Multilayer electronic component

Abstract

This multilayer electronic component comprises: a layered body in which an internal electrode and a dielectric layer are alternately layered; a base electrode; and an external electrode. The internal electrode has a first internal electrode and a second internal electrode. The base electrode has a first base electrode and a second base electrode. The external electrode has a first external electrode and a second external electrode. The first base electrode and the second base electrode each include a plurality of sintered bodies that are made of dielectric particles. At least some of the plurality of sintered bodies are positioned at an interface between a respective base electrode and the layered body.

Description

Multilayer electronic components

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

[0002] A multilayer ceramic capacitor, which is an example of a multilayer electronic component, includes a laminate formed by alternately stacking a plurality of internal electrodes and a plurality of dielectric layers, and external electrodes located on the surface of the laminate. By forming the external electrodes from plating layers, the thickness of the external electrodes can be reduced, which makes it possible to miniaturize the multilayer ceramic capacitor without reducing the capacitance.

[0003] When the external electrodes are formed using plating layers, a technique is known in which a base electrode that serves as a base for the external electrodes is provided on the surface of the laminate in order to increase adhesion between the external electrodes and the laminate (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

[0004] JP 2014-212298 A

[0005] The multilayer electronic component of the present disclosure includes a laminate, a plurality of base electrodes, and a plurality of external electrodes. The laminate has a plurality of internal electrodes and a plurality of dielectric layers alternately stacked, and has a first surface and a second surface facing each other in the stacking direction. The plurality of base electrodes includes a first base electrode located on the first surface. The plurality of external electrodes are each connected to one of the plurality of internal electrodes and one of the plurality of base electrodes. When viewed in cross section along the stacking direction, the first base electrode includes a plurality of sintered bodies made of dielectric particles, and at least some of the plurality of sintered bodies are located at the interface between the first base electrode and the laminate.

[0006] 16 is a perspective view showing a multilayer ceramic capacitor according to a first embodiment. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an element component of the multilayer ceramic capacitor of FIG. 1. FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view taken along the cross-sectional line III-III in FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing a main portion of the multilayer ceramic capacitor of FIG. 3. FIG. 4 is a view illustrating the structure of the interface between a base electrode and a laminate. FIG. 5 is a view illustrating the distribution of cohesive sintered bodies in a base electrode. FIG. 17 is a perspective view showing a multilayer ceramic capacitor according to a second embodiment. FIG. 18 is a perspective view showing an element component of the multilayer ceramic capacitor of FIG. 7. FIG. 19 is a cross-sectional view taken along the cross-sectional line IX-IX in FIG. 7. FIG. 19 is a view illustrating an example of an electron microscope photograph of a cross section of a base electrode. FIG. 20 is a view illustrating an example of an element mapping image showing the distribution of Ba elements in a cross section of a base electrode. FIG. 21 is a view illustrating an example of a binarized element mapping image obtained by binarizing the element mapping image of FIG. 11. FIG. 22 is a perspective view illustrating a manufacturing process of a base laminate. FIG. 23 is a perspective view showing a base laminate. FIG. 24 is a perspective view showing an element component precursor obtained by cutting a base laminate. FIG. 25 is a perspective view showing a multilayer ceramic capacitor according to a third embodiment. FIG. 26 is a perspective view showing the element component of the multilayer ceramic capacitor of FIG. 16. A diagram showing an example of a cross section taken along the cross section line XVIII-XVIII in Fig. 16. A diagram showing an example of a cross section taken along the cross section line XIX-XIX in Fig. 16. A perspective view showing a multilayer ceramic capacitor of a fourth embodiment. A perspective view showing an element part of the multilayer ceramic capacitor of Fig. 20. A diagram showing an example of a cross section taken along the cross section line XXII-XXII in Fig. 20. A diagram showing an example of a cross section taken along the cross section line XXIII-XXIII in Fig. 20.

[0007] Hereinafter, with reference to the drawings, an embodiment of a multilayer electronic component according to the present disclosure will be described. Hereinafter, a multilayer ceramic capacitor will be described as an example of a multilayer electronic component. However, the multilayer electronic component according to the present disclosure is not limited to a multilayer ceramic capacitor and can be applied to various other multilayer electronic components, such as multilayer piezoelectric elements, multilayer thermistor elements, multilayer chip coils, and ceramic multilayer substrates. The drawings used in the following description are schematic, and the dimensional ratios and the like in the drawings do not necessarily correspond to the actual ones. In this specification, for convenience, a Cartesian coordinate system xyz is defined in some of the drawings. The x-axis direction is also referred to as the length direction. The y-axis direction is also referred to as the width direction. The z-axis direction is also referred to as the height direction or stacking direction. Hereinafter, the positive side of the z-axis direction is defined as the upper side, and terms such as upper side and lower side may be used.

[0008] The following embodiments will be described with a focus on differences from the embodiments described earlier. For matters not specifically mentioned, the descriptions of the embodiments described earlier may be used or inferred from the descriptions of the embodiments described earlier. Furthermore, the description of one embodiment may be applied to the other embodiments as long as no contradictions arise.

[0009] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a multilayer ceramic capacitor according to a first embodiment, FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an element component of the multilayer ceramic capacitor shown in FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line III-III in FIG. 1. FIG. 4 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing a main portion of the multilayer ceramic capacitor shown in FIG. 3, FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating the structure of the interface between the base electrode and the laminate, and FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating the distribution of cohesive sintered bodies in the base electrode. FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing a multilayer ceramic capacitor according to a second embodiment, FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing an element component of the multilayer ceramic capacitor shown in FIG. 7, and FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line IX-IX in FIG. 7. FIG. 10 is an example of an electron microscope photograph of a cross section of a base electrode, FIG. 11 is an example of an element mapping image showing the distribution of Ba elements in a cross section of the base electrode, and FIG. 12 is an example of a binarized element mapping image obtained by binarizing the element mapping image shown in FIG. 11. 2 and 8, for ease of illustration, the base electrodes and the ends of the internal electrodes exposed on the surface of the laminate are hatched. Figures 4 to 6 are diagrams for explaining the multilayer ceramic capacitor of the first embodiment, but are also diagrams for explaining the multilayer ceramic capacitor of the second embodiment. In Figure 5, for ease of illustration, the cohesive sintered bodies that are not located at the interface between the base electrode and the laminate when viewing the cross section of the base electrode are omitted.

[0010] As shown in Fig. 1, the multilayer ceramic capacitor 10 according to the first embodiment includes an element component 1 and a plurality of external electrodes 4. As shown in Fig. 2, the element component 1 includes a laminate 2 and a plurality of base electrodes 3. The multilayer ceramic capacitor 10 may be a thin multilayer ceramic capacitor. For example, the dimension T in the height direction (z-axis direction) of the multilayer ceramic capacitor 10 may be smaller than the dimension L in the length direction (x-axis direction) and the dimension W in the width direction (y-axis direction).

[0011] The laminate 2 is formed by alternately stacking multiple internal electrodes 5 and multiple dielectric layers 6. As shown in FIG. 2 , the laminate 2 may be substantially rectangular. The laminate 2 has a first surface 7a and a second surface 7b that face each other in the stacking direction (z-axis direction) of the multiple internal electrodes 5 and the multiple dielectric layers 6. The laminate 2 has a first end surface 8a and a second end surface 8b that face each other in the length direction (x-axis direction) perpendicular to the stacking direction, and a first side surface 9a and a second side surface 9b that face each other in the width direction (y-axis direction) perpendicular to the stacking direction and the length direction. Hereinafter, the first surface 7a and the second surface 7b may be collectively referred to as the main surfaces 7a and 7b, the first end surface 8a and the second end surface 8b may be collectively referred to as the end surfaces 8a and 8b, and the first side surface 9a and the second side surface 9b may be collectively referred to as the side surfaces 9a and 9b. The main surfaces 7a and 7b may be perpendicular to the stacking direction. The end faces 8a and 8b may be perpendicular to the length direction, and the side faces 9a and 9b may be perpendicular to the width direction.

[0012] The dielectric layer 6 is made of, for example, BaTiO ３ (barium titanate), CaTiO ３ (Calcium titanate), SrTiO ３ (strontium titanate), BaZrO ３ (barium zirconate), CaZrO ３ The ceramic material may contain a glass component, such as SiO. ２ The dielectric layer 6 may be a (silicon oxide)-BaO (barium oxide)-CaO (calcium oxide) based glass component. The dielectric layer 6 may have a thickness of, for example, about 0.1 to 1 μm.

[0013] 2 and 3, the multiple internal electrodes 5 include multiple first internal electrodes 5a and multiple second internal electrodes 5b. The first internal electrodes 5a have ends exposed at the first end surface 8a. The second internal electrodes 5b have ends exposed at the second end surface 8b. The first internal electrodes 5a and the second internal electrodes 5b have polarities opposite to each other. In other words, when the first internal electrodes 5a have a first polarity, the second internal electrodes 5b have a second polarity different from the first polarity.

[0014] The internal electrodes 5 are made of a conductive material containing, for example, Ni (nickel), Cu (copper), Sn (tin), etc. as a main component. The conductive material is, for example, BaTiO ３ , CaTiO ３ , SrTiO ３ , BaZrO ３ , CaZrO ３ The internal electrodes 5 may contain ceramic materials such as: SiO 2 , SiO 2 , SiO 3 , SiO 4 , SiO 2 , SiO 2 , SiO 3 ...

[0015] As shown in Fig. 3, the laminate 2 may include a capacitance-forming portion 2a and cover portions 2b and 2c. The capacitance-forming portion 2a is formed by alternately stacking a plurality of internal electrodes 5 and a plurality of dielectric layers 6, and forms a capacitance. The cover portions 2b and 2c are located at both ends of the capacitance-forming portion 2a in the stacking direction. The cover portions 2b and 2c are each made of one or more dielectric layers and do not necessarily form a capacitance.

[0016] Although not shown, the cover portions 2b and 2c may have a configuration including two or more dielectric layers and one or more dummy layers (less than the number of dielectric layers) positioned therebetween. Each dummy layer may include multiple dummy electrodes. The multiple dummy electrodes of each dummy layer may overlap the multiple base electrodes 3 in a planar perspective view. In other words, the number of dummy electrodes may be the same as or different from the number of base electrodes 3. The multiple dummy electrodes may be located in approximately the same positions as the multiple base electrodes 3 or in different positions. Furthermore, the multiple dummy electrodes may be located in approximately the same shape (including dimensions) as the multiple base electrodes 3 or in a different shape (including dimensions). The multiple dummy electrodes may be exposed to the outside from either the end faces 8a and 8b or the side faces 9a and 9b of the laminate 2. The multiple external electrodes 4 may be connected to the exposed portions. The multiple dummy electrodes do not need to form capacitance. The material (components) and microstructure of the multiple dummy electrodes may be the same as those of the base electrode 3, the same as those of the internal electrode 5, or different from either. For convenience, the presence or absence of a dummy layer may be ignored and the cover portions 2b and 2c may be expressed as if they are made up of only a dielectric layer.

