramic materials doped with Cr are preferred.

[0032] The metal material contained in the second ink is preferably a material that can be co-fired with the ceramic material contained in the first ink, and more preferably a material that can be co-fired with the low-temperature co-fired ceramic material. In other words, the melting point of the metal material is preferably higher than the sintering temperature of the ceramic material, and more preferably higher than the sintering temperature of the low-temperature co-fired ceramic material. Examples of such metal materials include copper, silver, and alloys containing at least one of these metals.

[0033] The first ink may further contain a resin, a solvent, and the like in addition to the ceramic material.

[0034] Examples of resins include ethyl cellulose resin, acrylic resin, and polyvinyl butyral resin. When such a resin is contained in the first ink, the resin solidifies when the coating film described above dries and functions as a binder for the ceramic material. Such a resin is removed, for example, when the three-dimensional object is fired, as described below.

[0035] Examples of the solvent include organic solvents such as methanol and ethanol, inorganic solvents such as water, mixtures of these, etc. Such solvents are removed, for example, when the coating film is dried as described below.

[0036] Similarly, the second ink may further contain, in addition to the metal material, a resin, a solvent, etc. In this case, the resin, solvent, etc. contained in the second ink may be the same as or different from the resin, solvent, etc. contained in the first ink.

[0037] The substrate 50 includes, for example, a support made of a porous structure.

[0038] The substrate 50 includes a support made of a porous structure, which, combined with the fact that the surface of the substrate 50 is easily flattened, makes it possible to fire the three-dimensional object 10 in a state in which unnecessary external forces other than gravity are not easily applied to the three-dimensional object 10. As a result, cracking or deformation of the three-dimensional object 10 due to the influence of the substrate 50 when the three-dimensional object 10 shrinks during firing is sufficiently suppressed.

[0039] The support is Al ２ O ３ In this case, the support may contain, for example, aluminum oxide (Al ２ O ３ ) as a main component may be included.

[0040] The support is Al ２ O ３ and SiO ２ In this case, the support may contain, for example, mullite (3Al ２ O ３ 2SiO ２ ) as a main component may be included.

[0041] The support is Al ２ O ３ and SiO ２ In this case, the support may contain, for example, a compound of cordierite (2MgO.2Al ２ O ３ 5SiO ２ ) as a main component may be included.

[0042] In addition to the main components described above, the support may further contain minor components, impurities, etc. in amounts that do not change the properties.

[0043] The substrate 50 may further include a removal layer on the surface of the support that is removed when the three-dimensional structure 10 is fired.

[0044] When the substrate 50 has a removal layer on the surface facing the three-dimensional object, the three-dimensional object 10 can be easily separated from the substrate 50 during firing. The removal layer may be provided on the entire surface of the support, or on only a part of the surface of the support.

[0045] The temperature at which the vanishing layer disappears is preferably lower than the temperature at which the vanishing body, which will be described later, disappears. That is, in the step of firing the three-dimensional structure 10, it is preferable that the vanishing layer disappear before the vanishing body disappears.

[0046] Because the temperature at which the disappearing layer disappears is lower than the temperature at which the disappearing body disappears, the disappearing layer is more likely to disappear before the three-dimensional object 10 shrinks during firing, and as a result, the three-dimensional object 10 is more likely to separate from the base material 50. This makes it easier for the three-dimensional object 10 to shrink freely during firing without being affected by the base material 50. Therefore, cracking or deformation of the three-dimensional object 10 due to the influence of the base material 50 when it shrinks during firing is sufficiently suppressed.

[0047] The removal layer preferably contains a plurality of resin particles at least partly covered with polyvinyl alcohol. In this case, the removal layer is more likely to be removed during baking. The removal layer may contain a plurality of resin particles whose entire surfaces are covered with polyvinyl alcohol, a plurality of resin particles whose surfaces are partly covered with polyvinyl alcohol, or both resin particles whose entire surfaces are covered with polyvinyl alcohol and resin particles whose surfaces are partly covered with polyvinyl alcohol.

[0048] The disappearing layer may further include resin particles whose surfaces are not covered with polyvinyl alcohol, in addition to the plurality of resin particles whose surfaces are at least partially covered with polyvinyl alcohol.

