Ceramic Electronic Component with Composite External Electrodes

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Solution Overview

Problem

The miniaturization of multi-layer ceramic capacitors has led to difficulties in ensuring the reliability of connections between internal and external electrodes due to differences in thermal shrinkage between ceramic and metal materials, limiting capacitance and miniaturization potential.

Innovation Solution

Incorporating ceramic material into the external electrodes, which are sintered alongside the ceramic body, reduces thermal shrinkage stress and enhances the reliability of connections, allowing for narrower extracted portions and increased miniaturization while maintaining high capacitance.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Stability of the object's composition

If the extracted portion of the internal electrode is made thinner to reduce shrinkage, then the thermal shrinkage mismatch is reduced, but the connection reliability deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvethermal shrinkage consistencyVSAvoidconnection reliability

Core Design Contradiction:

Stability of the object's compositionVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The external electrode is formed as a composite material containing both metal particles (for conductivity) and ceramic particles (for thermal shrinkage matching). This composite structure allows the external electrode to have both electrical conductivity and thermal expansion characteristics similar to the ceramic body, thereby reducing thermal shrinkage mismatch while maintaining connection reliability even with thin extracted portions.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #40Composite materials

2Reliability

If the internal electrode is made thicker to improve connection reliability, then the connection reliability improves, but the number of laminated layers is limited, reducing capacitance

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveconnection reliabilityVSAvoidcapacitance

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSQuantity of substance

Solution Approach 1:

By using composite external electrodes with ceramic particles, the patent enables thinner extracted portions (100 μm or less) to maintain connection reliability. This allows increasing the number of laminated layers with thinner individual layers, thereby increasing total capacitance while maintaining reliable connections.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #40Composite materials

3Volume of moving object

If the extracted portion width is reduced for miniaturization, then the component size is reduced, but the connection reliability between internal and external electrodes deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecomponent sizeVSAvoidconnection reliability

Core Design Contradiction:

Volume of moving objectVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The composite external electrode containing ceramic particles provides thermal shrinkage matching that compensates for the reduced cross-sectional area of thin extracted portions. This allows the use of extracted portions with widths of 100 μm or less while maintaining connection reliability, enabling miniaturization without sacrificing reliability.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #40Composite materials

4Adaptability or versatility

If multiple external electrodes are arranged on one side surface to achieve multi-terminal structure, then the functionality is improved, but the ESL reduction effect is diminished

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvemulti-terminal functionalityVSAvoidequivalent series inductance

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSObject-generated harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent distributes external electrodes across multiple side surfaces of the ceramic body rather than concentrating them on one side surface. This three-dimensional arrangement of multi-terminal structures shortens the current path and reduces loop areas, thereby reducing equivalent series inductance while maintaining multi-terminal functionality.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

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

This approach improves the reliability of connections between internal and external electrodes, enabling the miniaturization of ceramic electronic components with a multi-terminal structure and maintaining high capacitance by synchronizing thermal shrinkage and using nickel as a suitable metal material for sintering.

Implementation Method 1

thermal shrinkage of the external electrodes can be suppressed when the ceramic body and the external electrodes are sintered in the same step

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectThermal shrinkage: Thermal Contraction

Implementation Method 2

when the ceramic body and the external electrodes are sintered in the same step

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectSintering: Sintering

Data Source

PatentUS10304631B2Ceramic electronic component and method of producing the same

Publication Date: 2019.05.28 TAIYO YUDEN KK

AI summary

A ceramic electronic component includes a ceramic body and external electrodes. The ceramic body includes ceramic layers formed of a ceramic material and laminated in a first axis direction, and internal electrode layers each including an extracted portion and disposed between the ceramic layers, the extracted portion being extracted to a circumference of each of the ceramic layers and having a width of 100 μm or less along the circumference. The external electrodes contain the ceramic material, the external electrodes being provided to a surface of the ceramic body and each connected to the extracted portion.