[0017] The cover portions 2b and 2c (their dielectric layers) are made of, for example, BaTiO ３ , CaTiO ３ , SrTiO ３ , BaZrO ３ , CaZrO ３ The ceramic material may contain a glass component. The glass component may contain, for example, SiO ２ The cover portions 2b and 2c may be made of the same ceramic material as the ceramic material that forms the dielectric layer 6.

[0018] The multiple base electrodes 3 include a first base electrode 3a and a second base electrode 3b. The first base electrode 3a is located closer to the first end face 8a on the first surface 7a. The second base electrode 3b is located closer to the second end face 8b on the first surface 7a. The multiple base electrodes 3 are not located on the end faces 8a, 8b. In other words, the multiple base electrodes 3 are not directly bonded to the multiple internal electrodes 5. The multiple base electrodes 3 may be electrically connected to the multiple internal electrodes 5.

[0019] The first base electrode 3a and the second base electrode 3b are spaced apart from each other as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 . The first base electrode 3a and the second base electrode 3b may be substantially rectangular. The dimension of the first base electrode 3a in the longitudinal direction (x-axis direction) may be approximately 10 to 30% of the dimension of the stack 2 in the longitudinal direction. The same applies to the second base electrode 3b. The edge of the first base electrode 3a on the first end face 8a side may be substantially aligned with the edge of the first surface 7a on the first end face 8a side in a plan view. The edge of the second base electrode 3b on the second end face 8b side may be substantially aligned with the edge of the first surface 7a on the second end face 8b side in a plan view.

[0020] The base electrode 3 is made of a conductive material containing, for example, Ni, Cu, Sn, etc. as a main component. The conductive material is, for example, BaTiO ３ , CaTiO ３ , SrTiO ３ , BaZrO ３ , CaZrO ３In this case, it is easy to improve the adhesion between the base electrode 3 and the laminate 2. The ceramic material may contain Si (silicon), Mg (magnesium), Mn (manganese), etc. as a sintering aid. The base electrode 3 may be thicker than one of the internal electrodes 5. The base electrode 3 may have a thickness of, for example, about 1 to 5 μm.

[0021] The base electrode 3 may include a third base electrode 3c and a fourth base electrode 3d. The third base electrode 3c is located closer to the first end face 8a on the second surface 7b. The fourth base electrode 3d is located closer to the second end face 8b on the second surface 7b. The third base electrode 3c may have the same configuration as the first base electrode 3a, except that it is located on the second surface 7b. The fourth base electrode 3d may have the same configuration as the second base electrode 3b, except that it is located on the second surface 7b.

[0022] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the plurality of external electrodes 4 include a first external electrode 4a and a second external electrode 4b.

[0023] The first external electrode 4a is located from the first end face 8a to at least the first surface 7a, and is connected to the plurality of first internal electrodes 5a and the first base electrode 3a. The first external electrode 4a may cover the first base electrode 3a.

[0024] The first external electrode 4a may be located from the first end face 8a to the first surface 7a and the second surface 7b, and may be connected to the plurality of first internal electrodes 5a, the first base electrode 3a, and the third base electrode 3c. The first external electrode 4a may cover the first base electrode 3a and the third base electrode 3c. The first external electrode 4a may be located from the first end face 8a to the first surface 7a, the second surface 7b, the first side surface 9a, and the second side surface 9b.

[0025] The second external electrode 4b is located from the second end surface 8b to at least the first surface 7a, and is connected to the second internal electrodes 5b and the second base electrode 3b. The second external electrode 4b may cover the second base electrode 3b.

[0026] The second external electrode 4b may be located from the second end face 8b across the first face 7a and the second face 7b, and may be connected to the plurality of second internal electrodes 5b, the second base electrode 3b, and the fourth base electrode 3d. The second external electrode 4b may cover the second base electrode 3b and the fourth base electrode 3d. The second external electrode 4b may be located from the second end face 8b across the first face 7a, the second face 7b, the first side face 9a, and the second side face 9b.

[0027] The external electrodes 4 may be plated layers. In this case, the thickness of the external electrodes 4 can be reduced. As a result, the multilayer ceramic capacitor 10 can be made smaller without reducing the capacitance of the multilayer ceramic capacitor 10. The thickness of the external electrodes 4 may be, for example, about 5 to 20 μm. The external electrodes 4 can be formed using a plating method such as electroless plating or electrolytic plating. The external electrodes 4 may be made of a conductive material containing Cu, Ni, Sn, or the like as a main component.

[0028] The external electrode 4 may be composed of a single plating layer as shown in Fig. 3. The external electrode 4 may also be composed of multiple plating layers. For example, the external electrode 4 may be composed of a first plating layer connected to the base electrode 3 and the internal electrode 5 and a second plating layer covering the first plating layer, or may be composed of a first plating layer connected to the base electrode 3 and the internal electrode 5, a second plating layer covering the first plating layer, and a third plating layer covering the second plating layer. There may also be a plating layer covering the third plating layer.

[0029] In the multilayer ceramic capacitor 10 of this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4 , the base electrode 3 includes a plurality of cohesive sintered bodies A made of dielectric particles. The cohesive sintered body A is formed by agglomerating and sintering dielectric particles in a conductive metal during a sintering process. The cohesive sintered body A may be a sintered body formed by agglomerating dielectric particles in a conductive metal during a sintering process to form a continuous body. The cohesive sintered body A may also be a sintered body formed by agglomerating dielectric particles and sintering them while partially retaining the shape of primary particles. The cohesive sintered body A is an example of a sintered body included in the base electrode 3. Unlike the description of the embodiment, the sintered body included in the base electrode 3 does not have to be the cohesive sintered body A, and it does not matter if it is impossible to determine whether it is the cohesive sintered body A or not. The dielectric particles may be ceramic particles made of a ceramic material that constitutes a part of the base electrode 3.

[0030] At least a portion of the multiple cohesive sintered bodies A (hereinafter also referred to as interfacial cohesive sintered bodies) is located at the interface B between the base electrode 3 and the laminate 2, as shown in Fig. 4. The interfacial cohesive sintered body is cohesive, including multiple sites P at the interface B between the base electrode 3 and the laminate 2. A portion of the interfacial cohesive sintered body is located at site P, and is bridged with the laminate 2, i.e., the ceramic sintered body that constitutes the laminate 2. Note that Fig. 4 shows cohesive sintered bodies A that are not located at the interface B, but a portion of such cohesive sintered bodies A (interfacial cohesive sintered bodies) forms a network and is partially located at the interface B.

[0031] The size of the network formed by three-dimensionally connecting at least a portion of the multiple cohesive sintered bodies A in the cross section shown in Figure 4 is arbitrary. For example, one network may extend over the entire base electrode 3, or multiple networks may be dispersed throughout the base electrode 3. In at least one of the one or more networks, the maximum length in the z-axis direction may be 50% or more, 80% or more, or 100% of the thickness of the base electrode 3. And / or, in the one network, the maximum length in the x-axis direction may be 10% or more, 30% or more, 50% or more, 80% or more, or 100% of the length of the base electrode 3 in the x-axis direction (the same applies to the y-axis direction).

[0032] Before firing, the ceramic particles in the base electrode 3 are uniformly dispersed in the conductive metal. However, during the firing process, sintering, which involves the initial melting of the conductive metal, causes the particles to be pushed aside and become unevenly distributed due to fluctuations in the distribution of the melting centers. When the temperature approaches the firing temperature of the active layer, the dielectric ceramic in the active layer, which contains a sintering aid, begins to sinter and become a single ceramic body. However, the dielectric ceramic particles in the base electrode 3, which contains little or only a trace amount of sintering aid, do not sinter as much as in the active layer. Sintering begins at the contact points between particles that have partially sintered and agglomerated, but the agglomerated particles do not completely form a sintered body, and the shape of the primary particles (raw material powder) of the dielectric ceramic particles remains after firing. In other words, when the base electrode 3 contains a certain amount of sintering aid for the dielectric ceramic particles, sintering progresses and the shape of the primary particles (raw material powder) of the dielectric ceramic particles does not remain, resulting in a strong bond between the base electrode 3 and the ceramic laminate via the agglomerated sintered body A of the present disclosure. For example, the ratio of the amount of sintering aid to the amount of dielectric ceramic in the base electrode 3 may be zero or may be one-tenth or less of the compounding ratio in the effective layer, or may be one-fifth or less.

[0033] Alternatively, the surface energy of the particles may be increased by reducing the particle size of the dielectric ceramic particles in the base electrode 3, thereby causing sintering between the particle surfaces. For example, the particle size of the dielectric ceramic particles in the base electrode 3 may be smaller than the particle size of the ceramic particles in the effective layer. For example, the particle size of the dielectric ceramic particles in the base electrode 3 may be one-third or less of the particle size of the ceramic particles in the effective layer.

[0034] In the multilayer ceramic capacitor 10, the base electrode 3 and the laminate 2 are bridged via a plurality of sites P (interfacial cohesion sintered bodies), which improves the adhesion between the base electrode 3 and the laminate 2. As a result, peeling between the base electrode 3 and the laminate 2 is less likely to occur, and deterioration in the reliability and electrical characteristics of the multilayer ceramic capacitor 10 can be reduced.

[0035] The multilayer ceramic capacitor 10 may be configured such that, when viewed in a cross section along the lamination direction, the plurality of portions P occupy 15% or more of the length of the interface B. In other words, as shown in FIG. 5 , the multilayer ceramic capacitor 10 has a length XB of the interface B, and the lengths of the plurality of (e.g., n) portions P are X1, X2, ..., Xn. The ratio of the sum of the lengths of the plurality of portions P to the length XB of the interface B (hereinafter referred to as "length ratio R Ｐ ") may be 15% or more. That is, the plurality of portions P may satisfy the inequality X1 + X2 + ... + Xn ≥ 0.15 × XB. In this case, the ratio of the area of ​​the plurality of portions P to the area of ​​the interface B can be increased, and the adhesion between the base electrode 3 and the laminate 2 can be further improved. As a result, peeling between the base electrode 3 and the laminate 2 is less likely to occur, and deterioration in the reliability and electrical characteristics of the multilayer ceramic capacitor 10 can be further reduced. Note that FIG. 5 shows an example in which the cross section along the stacking direction is a zx cross section along the stacking direction and the length direction, but is not limited to this. The cross section along the stacking direction may be a yz cross section along the stacking direction and the width direction, or another cross section.