[0049] The resin particles may contain, for example, an acrylic resin, a cellulose resin, or a polyvinyl butyral resin. Among these, the resin particles preferably contain an acrylic resin. When the resin particles contain an acrylic resin, the acrylic resin is preferably a methyl methacrylate-ethylene glycol dimethacrylate copolymer ({CH ２ C(CH ３ ) COOCH ３} ｍ ・{CH ２ C(CH ３ ) COOCH ２ CH ２ OOC (CH ３ ) CCH ２} ｎ ) is preferred.

[0050] The shape of the resin particles is not particularly limited, and examples thereof include a spherical shape, a spheroid shape (a shape obtained by rotating an ellipse around the long or short axis of the ellipse as the axis of rotation), a rectangular parallelepiped shape, a triangular pyramid shape, a square pyramid shape, a cylindrical shape, a conical shape, and other irregular shapes.

[0051] When the resin particles are spherical, the average particle size of the resin particles is preferably 1.8 μm or less.

[0052] The polyvinyl alcohol covering the surface of the resin particles may contain impurities such as methanol and methyl acetate.

[0053] In the disappearing layer, a plurality of resin particles at least partially covered on the surface with polyvinyl alcohol are preferably connected to one another via the polyvinyl alcohol.

[0054] The thickness of the disappearing layer is preferably 5 μm or more, for example, 30 μm or more and 40 μm or less.

[0055] 2, 3, and 4, in the printing step ST1, an adhesive layer 60 may be provided on the main surface of the substrate 50, and the three-dimensional object 10 may be formed on the adhesive layer 60. By providing the adhesive layer 60 between the three-dimensional object 10 and the substrate 50, the three-dimensional object 10 is more easily held to the substrate 50. Therefore, chipping is less likely to occur when the three-dimensional object 10 is cut.

[0056] The adhesive layer 60 may be provided on the entire main surface of the substrate 50 or on a part of the main surface of the substrate 50 .

[0057] The thickness of the adhesive layer 60 is, for example, not less than 30 μm and not more than 1 mm.

[0058] The adhesion layer 60 may be formed using 3D printing with a material jetting method.

[0059] The following method, for example, can be used to form the three-dimensional object 10 using material jetting 3D printing. First, a first ink containing a ceramic material and a second ink containing a metal material are prepared. Then, each ink is sprayed from an inkjet head onto the main surface of the substrate 50 to coat it in a desired pattern, and the resulting coating is then dried with hot air or the like. Subsequently, by repeatedly coating each ink and drying the coating, insulating layers containing a ceramic material and conductive layers containing a metal material are laminated in the desired pattern. As a result, a three-dimensional object 10 is formed, including an electronic component main body 20 having insulating portions 21 and conductive portions 22.

[0060] When forming the three-dimensional object 10, instead of the method of drying the coating film described above, for example, each ink may be sprayed from an inkjet head to coat the desired pattern, and the resulting coating film may be irradiated with radiation (preferably ultraviolet light) to cure the coating film. In this case, each ink may be a radiation-curable ink (preferably an ultraviolet-curable ink) that is cured by radiation (preferably ultraviolet light), preferably contains a radiation-polymerizable compound (preferably an ultraviolet-polymerizable compound), and may further contain a polymerization initiator, a solvent, etc., as necessary.

[0061] Unlike the method of stacking green sheets, the method of using 3D printing with the material jetting method to form the three-dimensional object 10 does not require a mask (plate). Therefore, even when forming the three-dimensional object 10 including the electronic component body 20 having a complex shape, it is possible to suppress a decrease in manufacturing efficiency.

[0062] On the other hand, in a method using material jetting 3D printing, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 , the layering surfaces are likely to be misaligned when the inks are layered in a direction perpendicular to the main surface of the substrate 50 (the Z-axis direction in FIGS. 3 and 4 ). In this case, the end faces of the three-dimensionally molded object 10 are misaligned, which tends to reduce the surface precision of the three-dimensionally molded object 10. Note that the position, number, and amount of misalignment of the end faces where misalignment occurs are not particularly limited. In the example shown in FIG. 3 , the end faces of the three-dimensionally molded object 10 in the X-axis direction are misaligned, but the end faces in the Y-axis direction may also be misaligned. Furthermore, in the example shown in FIG. 4 , the end faces of the three-dimensionally molded object 10 in the Y-axis direction are misaligned, but the end faces in the X-axis direction may also be misaligned.

