Laminated Ceramic Capacitor Terminal Electrode Plating
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Solution Overview
Problem
The challenge is to produce laminated ceramic capacitors with smaller size and higher capacitance while maintaining reliability, as thinner ceramic layers increase the risk of short circuits and existing direct plating methods result in outer terminal electrodes with large metal particles, leading to moisture retention and degraded insulation resistance.
Innovation Solution
A laminated electronic component with an outer terminal electrode formed by directly plating a surface of the electronic component body using metal particles with an average size of 0.5 μm or less, accompanied by a heat-treatment process to efficiently remove moisture and contaminants, ensuring high reliability and improved properties such as insulation resistance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of moving object
If the ceramic layer thickness is reduced to achieve smaller size and higher capacitance, then the capacitor size is reduced and capacitance is increased, but the probability of short circuiting between inner electrodes increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies different qualities to different parts of the ceramic layer. The inner electrode regions have optimized thickness and composition to prevent short circuits, while other regions can be thinner to reduce overall size. This local differentiation allows the capacitor to achieve small size and high capacitance without compromising reliability.
2Area of stationary object
If the area of each ceramic layer is increased to achieve larger effective area of inner electrodes, then the effective area is increased, but the product dimensional specifications are exceeded
Solution Approach 1:
The patent optimizes the vertical dimension (thickness) of the ceramic layers to increase the number of laminated layers, thereby increasing the effective area of inner electrodes in three-dimensional space without exceeding the planar dimensional specifications. This allows higher capacitance within the same footprint.
3Ease of manufacture
If outer terminal electrodes are formed by direct plating with large metal particles (1 μm or more), then the plating process is simplified, but the number of gaps at grain boundaries decreases, causing moisture retention and degraded insulation resistance
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the critical parameter of metal particle size from large (1 μm or more) to small (0.5 μm or less). This parameter change increases the number of gaps at grain boundaries in the plating film, creating sufficient channels for moisture removal during heat treatment, thereby maintaining high insulation resistance while keeping the direct plating process simple.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution effectively reduces the risk of short circuits and moisture retention, enhancing the reliability and performance of laminated ceramic capacitors by providing sufficient channels for moisture removal and maintaining improved insulation resistance over time.
Implementation Method 1
a plating film is deposited using the exposed portions of inner electrodes on an end surface of a ceramic assembly as nuclei
Implementation Method 2
When the electronic component body is heat treated to remove moisture, hydrogen molecules, and hydrogen ion from the inside of the electronic component body
Data Source
AI summary
A laminated electronic component includes outer terminal electrodes including lower plating films including metal particles having an average size of 0.5 μm or less, the lower plating films being formed by directly plating an outer surface of an electronic component body such that the lower plating films are electrically connected to exposed portions of inner conductors. The outer terminal electrodes may further include upper plating films formed on the lower plating films, the upper plating films being defined by one or more layers. Metal particles defining the upper plating films may have an average size of 0.5 μm or less. The metal particles defining the lower plating films may be Cu particles.