[0036] The multilayer ceramic capacitor 10 may be configured such that, when viewed in a cross section along the stacking direction, the plurality of cohesive sintered bodies A occupy 21% to 44% of the cross-sectional area of ​​the base electrode 3. The ratio of the area of ​​the plurality of cohesive sintered bodies A to the cross-sectional area of ​​the base electrode 3 (hereinafter referred to as the "area ratio R Ａ When the area ratio R is 21% or more, peeling between the base electrode 3 and the laminate 2 is easily reduced. Ａ When the ratio is 44% or less, the conductivity of the base electrode 3 is easily improved, and the external electrode 4, which is a plating layer, is easily formed. As a result, the deterioration of the reliability and electrical characteristics of the thin multilayer ceramic capacitor 10 can be reduced.

[0037] Area ratio R Ａ The area ratio R can be measured by quantitatively analyzing the cross section of the base electrode 3 using WDX (wavelength dispersive X-ray analysis). Ａmay be an area ratio measured by analyzing the entire area of ​​the cross section of the base electrode 3, or may be an average value of multiple area ratios measured by analyzing multiple partial areas of the cross section of the base electrode 3. The multiple partial areas may be, for example, five or more partial areas.

[0038] Area ratio R Ａ may be a value in one cross section at a specific position (e.g., a representative position such as the center position) of the base electrode 3 in a direction perpendicular to the cross section of the base electrode 3, or may be an average value in multiple (e.g., three or more or five or more) cross sections obtained by equally dividing the base electrode 3. In the latter case, if it is difficult to equally divide one base electrode 3, an average value may be obtained by measuring multiple cross sections corresponding to the multiple cross sections obtained by the above-mentioned equal division in multiple multilayer ceramic capacitors 10 intended to have the same configuration. Note that the fact that a cross section at such a specific position or an average value may be obtained by referring to multiple cross sections is also applicable to other properties or index values.

[0039] As shown in FIG. 4, the interfacial cohesion sintered body may have a protrusion shape extending from the portion P when viewed in a cross section along the lamination direction of the base electrode 3. In this case, the length ratio R Ｐ is 15% or more, and the area ratio R Ａ This facilitates achieving a ratio of 21% to 44%. The term "protruding shape" refers to a shape that is wider on the lower side (the side of portion P) close to the laminate 2 and narrower on the upper side (the side of the external electrode 4) away from the laminate 2. When viewed in cross section along the stacking direction, the interfacial cohesion sintered body may have a shape in which the width along the interface B gradually decreases in the direction away from the laminate 2, such as a substantially triangular shape with portion P as one side. The substantially triangular shape firmly fixes the base electrode 3 to the surface of the ceramic body. When viewed in cross section along the stacking direction, the interfacial cohesion sintered body may have an irregular shape, such as an irregular jagged or sawtooth shape, with the periphery excluding portion P. The height of the interfacial cohesion sintered body from the interface B may be, for example, 2 μm or less.

[0040] The base electrode 3 may be substantially free of glass components. Substantially free of glass components means that glass components are not intentionally included. As will be described in detail later, the method for manufacturing the multilayer ceramic capacitor 10 includes a step of firing an element component 1 precursor that becomes the element component 1. The element component 1 precursor includes a laminate 2 precursor that becomes the laminate 2 and a base electrode 3 precursor that becomes the base electrode 3. The laminate 2 precursor is composed of a conductive paste and a ceramic green sheet. The base electrode 3 precursor is composed of a conductive paste, and the conductive paste contains a ceramic material that becomes the cohesive sintered body A. By not including a glass component in the base electrode 3 precursor, a base electrode 3 that is substantially free of glass components can be formed. The ceramic material that becomes the cohesive sintered body A may be the same material as the main component constituting the element component 1, but with a smaller particle size. If the ceramic material that becomes the cohesive sintered body A is the same material but with a smaller particle size than the main component that makes up the base component, even if the base electrode 3 precursor does not contain a glass component, when the base component 1 precursor is fired, the ceramic material contained in the base electrode 3 precursor is likely to be cohesively sintered in a solid phase, making it easier to form a cohesive sintered body A with an irregular shape.

[0041] The ceramic green sheets constituting the precursor for laminate 2 may contain a glass component. In this case, when the precursor for element component 1 is fired, some of the glass component contained in the ceramic green sheets flows into the precursor for base electrode 3, promoting aggregation of the ceramic material near the interface between the precursor for base electrode 3 and the precursor for laminate 2. This facilitates the formation of a protruding aggregated sintered body A that is wide on the lower side close to laminate 2 and narrow on the upper side distant from laminate 2. Intentionally eliminating the glass component from the precursor for base electrode 3 reduces aggregation and sintering of the ceramic material in locations other than near the interface with the precursor for laminate 2, further facilitating the formation of the above-described substantially triangular protrusions.

[0042] 6 , when a cross section of the base electrode 3 taken along the stacking direction is divided into a first region 131 close to the laminate 2 and a second region 132 spaced apart from the laminate 2 in the stacking direction, the multilayer ceramic capacitor 10 may have a configuration in which a plurality of cohesive sintered bodies A (a plurality of cohesive sintered bodies A appearing in the cross section) are present in a larger number in the second region 132 than in the first region 131. In this case, the length ratio R Ｐ is 15% or more, and the overall average area ratio R Ａ This makes it easy to set the ratio of the total area of ​​the cohesive sintered bodies A to 21% or more and 44% or less. The first region 131 and the second region 132 may be regions obtained by equally dividing the base electrode 3 in the stacking direction. The cohesive sintered bodies A that span the first region 131 and the second region 132 may be present in a region where more than 50% of the area is located. When the number of cohesive sintered bodies A in the second region 132 is greater than that of the first region 131, the total area of ​​the cohesive sintered bodies A in the first region 131 may be larger than that of the second region 132, or the second region 132 may be larger than that of the first region 131.

[0043] Next, a multilayer ceramic capacitor according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure will be described. As shown in FIG. 7 , a multilayer ceramic capacitor 10A according to this embodiment includes an element component 11 and a plurality of external electrodes 14. As shown in FIG. 8 , the element component 11 includes a laminate 12 and a plurality of base electrodes 13. The multilayer ceramic capacitor 10A may be a thin multilayer ceramic capacitor. For example, the dimension T in the height direction (z-axis direction) of the multilayer ceramic capacitor 10A may be smaller than the dimension L in the length direction (x-axis direction) and the dimension W in the width direction (y-axis direction).

[0044] The laminate 12 is formed by alternately stacking a plurality of internal electrodes 15 and a plurality of dielectric layers 16. As shown in FIG. 8 , the laminate 12 may have a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape. The laminate 12 has a first surface 17a and a second surface 17b that face each other in the stacking direction (z-axis direction) of the plurality of internal electrodes 15 and the plurality of dielectric layers 16. The laminate 12 has a first side surface 18a and a second side surface 18b that face each other in the length direction (x-axis direction) perpendicular to the stacking direction, and a third side surface 18c and a fourth side surface 18d that face each other in the width direction (y-axis direction) perpendicular to the stacking direction and the length direction. Hereinafter, the first surface 17a and the second surface 17b may be collectively referred to as the main surfaces 17a and 17b, and the first side surface 18a, the second side surface 18b, the third side surface 18c, and the fourth side surface 18d may be collectively referred to as the side surfaces 18a to 18d. The main surfaces 17a and 17b may be perpendicular to the stacking direction, the first side surface 18a and the second side surface 18b may be perpendicular to the length direction, and the third side surface 18c and the fourth side surface 18d may be perpendicular to the width direction.

[0045] 8, the laminate 12 has a first corner 19a extending from the first side surface 18a to the third side surface 18c, a second corner 19b extending from the second side surface 18b to the fourth side surface 18d, a third corner 19c extending from the first side surface 18a to the fourth side surface 18d, and a fourth corner 19d extending from the second side surface 18b to the third side surface 18c. Hereinafter, the first corner 19a, the second corner 19b, the third corner 19c, and the fourth corner 19d may be collectively referred to as corners 19a to 19d.

[0046] The dielectric layer 16 is, for example, BaTiO ３ , CaTiO ３ , SrTiO ３ , BaZrO ３ , CaZrO ３ The ceramic material may contain a glass component. The glass component may contain, for example, SiO ２ The dielectric layer 16 may be a BaO-CaO-based glass component. The dielectric layer 16 may have a thickness of, for example, about 0.1 to 1 μm.

[0047] As shown in Figures 8 and 9, the multiple internal electrodes 15 include multiple first internal electrodes 15a and multiple second internal electrodes 15b. The first internal electrodes 15a have ends exposed at the first corner 19a and the second corner 19b. The second internal electrodes 15b have ends exposed at the third corner 19c and the fourth corner 19d. The first internal electrodes 15a and the second internal electrodes 15b have polarities opposite to each other. In other words, when the first internal electrodes 15a have a first polarity, the second internal electrodes 15b have a second polarity different from the first polarity.

[0048] The internal electrodes 15 are made of a metal material containing, for example, Ni, Cu, Sn, etc. as a main component. For example, the internal electrodes 15 are made of BaTiO ３ , CaTiO ３ , SrTiO ３ , BaZrO ３ , CaZrO ３ The internal electrode 15 may contain a ceramic material such as, for example, about 0.1 to 1 μm in thickness.

[0049] As shown in Fig. 9, the laminate 12 may include a capacitance-forming portion 12a and cover portions 12b and 12c. The capacitance-forming portion 12a is formed by alternately stacking a plurality of internal electrodes 15 and a plurality of dielectric layers 16, and forms a capacitance. The cover portions 12b and 12c are located at both ends of the capacitance-forming portion 12a in the stacking direction. The cover portions 12b and 12c are each made of one or more dielectric layers and do not necessarily form a capacitance.

[0050] The cover portions 12b and 12c (their dielectric layers) are made of, for example, BaTiO ３ , CaTiO ３ , SrTiO ３ , BaZrO ３ , CaZrO ３ The ceramic material may contain a glass component. The glass component may contain, for example, SiO ２ The cover portions 12b and 12c may be made of the same ceramic material as the ceramic material that forms the dielectric layer 16.

[0051] The plurality of base electrodes 13 include a first base electrode 13a, a second base electrode 13b, a third base electrode 13c, and a fourth base electrode 13d.

[0052] The first base electrode 13a is located on the first surface 17a near the first corner 19a. In a plan view, the first base electrode 13a may have a substantially rectangular shape. In a plan view, the corner of the first base electrode 13a near the first corner 19a may overlap the first corner 19a.

[0053] The second base electrode 13b is located closer to the second corner 19b on the first surface 17a. In a plan view, the second base electrode 13b may have a substantially rectangular shape. In a plan view, the corner of the second base electrode 13b closer to the second corner 19b may overlap the second corner 19b.

[0054] The third base electrode 13c is located closer to the third corner 19c on the first surface 17a. In a plan view, the third base electrode 13c may have a substantially rectangular shape. In a plan view, a corner of the third base electrode 13c closer to the third corner 19c may overlap the third corner 19c.