[0063] <Cutting Step> FIG. 5 is a front view schematically illustrating an example of a cutting step according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

[0064] 5, in the cutting step ST2, the three-dimensional object 10 is cut toward the main surface of the substrate 50 in a direction that includes a component of the stacking direction of the first ink and the second ink (the Z-axis direction in FIG. 5). This exposes at least one end face of the electronic component body 20. Note that the position at which the three-dimensional object 10 is cut is not limited to the position shown in FIG.

[0065] As described above, unevenness is likely to occur on the edge surfaces of the three-dimensional object 10 formed in the printing step ST1 due to misalignment of the ink layers. Therefore, by cutting the three-dimensional object 10 in the cutting step ST2, it is possible to remove the uneven portions.

[0066] As shown in FIG. 5 , when the three-dimensional object 10 is formed on the adhesive layer 60 in the printing step ST1, it is preferable to cut the three-dimensional object 10 so as to reach the adhesive layer 60 in the cutting step ST2.

[0067] In the example shown in FIG. 5 , the three-dimensional object 10 is cut at two locations so as to expose two end faces of the electronic component body 20. However, the three-dimensional object 10 may be cut at only one location so as to expose one end face of the electronic component body 20, or the three-dimensional object 10 may be cut at three or more locations so as to expose three or more end faces of the electronic component body 20. The number of cuts when cutting one location of the three-dimensional object 10 is not particularly limited, and may be one time or two or more times. Similarly, the number of cuts when cutting the three-dimensional object 10 at two or more locations is not particularly limited. When cutting the three-dimensional object 10 at two or more locations, the number of cuts when cutting each location may be the same or different.

[0068] The direction in which the three-dimensional object 10 is cut may be any direction as long as it includes a component of the layering direction of the first ink and the second ink, and may be, for example, a direction perpendicular to the main surface of the substrate 50 or a direction oblique to the main surface of the substrate 50. Furthermore, when the three-dimensional object 10 is cut at two or more locations, the directions in which the three-dimensional object 10 is cut may all be the same, or some or all of the directions may be different.

[0069] <Firing Step> FIG. 6 is a front view schematically showing an example of the firing step according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

[0070] 6, in the firing step ST3, the three-dimensional object 10 after cutting is fired, thereby sintering the ceramic material and the metal material contained in the three-dimensional object 10.

[0071] When the fixing layer 60 is provided on the main surface of the base material 50, the fixing layer 60 may or may not be separated from the three-dimensional structure 10 when the three-dimensional structure is fired.

[0072] When the fixing layer 60 is provided on the main surface of the base material 50, the fixing layer 60 may or may not be separated from the base material 50 when the three-dimensional structure is fired.

[0073] <Separation Step> FIG. 7 is a front view schematically showing an example of the separation step according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

[0074] 7 , in the separation step ST4, the fired three-dimensional object 10 is separated from the base material 50. In a case where an adhesive layer 60 is provided on the main surface of the fired base material 50, the fired three-dimensional object 10 can be separated from the adhesive layer 60.

[0075] For example, when the three-dimensional object 10 includes only the electronic component body 20, the electronic component body 20 is obtained as the electronic component.

[0076] The three-dimensional object 10 may be separated from the substrate 50 by, for example, artificially removing the three-dimensional object 10 from the substrate 50, or by allowing the three-dimensional object 10 to naturally detach from the substrate 50. The same applies to the method of separating the three-dimensional object 10 from the fixing layer 60.

[0077] If an adhesion layer 60 is provided on the main surface of the substrate 50, the adhesion layer 60 may be removed from the three-dimensional structure 10 after firing by physical forces such as blasting or vibration, or the adhesion layer 60 may be removed from the three-dimensional structure 10 after firing by a chemical reaction such as etching.

[0078] The electronic component manufactured by the above steps is not particularly limited, and examples thereof include ceramic electronic components such as multilayer ceramic capacitors. The electronic component may be of a multilayer type or a single layer type.

[0079] As described above, by cutting the three-dimensional object 10 and removing the uneven portions, it is possible to increase the flatness of the cut surface of the three-dimensional object 10 after firing. As a result, it is possible to manufacture electronic components having end faces with high flatness.

[0080] Specifically, the flatness of the cut surfaces of the three-dimensional object 10 after firing in the cutting step ST2 is preferably smaller than the flatness of the non-cut surfaces of the three-dimensional object 10 after firing.

[0081] Fig. 8A is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of an electronic component having a cut surface obtained by cutting a three-dimensional object, and Fig. 8B is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a state in which another component is mounted on the electronic component illustrated in Fig. 8A.

[0082] 8A, the flatness d1 of the cut surface of the three-dimensionally shaped object after firing is approximately 0.003 mm or more and 0.01 mm or less. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 8B, when another component 200 is mounted on electronic component 100, the variation D1 in the outer diameter during mounting is small.

[0083] Fig. 9A is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of an electronic component having an uncut surface where a three-dimensionally shaped object is not cut, and Fig. 9B is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a state in which another component is mounted on the electronic component illustrated in Fig. 9A.

[0084] 9A, the flatness d2 of the uncut surface of the three-dimensionally shaped object after firing is approximately 0.05 mm or more and 1 mm or less. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 9B, when another component 200 is mounted on electronic component 100a, the variation D2 in the outer diameter after mounting increases.

[0085] In this specification, flatness refers to the dimension indicated by the double-headed arrow d1 in Fig. 8A and the double-headed arrow d2 in Fig. 9A. The flatness is calculated by taking the most concave and most convex points on the target surface, drawing lines parallel to a reference plane from each point, and calculating the distance between the two parallel lines. The reference plane is, for example, a virtual surface calculated by the least squares method on the target surface.

[0086] Second Embodiment In a method for manufacturing an electronic component according to a second embodiment of the present invention, the adhesion layer disappears when the three-dimensionally shaped object is fired.

[0087] FIG. 10 is a front view schematically illustrating an example of a firing step according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

[0088] 10, in the firing step ST3, the adhesion layer 60 may disappear when the three-dimensional structure 10 is fired. This eliminates the need to remove the adhesion layer 60 in the separation step ST4.

[0089] In the example shown in FIG. 10 , the adhesive layer 60 includes a first portion 61 that disappears when the three-dimensional structure 10 is fired.

[0090] Fig. 11 is a front view schematically showing an example of a printing process according to the second embodiment of the present invention, and Fig. 12 is a front view schematically showing another example of a printing process according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

[0091] As shown in Figure 11 or Figure 12, the adhesion layer 60 may further include, in addition to a first portion 61 that disappears when the three-dimensional structure 10 is fired, a second portion 62 that does not disappear when the three-dimensional structure 10 is fired.

[0092] For example, if an adhesive layer 60 including only a first portion 61 that disappears when the three-dimensional object 10 is fired is not able to sufficiently adhere the three-dimensional object 10 to the substrate 50, by using an adhesive layer 60 that further includes a second portion 62 that does not disappear when the three-dimensional object 10 is fired but has high adhesion, it is possible to achieve both the effect of holding the three-dimensional object 10 during cutting and the effect of eliminating the need to remove the adhesive layer 60 due to its disappearance.

[0093] In the example shown in Figure 11, the adhesion layer 60 includes a second portion 62 provided on the main surface of the substrate 50 and a first portion 61 provided on the surface of the second portion 62, and the three-dimensional object 10 is formed so as to be in contact with the first portion 61.

[0094] On the other hand, in the example shown in Figure 12, the adhesion layer 60 includes a first portion 61 and a second portion 62 provided on the main surface of the substrate 50, and the three-dimensional object 10 is formed so as to be in contact with the first portion 61 and the second portion 62.

[0095] When the fixing layer 60 includes the first portion 61 and the second portion 62, there are no particular limitations on the proportion of the first portion 61 and the second portion 62 contained in the fixing layer 60. The proportion of the first portion 61 contained in the fixing layer 60 may be the same as the proportion of the second portion 62 contained in the fixing layer 60, may be greater than the proportion of the second portion 62 contained in the fixing layer 60, or may be smaller than the proportion of the second portion 62 contained in the fixing layer 60.

[0096] The material constituting the first portion 61 of the fixing layer 60 is preferably a material that disappears at or below the sintering temperature of the ceramic material contained in the insulating portion 21 of the electronic component body 20, and more preferably a material that disappears at or below the sintering temperature of the low-temperature co-fired ceramic material. Examples of such materials include carbonaceous materials such as carbon black. The material constituting the first portion 61 of the fixing layer 60 may be one type or two or more types.

[0097] The material constituting the second portion 62 of the fixing layer 60 is preferably the same as the ceramic material contained in the insulating portion 21 of the electronic component body 20, but may be different from the ceramic material contained in the insulating portion 21 of the electronic component body 20. The material constituting the second portion 62 of the fixing layer 60 may be of only one type, or may be of two or more types.

[0098] Third Embodiment In a method for manufacturing an electronic component according to a third embodiment of the present invention, the base material used in the printing step is different from the base material used in the firing step.