[0055] The fourth base electrode 13d is located closer to the fourth corner 19d on the first surface 17a. In a plan view, the fourth base electrode 13d may have a substantially rectangular shape. In a plan view, the corner of the fourth base electrode 13d closer to the fourth corner 19d may overlap the fourth corner 19d.

[0056] The shape of the first base electrode 13a is not limited to a substantially rectangular shape, but may be a substantially fan-shape (substantially quadrant) or a substantially right-angled triangle. In a plan view, the center of the substantially fan-shape (substantially quadrant) of the first base electrode 13a may overlap the first corner 19a, or the right-angled apex of the substantially right-angled triangle may overlap the first corner 19a. The same applies to the second base electrode 13b, the third base electrode 13c, and the fourth base electrode 13d.

[0057] The base electrode 13 is made of a conductive material containing, for example, Ni, Cu, Sn, etc. as a main component. The conductive material is, for example, BaTiO ３ , CaTiO ３ , SrTiO ３ , BaZrO ３, CaZrO ３ In this case, it is easy to improve the adhesion between the base electrode 13 and the laminate 12. The ceramic material may contain Si, Mg, Mn, etc. The base electrode 13 may be thicker than one of the internal electrodes 15. The base electrode 13 may have a thickness of, for example, about 1 to 5 μm.

[0058] The base electrode 13 may include a fifth base electrode 13e, a sixth base electrode 13f, a seventh base electrode 13g, and an eighth base electrode 13h. The fifth base electrode 13e is located closer to the first corner 19a on the second surface 7b. The sixth base electrode 13f is located closer to the second corner 19b on the second surface 7b. The seventh base electrode 13g is located closer to the third corner 19c on the second surface 7b. The eighth base electrode 13h is located closer to the fourth corner 19d on the second surface 7b. The fifth base electrode 13e and the sixth base electrode 13f may have the same configuration as the first base electrode 13a and the second base electrode 13b, respectively, except that they are located on the second surface 7b. The seventh and eighth base electrodes 13g and 13h may have the same configuration as the third and fourth base electrodes 13c and 13d, respectively, except that they are located on the second surface 7b. The base electrodes 13 are not located on the side surfaces 18a to 18d. In other words, the base electrodes 13 are not directly bonded to the internal electrodes 15. The base electrodes 13 may be electrically connected to the internal electrodes 15.

[0059] The plurality of external electrodes 14 include a first external electrode 14a, a second external electrode 14b, a third external electrode 14c, and a fourth external electrode 14d.

[0060] The first external electrode 14a is located from the first corner 19a across at least the first surface 17a and is connected to the plurality of first internal electrodes 15a and the first base electrode 13a. The first external electrode 14a may be located from the first corner 19a across the first surface 17a and the second surface 17b and connected to the plurality of first internal electrodes 15a, the first base electrode 13a, and the fifth base electrode 13e.

[0061] The second external electrode 14b is located from the second corner 19b across at least the first surface 17a and is connected to the plurality of first internal electrodes 15a and the second base electrode 13b. The second external electrode 14b may be located from the second corner 19b across the first surface 17a and the second surface 17b and connected to the plurality of first internal electrodes 15a, the second base electrode 13b, and the sixth base electrode 13f.

[0062] The third external electrode 14c is located from the third corner 19c across at least the first surface 17a and is connected to the plurality of second internal electrodes 15b and the third base electrode 13c. The third external electrode 14c may be located from the third corner 19c across the first surface 17a and the second surface 17b and connected to the plurality of second internal electrodes 15b, the third base electrode 13c, and the seventh base electrode 13g.

[0063] The fourth external electrode 14d is located from the fourth corner 19d across at least the first surface 17a and is connected to the plurality of second internal electrodes 15b and the fourth base electrode 13d. The fourth external electrode 14d may be located from the fourth corner 19d across the first surface 17a and the second surface 17b and connected to the plurality of second internal electrodes 15b, the fourth base electrode 13d, and the eighth base electrode 13h.

[0064] The external electrodes 14 may be plated layers. In this case, the thickness of the external electrodes 14 can be reduced. As a result, the multilayer ceramic capacitor 10A can be miniaturized without reducing the capacitance of the multilayer ceramic capacitor 10A. The thickness of the external electrodes 14 may be, for example, approximately 5 to 20 μm. The external electrodes 14 can be formed using a plating method such as electroless plating or electrolytic plating. The external electrodes 14 may be made of a metal material containing Cu, Ni, Sn, or the like as a main component.

[0065] The external electrode 14 may be composed of a single plating layer as shown in Fig. 9. The external electrode 14 may also be composed of multiple plating layers. For example, the external electrode 14 may be composed of a first plating layer connected to the base electrode 13 and the internal electrode 15 and a second plating layer covering the first plating layer, or may be composed of a first plating layer connected to the base electrode 13 and the internal electrode 15, a second plating layer covering the first plating layer, and a third plating layer covering the second plating layer.

[0066] 4 , the base electrode 13 of the multilayer ceramic capacitor 10A of this embodiment includes a plurality of cohesive sintered bodies A. The cohesive sintered bodies A are formed by the aggregation of dielectric particles. The dielectric particles may be ceramic particles made of a ceramic material that forms part of the base electrode 13.

[0067] At least a portion of the multiple cohesive sintered bodies A (hereinafter also referred to as interfacial cohesive sintered bodies) is located at the interface B between the base electrode 13 and the laminate 12, as shown in Fig. 4. The interfacial cohesive sintered body is cohesive, including multiple sites P at the interface B between the base electrode 13 and the laminate 12. A portion of the interfacial cohesive sintered body is located at the site P, and is bridged with the laminate 12, i.e., the cohesive sintered body of the ceramic particles that make up the laminate 12. Note that Fig. 4 shows cohesive sintered bodies A that are not located at the interface B, but a portion of such cohesive sintered bodies A (interfacial cohesive sintered bodies) forms a network and is partially located at the interface B.

[0068] In the multilayer ceramic capacitor 10A, the base electrode 13 and the laminate 12 are bridged via a plurality of sites P (interfacial cohesion sintered bodies), which improves the adhesion between the base electrode 13 and the laminate 12. As a result, peeling between the base electrode 13 and the laminate 12 is less likely to occur, and deterioration in the reliability and electrical characteristics of the multilayer ceramic capacitor 10A can be reduced.

[0069] The multilayer ceramic capacitor 10A may be configured such that, when viewed in a cross section along the lamination direction, the plurality of portions P occupy 15% or more of the length of the interface B. In other words, as shown in FIG. 5 , when the length of the interface B is XB and the lengths of the plurality of (e.g., n) portions P are X1, X2, ..., Xn, the multilayer ceramic capacitor 10A has a length ratio R of the sum of the lengths of the plurality of portions P to the length XB of the interface B. Ｐ may be 15% or more. That is, the plurality of portions P may satisfy the inequality X1 + X2 + ... + Xn ≥ 0.15 x XB. In this case, the effect is the same as that of the first embodiment. Note that FIG. 5 shows an example in which the cross section along the stacking direction is a zx cross section along the stacking direction and the length direction, but this is not limiting. The cross section along the stacking direction may be a yz cross section along the stacking direction and the width direction, or may be another cross section.

[0070] The multilayer ceramic capacitor 10A may be configured such that, when viewed in a cross section along the stacking direction, the multiple cohesive sintered bodies A occupy 21% to 44% of the cross-sectional area of ​​the base electrode 13. In this case, the effect is the same as that of the first embodiment. The ratio of the area of ​​the multiple cohesive sintered bodies A to the cross-sectional area of ​​the base electrode 13 (area ratio R Ａ The measurement method for the thickness saturation θ is the same as that in the first embodiment.

[0071] 4, the interfacial cohesion sintered body may have a protrusion extending from the portion P when viewed in a cross section along the stacking direction of the base electrode 13. The explanations of the effect of the protrusion, the meaning of the protrusion, and specific aspects (triangular shape, jagged shape, height of 2 μm, etc.) in the first embodiment may be used in the second embodiment.

[0072] The base electrode 13 may be substantially free of glass components, similar to the base electrode 3 of the first embodiment. In the method for producing the multilayer ceramic capacitor 10A, the ceramic green sheets constituting the precursor of the laminate 12 may contain glass components, similar to the precursor of the laminate 2 of the first embodiment.

[0073] 6 , when a cross section of the base electrode 13 taken along the stacking direction is divided into a first region 131 close to the laminate 12 and a second region 132 spaced apart from the laminate 12 in the stacking direction, the multilayer ceramic capacitor 10A may have a configuration in which a plurality of cohesive sintered bodies A (a plurality of cohesive sintered bodies A appearing in the cross section) are present in a larger number in the second region 132 than in the first region 131. The effects and the like in this case are the same as those in the first embodiment.

[0074] Next, the area ratio R of the aggregate sintered body A in the multilayer ceramic capacitor 10, 10A Ａ and the length ratio R of the plurality of portions P Ｐ The following description will be given taking the multilayer ceramic capacitor 10A as an example, but the same applies to the multilayer ceramic capacitor 10. In the following description, it is assumed that the laminate 12 is made of BaTiO ３ The base electrode 13 is made of a ceramic material mainly composed of Ni, and BaTiO ３ and the external electrode 14 is made of a conductive material containing Cu as a main component.

[0075] First, the multilayer ceramic capacitor 10A is polished along the length direction (x-axis direction) to expose a cross section (hereinafter also referred to as the "exposed cross section") as shown in FIG. 9. Next, an SEM-EDS (scanning electron microscope-energy dispersive spectroscopy) device is used to take an electron microscope photograph (hereinafter also referred to as the "SEM image") of the exposed cross section, and an element mapping image (hereinafter also referred to as the "EDS image") of each element in the exposed cross section is obtained. A JSM-IT500HR manufactured by JEOL Ltd. can be used as the SEM-EDS device. The SEM image was taken with an acceleration voltage of 15 kV and a magnification of 20,000 times. The EDS image was obtained with a resolution of 2,048 pixels x 1,536 pixels.

[0076] FIG. 10 shows an example of an SEM image of the X portion of FIG. 9 , and FIG. 11 shows an example of an EDS image of Ba element at the X portion of FIG. 9 . FIG. 12 shows a binarized EDS image obtained by binarizing the EDS image of FIG. 11 . The threshold value for binarizing the EDS image may be set appropriately. When the EDS image is a grayscale image with 256 gradations, the threshold value may be, for example, approximately 15 to 25, or may be approximately 20. Commercially available image processing software may be used to binarize the EDS image. Note that the dashed lines in FIGS. 10 to 12 indicate the interface B between the base electrode 13 and the laminate 12, and the dashed-dotted lines in FIGS. 10 to 12 indicate the interface B' between the base electrode 13 and the external electrode 14. Interface B can be determined based on EDS images of the elements (Ba and Ti) that constitute the laminate 12 and the elements (Ni, Ba, and Ti) that constitute the base electrode 13. Interface B' can be determined based on EDS images of the elements (Ni, Ba, and Ti) that constitute the base electrode 13 and the elements (Cu) that constitute the external electrode 14. In FIG. 12 , the region between interface B and interface B' corresponds to the cross section of the base electrode 13. The white region in the cross section of the base electrode 13 is a region where Ba is present, and this region can be considered to be a region where cohesive sintered body A is present. Furthermore, the black region in the cross section of the base electrode 13 is a region where Ba is substantially absent, and this region can be considered to be a region where cohesive sintered body A is not present.

[0077] 12 , the cohesive sintered body A, which is cohesive including the portion P at the interface B, has a protruding shape. Furthermore, the cohesive sintered body A is present in greater amounts in the region of the base electrode 13 closer to the external electrode 14 than in the region of the base electrode 13 closer to the laminate 12.

[0078] Length ratio R Ｐ can be measured by measuring the length XB of the interface B and the length along the interface B of each site P based on a binarized EDS image of the entire exposed cross-section, and dividing the sum of the lengths along the interface B of multiple sites P (X1+X2+...+Xn) by the length XB.

[0079] Area ratio R Ａis calculated by extracting a plurality of partial regions from the binarized EDS image of the entire exposed cross section, and calculating the ratio r of the area of ​​the region where the cohesive sintered body A exists to the area of ​​each partial region. Ａ Calculate the ratio r of the plurality of partial regions Ａ As the plurality of partial regions, about 3 to 10 partial regions may be extracted from the binarized EDS image of the exposed cross section, or about 5 partial regions may be extracted.

[0080] Next, a method for manufacturing the multilayer ceramic capacitor 10A will be described. Fig. 13 is a perspective view illustrating the steps for producing a base laminate, Fig. 14 is a perspective view showing the base laminate, and Fig. 15 is a perspective view showing an element component precursor obtained by cutting the base laminate. In Figs. 13 to 15, for ease of illustration, the internal electrode patterns, base electrode patterns, ends of the internal electrode patterns exposed on the surface of the base laminate, and ends of the internal electrode patterns exposed on the surface of the element component are hatched.

[0081] The method for manufacturing the multilayer ceramic capacitor 10A includes a first step, a second step, and a third step.

[0082] (First Step) The first step is a step of preparing a base laminate for forming a precursor of the element part 11. In the first step, first, BaTiO ３ A raw material powder containing the above as a main component is prepared, and an organic vehicle and a sintering aid are mixed with the raw material powder to prepare a ceramic slurry. The organic vehicle used to prepare the ceramic slurry may be, for example, a butyral resin or other resin dissolved in a solvent made by mixing ethyl alcohol and toluene. The sintering aid may be, for example, SiO ２ The ceramic green sheet 21 that will become the dielectric layer 16 is then formed on a carrier film using the prepared ceramic slurry by a sheet forming method such as a die coater method, a doctor blade method, or a gravure coater method.

[0083] Furthermore, an organic vehicle is mixed with powder containing Ni as a main component to prepare a conductive paste for the internal electrodes 15. The organic vehicle used to prepare the conductive paste may be, for example, a resin such as ethyl cellulose dissolved in a solvent mixture of a dihydroterpineol-based solvent and butyl cellosolve. A dispersant such as oleic acid or polyethylene glycol may be added to the conductive paste.

[0084] Furthermore, an organic vehicle and ceramic powder are mixed with the powder containing Ni as the main component to prepare a conductive paste for the base electrode 13. The ceramic powder is BaTiO ３ The conductive paste for the base electrode 13 may be a powder containing Si as a main component. A sintering aid may be added to the conductive paste for the base electrode 13. The sintering aid may be, for example, Si, Mg, Mn, or the like.

[0085] BaTiO used in the conductive paste for the base electrode 13 ３ The powder is BaTiO used in ceramic slurries. ３ For example, BaTiO used in the conductive paste for the base electrode 13. ３ The average particle size of the powder is BaTiO ３ The average particle size of the ceramic particles (BaTiO ３ particles) are more likely to sinter, and the aggregated sintered body A is more likely to be formed.

[0086] Since grain growth occurs during firing, the above-described size relationship of the powders is not necessarily maintained after firing. Of course, the above-described size relationship may be maintained. That is, the average particle size of the dielectric particles contained in the cohesive sintered body A may be smaller than that of the dielectric particles contained in the dielectric layer 16. Furthermore, the former may be 2 / 3 or less, 1 / 2 or less, or 1 / 3 or less of the latter.

[0087] The conductive paste for the base electrode 13 is BaTiO ３The weight ratio of may be 15% or more and 35% or less. When the weight ratio is 15% or more, cohesive sintered body A is easily formed, and peeling between base electrode 13 and laminate 12 is easily reduced. Furthermore, when the weight ratio is 15% or more, the mismatch between the firing behavior of the base electrode 13 precursor and the firing behavior of the laminate 12 precursor is easily reduced during firing of the precursor of element component 11, and peeling between base electrode 13 and laminate 12 is easily reduced. When the weight ratio is 35% or less, the conductivity of base electrode 13 is easily improved, and external electrode 14 is easily formed.

[0088] Next, a ceramic green sheet 21 is prepared on which an internal electrode pattern that will become the internal electrode 15 is printed using a conductive paste for the internal electrode 15. Furthermore, a ceramic green sheet 21 is prepared on which a base electrode pattern that will become the base electrode 13 is printed using a conductive paste for the base electrode 13. The internal electrode pattern and the base electrode pattern can be printed by a printing method such as screen printing or gravure printing. Hereinafter, the ceramic green sheet 21 on which the internal electrode pattern is printed may be referred to as an internal electrode sheet 22, and the ceramic green sheet 21 on which the base electrode pattern is printed may be referred to as a base electrode sheet 23.

[0089] When preparing the base electrode sheet 23, the base electrode pattern may have a two-layer structure, and the amount of sintering aid added to the layer located on the laminate 12 side may be greater than the amount of sintering aid added to the layer located on the external electrode 14 side. In this case, aggregation of ceramic particles (i.e., formation of aggregated sintered body A) can be promoted in the region of the base electrode 13 precursor closer to the laminate 12 precursor, and the length ratio R Ｐ It is easy to set it at 15% or more.

[0090] Next, as shown in FIG. 13 , a predetermined number of internal electrode sheets 22 are stacked on a base electrode sheet 23, and further base electrode sheets 23 are stacked to produce a temporary laminate. When producing the temporary laminate, a predetermined number of internal electrode sheets 22 may be stacked while being shifted in the width direction (y-axis direction) by half the width dimension of the internal electrode pattern. In this case, the first internal electrode 15 a and the second internal electrode 15 b can be formed using internal electrode sheets 22 printed with the same internal electrode pattern. Furthermore, one or more ceramic green sheets 21 may be disposed between the base electrode sheet 23 and the internal electrode sheet 22. In this case, the risk of short-circuiting between internal electrodes 15 of different polarities can be reduced.

[0091] Next, the temporary laminate is pressed in the stacking direction to produce a base laminate 24 as shown in FIG. 14. The temporary laminate can be pressed using, for example, an isostatic press. The temporary laminate and the base laminate 24 may be produced on a support sheet S, as shown in FIGS. 13 and 14. The support sheet S may be an adhesive release sheet that can be adhered and released, such as a weak adhesive sheet or a foam release sheet. The base laminate 24 is composed of a plurality of element component 11 precursors, and the element component 11 precursors have substantially the same structure as the element components 11. In the following description, the terminology and reference symbols used for the element components 11 may also be used for the element component 11 precursors.

[0092] (Second Step) The second step is a step of producing element components 11. First, the base laminate 24 is cut along the lattice-shaped planned cutting lines 25 to produce a plurality of precursors of element components 11 as shown in Fig. 15. The base laminate 24 can be cut using, for example, a press cutter, a dicing saw, or the like.

[0093] Next, the precursor of the element component 11 is fired. The firing temperature may be set appropriately depending on the ceramic material contained in the ceramic green sheets, the metal material contained in the conductive paste, etc., but may be, for example, about 1100 to 1250°C. The precursor of the element component 11 may be subjected to a degreasing process before firing. The degreasing process may be performed in an air atmosphere, an inert gas atmosphere, or a reducing atmosphere. The degreasing process may be performed under atmospheric pressure or under reduced pressure. The precursor of the element component 11 after firing may also be subjected to a reoxidation process.

[0094] Next, the precursor of element component 11 is placed in a rotary pot containing an abrasive and subjected to barrel polishing. This removes burrs from the surface of the precursor of element component 11, rounds the corners, and fully exposes the ends of internal electrodes 15 at corners 19a to 19d of laminate 12. As a result, element component 11 as shown in FIG. 8 can be produced.

[0095] When producing the base laminate 24, the base electrode sheets 23 located in the top and bottom layers of the temporary laminate (see FIG. 13 ) may be omitted, and a base laminate composed of multiple laminate 12 precursors (i.e., without the base electrode 13 precursor) may be produced. In this case, the base electrode 13 precursor may be printed on the base laminate, and then the base laminate may be cut to produce the element component 11 precursor. Alternatively, the base electrode 13 precursor may be printed on the laminate 12 precursor obtained by cutting the base laminate, and the element component 1 precursor may be produced. The base electrode 13 precursor may be printed using a printing method such as screen printing or gravure printing.

[0096] (Third Step) The third step is a step of forming external electrodes 14 on the element component 11. In the third step, external electrodes 14 made of a conductive material containing Cu, Ni, Sn, or the like as a main component are formed at predetermined locations on the element component 11 using a plating method such as electroless plating or electrolytic plating. The external electrodes 14 may be formed of a single plating layer or multiple plating layers. When the external electrodes 14 are formed of a first plating layer, a second plating layer, and a third plating layer, the first plating layer may be a Cu plating layer, the second plating layer may be a Ni plating layer, and the third plating layer may be a Sn plating layer.

[0097] In this manner, the multilayer ceramic capacitor 10A can be manufactured. The multilayer ceramic capacitor 10 can be manufactured by a manufacturing method similar to the above-described manufacturing method by changing the internal electrode pattern of the internal electrode sheet 22 and the base electrode pattern of the base electrode sheet 23.

[0098] Although the embodiments of the present disclosure have been described in detail above, the present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications, improvements, etc. are possible within the scope that does not deviate from the gist of the present disclosure.

[0099] The multilayer electronic component of the present disclosure may be, for example, the multilayer ceramic capacitor of the third embodiment shown in Figures 16 to 19, or the multilayer ceramic capacitor of the fourth embodiment shown in Figures 20 to 23. The multilayer ceramic capacitors of the third and fourth embodiments will be described below.