[0099] Fig. 13 is a perspective view schematically illustrating an example of a printing step according to the third embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 14 is a perspective view schematically illustrating an example of a baking step according to the third embodiment of the present invention.

[0100] As shown in FIG. 13, the substrate 55 used in the printing step ST1 may be different from the substrate 50 used in the baking step ST3 as shown in FIG.

[0101] Although not shown, in the method for manufacturing an electronic component according to the third embodiment of the present invention, the substrate may be different between the printing step, the cutting step, and the firing step, or the substrate may be the same between the printing step and the cutting step, or the substrate may be the same between the cutting step and the firing step.

[0102] By changing to a substrate that has the required characteristics for each process, processing precision and productivity can be improved.

[0103] For example, substrates used in the printing process are required to have solution absorbency, high flatness, etc., substrates used in the cutting process are required to have rigidity, high flatness, water resistance, etc., and substrates used in the baking process are required to have heat resistance, gas permeability, etc.

[0104] Fourth Embodiment In a manufacturing method for an electronic component according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention, in the cutting step, an inclined surface is formed on the end face of the electronic component body by cutting the three-dimensional object perpendicularly to the main surface of the base material.

[0105] Fig. 15 is a front view schematically illustrating an example of a cutting step according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention, and Fig. 16 is a front view schematically illustrating an example of a three-dimensional object cut by the cutting step illustrated in Fig. 15 .

[0106] As shown in FIG. 15 , in the cutting step ST2, the three-dimensional structure 10 may be cut perpendicularly to the main surface of the substrate 50 to form an inclined surface on the end face of the electronic component body 20 as shown in FIG. 16 .

[0107] 16 has an inclined surface on at least one end face, which is expected to improve performance when other directional components such as other sensors or LEDs are mounted on the electronic component.

[0108] FIG. 17 is a front view schematically showing another example of the cutting step according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention.

[0109] As shown in FIG. 17 , the pinning layer 60 may include a first portion 61 and a second portion 62 .

[0110] In the examples shown in Figures 15 and 17, when the three-dimensional object 10 is cut perpendicular to the main surface (top surface) of the substrate 50, the bottom surface of the three-dimensional object 10 is inclined at an angle relative to the bottom surface of the substrate 50, but the bottom surface of the three-dimensional object 10 may also be parallel to the bottom surface of the substrate 50.

[0111] Fifth Embodiment In a manufacturing method for an electronic component according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention, in the printing step, in addition to the first ink and the second ink, a third ink containing a disappearance material that disappears when the three-dimensional object is baked is 3D printed by a material jetting method.

[0112] FIG. 18 is a perspective view schematically illustrating an example of a printing process according to the fifth embodiment of the present invention.

[0113] As shown in FIG. 18 , in the printing step ST1, in addition to a first ink containing a ceramic material and a second ink containing a metal material, a third ink containing a vanishing material that disappears when the three-dimensional object is fired may be 3D printed by a material jetting method to form a three-dimensional object 10A on the main surface of a substrate 50, in which a vanishing body 30 is arranged around an electronic component main body 20.

[0114] It is sufficient that the vanishing body 30 is arranged around at least a part of the periphery of the electronic component body 20. Therefore, the vanishing body 30 may be arranged around a part of the periphery of the electronic component body 20, or may be arranged around the entire periphery of the electronic component body 20. In other words, the vanishing body 30 may cover a part of the electronic component body 20, or may cover the entire electronic component body 20.

[0115] The shape of the three-dimensionally shaped object 10A is not particularly limited. For example, the three-dimensionally shaped object 10A may be a rectangular parallelepiped. In this case, the shape of the electronic component body 20 is not particularly limited, and may be, for example, a simple shape such as a rectangular parallelepiped, or an irregular shape as described below. The same applies when the three-dimensionally shaped object 10A has a shape other than a rectangular parallelepiped, and the shape of the electronic component body 20 is not particularly limited.

[0116] The vanishing material contained in the third ink is preferably a material that vanishes at or below the sintering temperature of the ceramic material contained in the insulating portion 21 of the electronic component body 20, and more preferably a material that vanishes at or below the sintering temperature of the low-temperature co-fired ceramic material. Examples of such materials include carbonaceous materials such as carbon black and organic material powders. The vanishing material contained in the third ink may be the same as or different from the material that constitutes the first portion 61 of the fixing layer 60.