[0100] Fig. 16 is a perspective view showing a multilayer ceramic capacitor of a third embodiment, Fig. 17 is a perspective view showing an element component of the multilayer ceramic capacitor of Fig. 16, Fig. 18 is a view showing an example of a cross section taken along the cutting line XVIII-XVIII of Fig. 16, and Fig. 19 is a view showing an example of a cross section taken along the cutting line XIX-XIX of Fig. 16. Fig. 20 is a perspective view showing a multilayer ceramic capacitor of a fourth embodiment, Fig. 21 is a perspective view showing an element component of the multilayer ceramic capacitor of Fig. 20, Fig. 22 is a view showing an example of a cross section taken along the cutting line XXII-XXII of Fig. 20, and Fig. 23 is a view showing an example of a cross section taken along the cutting line XXIII-XXIII of Fig. 20.

[0101] As shown in Fig. 16, the multilayer ceramic capacitor 10B of the third embodiment includes an element component 26 and a plurality of external electrodes 29. As shown in Fig. 17, the element component 26 includes a laminate 27 and a plurality of base electrodes 28. The multilayer ceramic capacitor 10B may be a thin multilayer ceramic capacitor in which the dimension T in the height direction (z-axis direction) is smaller than the dimension L in the length direction (x-axis direction) and the dimension W in the width direction (y-axis direction).

[0102] The laminate 27 is formed by alternately stacking a plurality of internal electrodes 30 and a plurality of dielectric layers 31. The laminate 27 may have a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape. The laminate 27 has a first surface 32a and a second surface 32b that face each other in the stacking direction, a first end surface 33a and a second end surface 33b that face each other in the length direction, and a first side surface 34a and a second side surface 34b that face each other in the width direction.

[0103] The dielectric layer 31 is made of, for example, BaTiO ３ , CaTiO ３ , SrTiO ３ , BaZrO ３ , CaZrO ３ The ceramic material may contain a glass component. The glass component may contain, for example, SiO ２ The dielectric layer 31 may be a BaO-CaO-based glass component. The dielectric layer 31 may have a thickness of, for example, about 0.1 to 1 μm.

[0104] 17 to 19, the multiple internal electrodes 30 include multiple first internal electrodes 30a and multiple second internal electrodes 30b. The first internal electrodes 30a have ends exposed at a first end face 33a and a second end face 33b. The second internal electrodes 30b have ends exposed at a first side face 34a and a second side face 34b. The first internal electrodes 30a and the second internal electrodes 30b have mutually opposite polarities.

[0105] The internal electrode 30 is made of a metal material containing, for example, Ni, Cu, Sn, etc. as a main component. The internal electrode 15 is made of, for example, BaTiO ３ , CaTiO ３ , SrTiO ３ , BaZrO ３ , CaZrO ３ The internal electrode 30 may contain a ceramic material such as, for example, about 0.1 to 1.0 μm in thickness.

[0106] 18 and 19, the laminate 27 may be configured to include a capacitance-forming portion 27a and cover portions 27b and 27c. The capacitance-forming portion 27a is formed by alternately stacking a plurality of internal electrodes 30 and a plurality of dielectric layers 31, and forms a capacitance. The cover portions 27b and 27c are located at both ends of the capacitance-forming portion 27a in the stacking direction. The cover portions 27b and 27c are made of one or more dielectric layers and may not form a capacitance.

[0107] The cover portions 27b and 27c (their dielectric layers) are made of, for example, BaTiO ３ , CaTiO ３ , SrTiO ３ , BaZrO ３ , CaZrO ３ The cover portions 27b and 27c may be made of the same ceramic material as the ceramic material that forms the dielectric layer 31.

[0108] The multiple base electrodes 28 include a first base electrode 28a, a second base electrode 28b, a third base electrode 28c, and a fourth base electrode 28d. The first base electrode 28a is located on the first surface 32a closer to the first end face 33a, and the second base electrode 28b is located on the first surface 32a closer to the second end face 33b. The third base electrode 28c is located on the first surface 32a closer to the first side face 34a, and the fourth base electrode 28d is located on the first surface 32a closer to the second side face 34b. The third base electrode 28c and the fourth base electrode 28d may be located in the center of the first surface 32a in the longitudinal direction. The third base electrode 28c and the fourth base electrode 28d may have, for example, a substantially semicircular, rectangular, or triangular shape in a plan view.

[0109] The base electrodes 28 may include a fifth base electrode 28e, a sixth base electrode 28f, a seventh base electrode 28g, and an eighth base electrode 28h. The fifth base electrode 28e is located closer to the first end face 33a on the second surface 32b, and the sixth base electrode 28f is located closer to the second end face 33b on the second surface 32b. The seventh base electrode 28g is located closer to the first side face 34a on the second surface 32b, and the eighth base electrode 28h is located closer to the second side face 34b on the second surface 32b. The fifth to eighth base electrodes 28e to 28h may have the same configuration as the first to fourth base electrodes 28a to 28d, respectively, except that they are located on the second surface 32b.

[0110] The base electrode 28 is made of a conductive material containing, for example, Ni, Cu, Sn, etc. as a main component. The conductive material is, for example, BaTiO ３ , CaTiO ３ , SrTiO ３ , BaZrO ３ , CaZrO ３ In this case, it is easy to improve the adhesion between the base electrode 28 and the laminate 27. The ceramic material may include Si, Mg, Mn, etc. The base electrode 28 may be thicker than one of the internal electrodes 30. The base electrode 28 may have a thickness of, for example, about 1 to 5 μm.

[0111] As shown in FIG. 16, the plurality of external electrodes 29 include a first external electrode 29a, a second external electrode 29b, a third external electrode 29c, and a fourth external electrode 29d.

[0112] The first external electrode 29a is located from the first end face 33a to at least the first surface 32a and is connected to the plurality of first internal electrodes 30a and the first base electrode 28a. The first external electrode 29a may cover the first base electrode 28a. The first external electrode 29a is located from the first end face 33a to the first surface 32a and the second surface 32b and may be connected to the plurality of first internal electrodes 30a, the first base electrode 28a, and the fifth base electrode 28e. The first external electrode 29a may cover the first base electrode 28a and the fifth base electrode 28e. The first external electrode 29a may be located from the first end face 33a to the first surface 32a, the second surface 32b, the first side surface 34a, and the second side surface 34b.

[0113] The second external electrode 29b is located from the second end face 33b to at least the first surface 32a and is connected to the plurality of second internal electrodes 30b and the second base electrode 28b. The second external electrode 29b may cover the second base electrode 28b. The second external electrode 29b is located from the second end face 33b to the first surface 32a and the second surface 32b and may be connected to the plurality of second internal electrodes 30b, the second base electrode 28b, and the sixth base electrode 28f. The second external electrode 29b may cover the second base electrode 28b and the sixth base electrode 28f. The second external electrode 29b may be located from the second end face 33b to the first surface 32a, the second surface 32b, the first side surface 34a, and the second side surface 34b.

[0114] The third external electrode 29c is located from the first side surface 34a to at least the first surface 32a, and is connected to the plurality of second internal electrodes 30b and the third base electrode 28c. The third external electrode 29c may cover the third base electrode 28c. The third external electrode 29c is located from the first side surface 34a to the first surface 32a and the second surface 32b, and may be connected to the plurality of second internal electrodes 30b, the third base electrode 28c, and the seventh base electrode 28g. The third external electrode 29c may cover the third base electrode 28c and the seventh base electrode 28g.

[0115] The fourth external electrode 29d is located from the second side surface 34b to at least the first surface 32a, and is connected to the plurality of second internal electrodes 30b and the fourth base electrode 28d. The fourth external electrode 29d may cover the fourth base electrode 28d. The fourth external electrode 29d is located from the second side surface 34b to the first surface 32a and the second surface 32b, and may be connected to the plurality of second internal electrodes 30b, the fourth base electrode 28d, and the eighth base electrode 28h. The fourth external electrode 29d may cover the fourth base electrode 28d and the eighth base electrode 28h.

[0116] The external electrode 29 may be a plating layer. The external electrode 29 may be composed of two or more plating layers. The external electrode 29 may be composed of a first layer connected to the base electrode 28 and the internal electrode 30, and a second layer covering the first layer. The external electrode 29 may be composed of a first layer connected to the base electrode 28 and the internal electrode 30, a second layer covering the first layer, and a third layer covering the second layer.

[0117] Next, a description will be given of a multilayer ceramic capacitor according to a fourth embodiment. In the following description, the same terms and reference numerals will be used for the same components as those in the multilayer ceramic capacitor according to the third embodiment, and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

[0118] As shown in Fig. 20 , the multilayer ceramic capacitor 10C of the fourth embodiment includes an element component 26 and a plurality of external electrodes 29. As shown in Fig. 21 , the element component 26 includes a laminate 27 and a plurality of base electrodes 28. The multilayer ceramic capacitor 10C may be a thin multilayer ceramic capacitor in which the dimension T in the height direction (z-axis direction) is smaller than the dimension L in the length direction (x-axis direction) and the dimension W in the width direction (y-axis direction).

[0119] 21 to 23, the laminate 27 is formed by alternately stacking a plurality of internal electrodes 30 and a plurality of dielectric layers 31. The laminate 27 may have a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape. The laminate 27 has a first surface 32a and a second surface 32b that face each other in the stacking direction, a first end surface 33a and a second end surface 33b that face each other in the length direction, and a first side surface 34a and a second side surface 34b that face each other in the width direction.

[0120] As shown in FIGS. 21 to 23, the plurality of internal electrodes 30 includes a plurality of first internal electrodes 30a and a plurality of second internal electrodes 30b.

[0121] The first internal electrode 30a has multiple ends exposed on the first side surface 34a and multiple ends exposed on the second side surface 34b. The second internal electrode 30b has multiple ends exposed on the first side surface 34a and multiple ends exposed on the second side surface 34b. On the first side surface 34a, the multiple regions where the first internal electrode 30a is exposed and the multiple regions where the second internal electrode 30b is exposed are located at different positions in the longitudinal direction. On the second side surface 34b, the multiple regions where the first internal electrode 30a is exposed and the multiple regions where the second internal electrode 30b is exposed are located at different positions in the longitudinal direction. The first internal electrode 30a and the second internal electrode 30b have opposite polarities.

[0122] 22 and 23, the laminate 27 may include a capacitance-forming portion 27a and cover portions 27b and 27c. The capacitance-forming portion 27a is formed by alternately stacking a plurality of internal electrodes 30 and a plurality of dielectric layers 31, and forms a capacitance. The cover portions 27b and 27c are located at both ends of the capacitance-forming portion 27a in the stacking direction. The cover portions 27b and 27c are formed of one or more dielectric layers and do not necessarily form a capacitance.

[0123] The multiple base electrodes 28 include a first base electrode 28a, a second base electrode 28b, a third base electrode 28c, a fourth base electrode 28d, a fifth base electrode 28e, a sixth base electrode 28f, a seventh base electrode 28g, and an eighth base electrode 28h. The first base electrode 28a to the fourth base electrode 28d are located closer to the first side surface 34a on the first surface 32a. The fifth base electrode 28e to the eighth base electrode 28h are located closer to the second side surface 34b on the first surface 32a.