[0117] In addition to the disappearing material, the third ink may further contain a resin, a solvent, etc. In this case, the resin, solvent, etc. contained in the third ink may be the same as or different from the resin, solvent, etc. contained in the first ink.

[0118] FIG. 19 is a front view schematically illustrating an example of a cutting step according to the fifth embodiment of the present invention.

[0119] As shown in FIG. 19 , in the cutting step ST2, the three-dimensional structure 10A may be cut perpendicularly to the main surface of the base material 50 to form an inclined surface on the end surface of the electronic component body 20.

[0120] [Other Embodiments] The method for manufacturing an electronic component of the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various applications and modifications can be made within the scope of the present invention with respect to the specific configuration of the three-dimensional object, the substrate, or the fixing layer, the specific method for each step, the manufacturing conditions, and the like.

[0121] In the method for manufacturing an electronic component of the present invention, the shape of the electronic component body included in the three-dimensionally shaped object is not particularly limited. For example, the electronic component body may have an irregular shape with at least one recessed portion. The term "irregular shape" as used herein refers to a shape in which a recessed portion is partially formed relative to an assumed reference shape (e.g., a simple shape such as a rectangular parallelepiped). Therefore, the "recessed portion" referred to here is completely different from the microscopic irregularities at the surface roughness level that exist on the surface of a material when industrially manufacturing electronic components. For example, the "recessed portion" refers to a recessed portion that creates a step between two flat surfaces on the surface of the electronic component body.

[0122] In the method for producing an electronic component of the present invention, when the electronic component body has an irregular shape, it is preferable that the printing step form a three-dimensional object on the main surface of the base material, in which the vanishing body is arranged around the electronic component body. In this case, it is preferable that the vanishing body is arranged so as to cover the recessed portion of the electronic component body.

[0123] In the method for producing an electronic component of the present invention, the firing step may fire the three-dimensional shaped object after cutting, or may fire the three-dimensional shaped object before cutting.

[0124] In the above embodiment, a method for obtaining one electronic component from one three-dimensional object has been described, but in the method for producing an electronic component of the present invention, multiple electronic components may be obtained from one three-dimensional object. That is, in the method for producing an electronic component of the present invention, a three-dimensional object including an aggregate of multiple electronic component bodies may be formed in the printing step.

[0125] Fig. 20 is a perspective view schematically illustrating an example of a printing process according to another embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 21 is a top view schematically illustrating another example of a printing process according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[0126] In the example shown in Fig. 20, a three-dimensional object 10B is formed in which a plurality of electronic component bodies 20 are included in the X-axis direction. In the example shown in Fig. 21, a three-dimensional object 10C is formed in which a plurality of electronic component bodies 20 are included in the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction.

[0127] In the method shown in FIG. 20 or 21 , by forming the three-dimensional object in an aggregate state, the cut lines in the cutting process can be made common, thereby increasing the number of electronic components obtained, shortening the processing time, and improving manufacturing efficiency.

[0128] When a three-dimensionally shaped object including an aggregate of a plurality of electronic component bodies is formed in the printing process, the number, arrangement, shape, etc. of the electronic component bodies included in the three-dimensionally shaped object are not particularly limited. The shapes of the electronic component bodies included in the three-dimensionally shaped object may all be the same, or some or all of them may be different.

[0129] The present specification discloses the following:

[0130] <1> A method for manufacturing an electronic component, comprising: a printing step of 3D printing a first ink containing a ceramic material and a second ink containing a metal material by a material jetting method to form a three-dimensional object on a main surface of a substrate, the electronic component main body having an insulating portion and a conductive portion; a cutting step of cutting the three-dimensional object toward the main surface of the substrate in a direction that includes a component in a stacking direction of the first ink and the second ink, to expose at least one end face of the electronic component main body; a firing step of firing the three-dimensional object after or before the cutting; and a separation step of separating the fired three-dimensional object from the substrate.

[0131] <2> The method for manufacturing an electronic component according to <1>, wherein in the printing step, an adhesive layer is provided on the main surface of the base material, and the three-dimensional object is formed on the adhesive layer.

[0132] <3> The method for manufacturing an electronic component according to <2>, wherein the fixing layer includes a first portion that disappears when the three-dimensionally shaped object is fired.

[0133] <4> The method for manufacturing an electronic component according to <3>, wherein the fixing layer further includes a second portion that does not disappear when the three-dimensionally shaped object is fired.