[0124] The base electrodes 28 may include ninth to sixteenth base electrodes. The ninth to twelfth base electrodes are located closer to the first side surface 34a on the second surface 32b. The thirteenth to sixteenth base electrodes are located closer to the second side surface 34b on the second surface 32b. The ninth to twelfth base electrodes may have the same configuration as the first to fourth base electrodes 28a to 28d, respectively, except that they are located on the second surface 32b. The thirteenth to sixteenth base electrodes may have the same configuration as the fifth to eighth base electrodes 28e to 28h, respectively, except that they are located on the second surface 32b.

[0125] As shown in FIG. 20, the multiple external electrodes 29 include a first external electrode 29a, a second external electrode 29b, a third external electrode 29c, a fourth external electrode 29d, a fifth external electrode 29e, a sixth external electrode 29f, a seventh external electrode 29g, and an eighth external electrode 29h.

[0126] The first external electrode 29a and the third external electrode 29c are located from the first side surface 34a to at least the first surface 32a and are connected to the plurality of second internal electrodes 30b. The first external electrode 29a and the third external electrode 29c are connected to the first underlying electrode 28a and the third underlying electrode 28c, respectively. The first external electrode 29a and the third external electrode 29c may cover the first underlying electrode 28a and the third underlying electrode 28c, respectively. The first external electrode 29a is located from the first side surface 34a to the first surface 32a and the second surface 32b and may be connected to the first underlying electrode 28a and the ninth underlying electrode. The first external electrode 29a may cover the first underlying electrode 28a and the ninth underlying electrode. The third external electrode 29c may be located from the first side surface 34a across the first surface 32a and the second surface 32b, and may be connected to the third underlying electrode 28c and the eleventh underlying electrode. The third external electrode 29c may cover the third underlying electrode 28c and the eleventh underlying electrode.

[0127] The second external electrode 29b and the fourth external electrode 29d are located from the first side surface 34a to at least the first surface 32a and are connected to the plurality of first internal electrodes 30a. The second external electrode 29b and the fourth external electrode 29d are connected to the second underlying electrode 28b and the fourth underlying electrode 28d, respectively. The second external electrode 29b and the fourth external electrode 29d may cover the second underlying electrode 28b and the fourth underlying electrode 28d, respectively. The second external electrode 29b is located from the first side surface 34a to the first surface 32a and the second surface 32b and may be connected to the second underlying electrode 28b and the tenth underlying electrode. The second external electrode 29b may cover the second underlying electrode 28b and the tenth underlying electrode. The fourth external electrode 29d may be located from the first side surface 34a across the first surface 32a and the second surface 32b, and may be connected to the fourth underlying electrode 28d and the twelfth underlying electrode. The fourth external electrode 29d may cover the fourth underlying electrode 28d and the twelfth underlying electrode.

[0128] The sixth external electrode 29f and the eighth external electrode 29h are located from the second side surface 34b to at least the first surface 32a and are connected to the plurality of second internal electrodes 30b. The sixth external electrode 29f and the eighth external electrode 29h are connected to the sixth underlying electrode 28f and the eighth underlying electrode 28h, respectively. The sixth external electrode 29f and the eighth external electrode 29h may cover the sixth underlying electrode 28f and the eighth underlying electrode 28h, respectively. The sixth external electrode 29f is located from the second side surface 34b to the first surface 32a and the second surface 32b and may be connected to the sixth underlying electrode 28f and the fourteenth underlying electrode. The sixth external electrode 29f may cover the sixth underlying electrode 28f and the fourteenth underlying electrode. The eighth external electrode 29h may be located from the second side surface 34b across the first surface 32a and the second surface 32b, and may be connected to the eighth underlying electrode 28h and the sixteenth underlying electrode. The eighth external electrode 29h may cover the eighth underlying electrode 28h and the sixteenth underlying electrode.

[0129] The fifth external electrode 29e and the seventh external electrode 29g are located from the second side surface 34b to at least the first surface 32a and are connected to the plurality of first internal electrodes 30a. The fifth external electrode 29e and the seventh external electrode 29g are connected to the fifth underlying electrode 28e and the seventh underlying electrode 28g, respectively. The fifth external electrode 29e and the seventh external electrode 29g may cover the fifth underlying electrode 28e and the seventh underlying electrode 28g, respectively. The fifth external electrode 29e is located from the second side surface 34b to the first surface 32a and the second surface 32b and may be connected to the fifth underlying electrode 28e and the thirteenth underlying electrode. The fifth external electrode 29e may cover the fifth underlying electrode 28e and the thirteenth underlying electrode. The seventh external electrode 29g may be located from the second side surface 34b across the first surface 32a and the second surface 32b, and may be connected to the seventh underlying electrode 28g and the fifteenth underlying electrode. The seventh external electrode 29g may cover the seventh underlying electrode 28g and the fifteenth underlying electrode.

[0130] The configuration of the base electrode 28 of the multilayer ceramic capacitors 10B and 10C will be described below. The explanations regarding the cohesive sintered body A and the like of the multilayer ceramic capacitors 10 and 10A may be applied to the multilayer ceramic capacitors 10B and 10C unless a contradiction arises. Just to be sure, a brief explanation will be given below.

[0131] In the multilayer ceramic capacitors 10B and 10C, the base electrode 28 includes a plurality of cohesive sintered bodies A, similar to the multilayer ceramic capacitors 10 and 10A shown in Fig. 4. At least a portion of the plurality of cohesive sintered bodies A (hereinafter also referred to as interfacial cohesive sintered bodies) is located at the interface B between the base electrode 28 and the laminate 27. The interfacial cohesive sintered bodies are cohesive, including a portion P at the interface B between the base electrode 28 and the laminate 27. A portion of the interfacial cohesive sintered body is located at the portion P, and bridges with the ceramic sintered bodies that make up the laminate 27.

[0132] The multilayer ceramic capacitors 10B and 10C may be configured such that, when viewed in cross section along the stacking direction, multiple portions P occupy 15% or more of the length of the interface B, similar to the multilayer ceramic capacitors 10 and 10A shown in FIG. 5 .

[0133] The multilayer ceramic capacitors 10B and 10C may be configured such that, when viewed in cross section along the stacking direction, the multiple cohesive sintered bodies A occupy 21% to 44% of the cross-sectional area of ​​the base electrode 28.

[0134] The interfacial cohesion sintered body may have a protrusion extending from the portion P when viewed in a cross section along the lamination direction of the base electrode 28, similar to the interfacial cohesion sintered body of the multilayer ceramic capacitors 10 and 10A (see FIG. 4).

[0135] The base electrode 28 may be substantially free of glass components.

[0136] The ceramic green sheets constituting the precursor of the laminate 27 may contain a glass component.

[0137] Similar to the multilayer ceramic capacitors 10 and 10A shown in FIG. 6, the multilayer ceramic capacitors 10B and 10C may be configured such that when a cross section along the stacking direction of the base electrode 28 is divided in the stacking direction into a first region close to the laminate 27 and a second region spaced apart from the laminate 27, a larger number of cohesive sintered bodies A (a larger number of cohesive sintered bodies A appearing in the cross section) are present in the second region than in the first region.

[0138] Although not specifically illustrated, further embodiments will be described. For convenience, the following description may use the reference numerals of any of the first to fourth embodiments. The following description may be applied to embodiments other than the embodiment to which the reference numeral is referred, provided that no contradiction or the like arises.

[0139] The base electrode 13 may be embedded in the laminate 12 (more specifically, the cover portions 12b and 12c) with the upper or lower surface exposed to the outside of the laminate 12. In other words, the base electrode 13 may be recessed with respect to the cover portions 12b and 12c. From another perspective, the first surface 17a and the second surface 17b of the laminate 12 do not have to be flat, and may be recessed at the position of the base electrode 13. For convenience, attention will be focused on the base electrode 13 on the upper surface side of the laminate 12. The upper surface of the embedded base electrode 13 may be flush with or located above the region of the first surface 17a where the base electrode 13 is not disposed.

[0140] As described above, even when the base electrode 13 is embedded, the base electrode 13 is still located on the first surface 17 a or the second surface 17 b. In other words, in the laminate 12, the bottom surface of the recess in which the base electrode 13 is located is part of the first surface 17 a or the second surface 17 b.

[0141] The method for fabricating the above-described embedded base electrode 13 is arbitrary. For example, taking the upper surface side as an example, the cover portion 12b is fabricated using two layers of ceramic green sheets. A base electrode 13 precursor is printed on the lower ceramic green sheet. A notch where the base electrode 13 is to be located is formed in the upper ceramic green sheet. This results in the fabrication of the embedded base electrode 13. And / or, the base electrode 13 precursor may be pressed into the ceramic green sheets by pressing.

[0142] The capacitor may have an exterior resin that covers the entire structure illustrated in Fig. 1 etc., and lead wires that are connected to the external electrodes and extend from the exterior resin. From another perspective, the capacitor may be a through-hole mount type rather than a surface mount type.

[0143] Two types of internal electrodes connected to different external electrodes may be alternately stacked two by two, rather than one by one. In this case, for example, the thickness of the dielectric layer between the internal electrodes connected to the same external electrode and facing each other may be thinner than the thickness of the dielectric layer between the internal electrodes connected to different external electrodes and facing each other. As can be understood from this, the multiple dielectric layers do not need to have the same shape and size.

[0144] Furthermore, two types of internal electrodes connected to different external electrodes do not have to face each other. For example, two types of internal electrodes connected to different external electrodes may be provided in the same layer, and an internal electrode facing the two types of internal electrodes may be provided, thereby forming a circuit in which two parallel plate capacitors are connected in series. Also, a circuit in which three or more parallel plate capacitors are connected in series may be formed.

[0145] In the first embodiment, the internal electrodes 5 are contained within the width (y direction) of the dielectric layers 6, and as a result, are not exposed from the side surfaces 9 a, 9 b of the laminate 2. However, a configuration in which the internal electrodes 5 are not exposed may be achieved by overlapping dielectric layers on the side surfaces 9 a, 9 b. From another perspective, the entire element part 1 does not need to have a laminated structure.

[0146] The present disclosure can be implemented in the following aspects (1) to (9).

[0147] (1) A laminate formed by alternately stacking a plurality of internal electrodes and a plurality of dielectric layers, the laminate having a first surface and a second surface opposing each other in a stacking direction, a first end surface and a second end surface opposing each other in a length direction perpendicular to the stacking direction, and a first side surface and a second side surface opposing each other in a width direction perpendicular to the stacking direction and the length direction; a plurality of base electrodes including a first base electrode and a second base electrode located on the first surface; and a plurality of external electrodes, the plurality of internal electrodes including a plurality of first internal electrodes exposed on the first end surface and a plurality of second internal electrodes exposed on the second end surface, the plurality of external electrodes including a first external electrode located from the first end surface across at least the first surface and connected to the plurality of first internal electrodes and the first base electrode; and a second external electrode located from the second end surface across at least the first surface and connected to the plurality of second internal electrodes and the second base electrode, the first external electrode and the second external electrode each include a plurality of agglomerated sintered bodies in which dielectric particles are agglomerated, and at least a portion of the plurality of agglomerated sintered bodies is located at an interface between each of the base electrodes and the laminate.