[0134] <5> The method for manufacturing an electronic component according to <4>, wherein the adhesion layer includes the second portion provided on the main surface of the base material and the first portion provided on a surface of the second portion, and the three-dimensional object is formed so as to be in contact with the first portion.

[0135] <6> The method for manufacturing an electronic component according to <4>, wherein the fixing layer includes the first portion and the second portion provided on the main surface of the base material, and the three-dimensional object is formed so as to be in contact with the first portion and the second portion.

[0136] <7> The method for producing an electronic component according to any one of <2> to <6>, wherein in the cutting step, the three-dimensional object is cut so as to reach the fixing layer.

[0137] <8> The method for manufacturing an electronic component according to any one of <1> to <7>, wherein in the cutting step, an inclined surface is formed on the end surface of the electronic component body by cutting the three-dimensionally shaped object perpendicularly to the main surface of the base material.

[0138] <9> The method for producing an electronic component according to any one of <1> to <8>, wherein the substrate used in the printing step is different from the substrate used in the baking step.

[0139] <10> The method for manufacturing an electronic component according to any one of <1> to <9>, wherein a flatness of a cut surface of the three-dimensionally shaped object after firing in the cutting step is smaller than a flatness of a non-cut surface of the three-dimensionally shaped object after firing.

[0140] <11> The method for producing an electronic component according to any one of <1> to <10>, wherein in the printing step, in addition to the first ink and the second ink, a third ink containing a disappearing material that disappears when the three-dimensionally shaped object is baked is 3D-printed by a material jetting method, thereby forming the three-dimensionally shaped object, in which a disappearing object is arranged around the electronic component main body, on the main surface of the base material.

[0141] 10, 10A, 10B, 10C Three-dimensionally shaped object 20 Electronic component body 21 Insulating portion 22 Conductive portion 30 Evaporator 50, 55 Base material 60 Adhesive layer 61 First portion 62 Second portion 100, 100a Electronic component 200 Separate component

Claims

1. A method for manufacturing an electronic component, comprising: a printing step of 3D printing a first ink containing a ceramic material and a second ink containing a metal material using a material jetting method to form a three-dimensional object on a main surface of a substrate, the three-dimensional object including an electronic component main body having insulating portions and conductive portions; a cutting step of cutting the three-dimensional object toward the main surface of the substrate in a direction including a component in the layering direction of the first ink and the second ink, thereby exposing at least one end face of the electronic component main body; a firing step of firing the three-dimensional object after or before cutting; and a separation step of separating the fired three-dimensional object from the substrate.

2. The method for manufacturing an electronic component according to claim 1, wherein in the printing step, an adhesive layer is provided on the main surface of the substrate, and the three-dimensional object is formed on the adhesive layer.

3. The method for manufacturing an electronic component according to claim 2, wherein the adhesion layer includes a first portion that disappears when the three-dimensional object is fired.

4. The method for manufacturing an electronic component according to claim 3, wherein the adhesion layer further includes a second portion that does not disappear when the three-dimensional object is fired.

5. The method for manufacturing an electronic component described in claim 4, wherein the adhesion layer includes the second portion provided on the main surface of the base material and the first portion provided on the surface of the second portion, and the three-dimensional object is formed so as to contact the first portion.

6. The method for manufacturing an electronic component according to claim 4, wherein the adhesive layer includes the first portion and the second portion provided on the main surface of the base material, and the three-dimensional object is formed so as to contact the first portion and the second portion.

7. The method for manufacturing an electronic component according to any one of claims 2 to 6, wherein in the cutting step, the three-dimensional object is cut so as to reach the adhesive layer.

8. A method for manufacturing an electronic component according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein in the cutting step, an inclined surface is formed on the end face of the electronic component body by cutting the three-dimensional object perpendicular to the main surface of the base material.

9. The method for manufacturing an electronic component according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the base material is different between the printing step and the firing step.

10. A method for manufacturing an electronic component according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the flatness of the cut surface of the three-dimensional object after firing in the cutting step is smaller than the flatness of the non-cut surface of the three-dimensional object after firing.

11. The method for manufacturing an electronic component according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein in the printing step, in addition to the first ink and the second ink, a third ink containing a disappearing material that disappears when the three-dimensionally shaped object is baked is 3D printed by a material jetting method, thereby forming the three-dimensionally shaped object, in which a disappearing material is arranged around the electronic component main body, on the main surface of the base material.

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