[0148] (2) A laminate formed by alternately stacking a plurality of internal electrodes and a plurality of dielectric layers, the laminate having a first surface and a second surface opposing each other in the stacking direction, a first side surface and a second side surface opposing each other in a length direction perpendicular to the stacking direction, and a third side surface and a fourth side surface opposing each other in a width direction perpendicular to the stacking direction and the length direction; a plurality of base electrodes including a first base electrode, a second base electrode, a third base electrode and a fourth base electrode located on the first surface; and a plurality of external electrodes, the plurality of internal electrodes having a plurality of first internal electrodes exposed at a first corner portion extending from the first side surface to the third side surface and a second corner portion extending from the second side surface to the fourth side surface, and a plurality of second internal electrodes exposed at a third corner portion extending from the first side surface to the fourth side surface and a fourth corner portion extending from the second side surface to the third side surface; and the plurality of external electrodes being a first external electrode located from the first corner portion across at least the first surface and connected to the plurality of first internal electrodes and the first base electrode; a second external electrode located from the second corner across at least the first surface, and connected to the plurality of first internal electrodes and the second base electrode; a third external electrode located from the third corner across at least the first surface, and connected to the plurality of second internal electrodes and the third base electrode; and a fourth external electrode located from the fourth corner across at least the first surface, and connected to the plurality of second internal electrodes and the fourth base electrode, wherein the first base electrode, the second base electrode, the third base electrode, and the fourth base electrode each include a plurality of coagulated sintered bodies in which dielectric particles are coagulated, and at least a portion of the plurality of coagulated sintered bodies are located at the interface between each base electrode and the laminate.

[0149] (3) The multilayer electronic component according to (1) or (2), wherein at least some of the plurality of cohesive sintered bodies are cohesively sintered, each including a plurality of portions at the interface, and when a cross section of each of the base electrodes is viewed along the stacking direction, the plurality of portions occupy 15% or more of the length of the interface.

[0150] (4) When a cross section of each of the base electrodes is viewed along the stacking direction, the plurality of cohesive sintered bodies occupy 21% to 44% of the cross-sectional area of ​​each of the base electrodes. A multilayer electronic component according to any one of (1) to (3).

[0151] (5) The multilayer electronic component according to any one of (1) to (4), wherein at least some of the plurality of cohesive sintered bodies are cohesively sintered, each including a plurality of portions at the interface, and at least some of the plurality of cohesive sintered bodies have a protrusion shape extending from each of the plurality of portions.

[0152] (6) The multilayer electronic component according to any one of (1) to (5) above, wherein the plurality of base electrodes are not directly joined to the plurality of internal electrodes.

[0153] (7) The multilayer electronic component according to any one of (1) to (6) above, wherein the plurality of base electrodes do not contain a glass component.

[0154] (8) The multilayer electronic component according to any one of (1) to (7), wherein, when a cross section of the plurality of base electrodes along the stacking direction is equally divided into two regions in the stacking direction, the plurality of cohesive sintered bodies are present in a larger amount in a region distant from the laminate than in a region close to the laminate.

[0155] (9) The multilayer electronic component according to any one of (1) to (8) above, wherein the dimension in the stacking direction is smaller than the dimension in the length direction and smaller than the dimension in the width direction.

[0156] DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10... Multilayer electronic component (multilayer ceramic capacitor), 1... Element body part, 2... Laminated body, 2a... Capacitance formation part, 2b, 2c... Cover part, 3... Base electrode, 3a... First base electrode, 3b... Second base electrode, 3c... Fourth base electrode, 3c... Third base electrode, 3d... Fourth base electrode, 31... First region, 3 2... Second region, 4... External electrode, 4a... First external electrode, 4b... Second external electrode, 5... Internal electrode, 5a... First internal electrode, 5b... Second internal electrode, 6... Dielectric layer, 7a... First surface, 7b... Second surface, 8a... First end surface, 8b... Second end surface, 9a... First side surface, 9b... Second side surface, 10A... Laminated electronic component (Multilayer ceramic capacitor), 11...element component, 12...laminated body, 12a...capacitance forming portion, 12b, 12c...cover portion, 13...base electrode, 13a...first base electrode, 13b...second base electrode, 13c...third base electrode, 13d...fourth base electrode, 13e...fifth base electrode, 13f...sixth base electrode, 13g...seventh base electrode, 13h...eighth base electrode, 131...first region, 132...second region, 14...external electrode, 14a...first external electrode, 14b...second external electrode, 14c...third external electrode, 14d...fourth external electrode, 15...internal electrode, 15a...first internal electrode, 15b...second internal electrode, 1 6...dielectric layer, 17a...first surface, 17b...second surface, 18a...first side surface, 18b...second side surface, 18c...third side surface, 18d...fourth side surface, 19a...first corner portion, 19b...second corner portion, 19c...third corner portion, 19d...fourth corner portion, 21...ceramic green sheet, 22...internal electrode sheet, 23...base electrode sheet, 24...base laminate, 25...planned cutting line, 26...element part, 27...laminated body, 27a...capacitance forming portion, 27b, 27c...cover portion, 28...base electrode, 28a...first base electrode, 28b...second base electrode, 28c...third base electrode, 28d...fourth base electrode, 28e...fifth base electrode electrode, 28f...sixth base electrode, 28g...seventh base electrode, 28h...eighth base electrode, 29...external electrode, 29a...first external electrode, 29b...second external electrode, 29c...third external electrode, 29d...fourth external electrode, 29e...fifth external electrode, 29f...sixth external electrode, 29g...seventh external electrode, 29h...eighth external electrode, 30...internal electrode, 30a...first internal electrode, 30b...second internal electrode, 31...dielectric layer, 32a...first surface, 32b...second surface, 33a...first end surface, 33b...second end surface, 34a...first side surface, 34b...second side surface, S...support sheet, A...aggregated sintered body, B, B'...interface, P...site.

Claims

a laminate having a plurality of internal electrodes and a plurality of dielectric layers alternately stacked, and having a first surface and a second surface opposing each other in a stacking direction; a plurality of base electrodes including a first base electrode located on the first surface; a plurality of external electrodes, each connected to one of the plurality of internal electrodes and one of the plurality of base electrodes; When viewed in a cross section along the stacking direction, the first base electrode includes a plurality of sintered bodies made of dielectric particles, and at least a portion of the plurality of sintered bodies is located at an interface between the first base electrode and the stacked body. Multilayer electronic components. 　 the at least some of the sintered bodies each include a plurality of portions at the interface, When the cross section of the first base electrode is viewed along the stacking direction, the plurality of portions occupy 15% or more of the length of the interface. The multilayer electronic component according to claim 1 . 　 When a cross section of the first base electrode is viewed along the stacking direction, the plurality of sintered bodies occupy 21% to 44% of a cross-sectional area of ​​the first base electrode. The multilayer electronic component according to claim 1 or 2. 　 the at least some of the sintered bodies each include a plurality of portions at the interface, At least some of the sintered bodies have a protrusion shape extending from each of the plurality of portions. The multilayer electronic component according to any one of claims 1 to 3. 　 the first base electrode is not directly bonded to the plurality of internal electrodes; The multilayer electronic component according to any one of claims 1 to 4. 　 The first base electrode does not contain a glass component. The multilayer electronic component according to any one of claims 1 to 5. 　 when a cross section of the first base electrode taken along the stacking direction is divided into two regions in the stacking direction, the plurality of sintered bodies are present in a larger amount in a region distant from the stacked body than in a region close to the stacked body; The multilayer electronic component according to any one of claims 1 to 6. 　 At least a portion of the plurality of sintered bodies in a cross section along the stacking direction are three-dimensionally connected to each other to form a network. The multilayer electronic component according to any one of claims 1 to 7. 　 the average particle size of the dielectric particles contained in the sintered body is smaller than the average particle size of the dielectric particles contained in the dielectric layer; The multilayer electronic component according to any one of claims 1 to 8.

10. The multilayer electronic component according to claim 1, wherein the dimension in the stacking direction is smaller than the dimension in the length direction and smaller than the dimension in the width direction. 　 the laminate has a first side surface and a second side surface opposed to each other in a length direction perpendicular to the stacking direction, and a third side surface and a fourth side surface opposed to each other in a width direction perpendicular to the stacking direction and the length direction, the plurality of base electrodes include a second base electrode, a third base electrode, and a fourth base electrode located on the first surface; The plurality of internal electrodes are a plurality of first internal electrodes exposed at a first corner portion extending from the first side surface to the third side surface and at a second corner portion extending from the second side surface to the fourth side surface; a plurality of second internal electrodes exposed at a third corner portion extending from the first side surface to the fourth side surface and at a fourth corner portion extending from the second side surface to the third side surface, The plurality of external electrodes are a first external electrode located from the first corner portion across at least the first surface and connected to the plurality of first internal electrodes and the first base electrode; a second external electrode located from the second corner portion across at least the first surface and connected to the plurality of first internal electrodes and the second base electrode; a third external electrode located from the third corner portion across at least the first surface and connected to the plurality of second internal electrodes and the third base electrode; a fourth external electrode located from the fourth corner portion across at least the first surface and connected to the plurality of second internal electrodes and the fourth base electrode, the second base electrode, the third base electrode, and the fourth base electrode each include a plurality of the sintered bodies when viewed in a cross section along the stacking direction, and at least a portion of the plurality of sintered bodies is located at an interface between each base electrode and the stacked body. The multilayer electronic component according to any one of claims 1 to 10. 　 the laminate has a first end surface and a second end surface facing each other in a length direction perpendicular to the stacking direction, and a first side surface and a second side surface facing each other in a width direction perpendicular to the stacking direction and the length direction, the plurality of base electrodes includes a second base electrode located on the first surface, the plurality of internal electrodes include a plurality of first internal electrodes exposed at the first end surface and a plurality of second internal electrodes exposed at the second end surface, The plurality of external electrodes are a first external electrode located from the first end surface across at least the first surface and connected to the plurality of first internal electrodes and the first base electrode; a second external electrode located from the second end surface across at least the first surface and connected to the plurality of second internal electrodes and the second base electrode, the second base electrode includes a plurality of the sintered bodies when viewed in a cross section along the stacking direction, and at least a portion of the plurality of sintered bodies is located at an interface between the second base electrode and the stacked body. The multilayer electronic component according to any one of claims 1 to 10.

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