Multilayer Ceramic Capacitor Dummy Part Design
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Solution Overview
Problem
Multilayer ceramic capacitors (MLCCs) face challenges in maintaining strength to prevent bending, especially during manufacturing and mounting, as existing methods of adding dummy electrodes on both sides reduce the thickness of the capacitive and cover parts.
Innovation Solution
A multilayer ceramic capacitor design that includes a dummy part disposed only on the lower side of the body, with an identification layer and a dummy electrode layer alternately stacked with a dielectric layer, allowing for increased strength while maintaining thick capacitive and cover parts, and an identification layer with a distinguishable color to facilitate mounting.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If dummy electrodes are disposed on both upper and lower sides of the capacitive portion, then strength to prevent bending is improved, but thickness of the capacitive portion and cover part is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the dummy electrode from the capacitive portion and relocates it to form a separate dummy part on the lower side only. This separation allows the dummy electrode to provide bending resistance without occupying space within the capacitive portion or cover part, thus maintaining their required thickness while still improving overall structural strength.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent moves the dummy electrode from a two-dimensional arrangement (both upper and lower sides) to a one-dimensional arrangement (lower side only with extended thickness). The dummy part achieves bending resistance through its extended thickness dimension rather than through wide distribution across multiple surfaces.
2Length of moving object
If dummy part is disposed only on lower side of the body, then thickness of capacitive portion and cover part is maintained, but strength to prevent bending may be insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the geometric parameters of the dummy part by extending its thickness to be greater than the thickness of the capacitive portion. This parameter change allows a single-sided dummy structure to provide sufficient bending resistance that would traditionally require bilateral dummy electrodes.
3Productivity
If identification layer is added to identify dummy part location, then mounting efficiency is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses color differentiation in the identification layer to indicate the location of the dummy part. This visual marker allows mounting operators to quickly identify the correct orientation and placement of the capacitor without requiring complex mechanical features or additional components.
Solution Approach 2:
The identification layer serves multiple functions: it provides visual identification for mounting orientation, indicates the location of the dummy part, and maintains the structural integrity of the capacitor body. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate identification features.
Data Source
AI summary
A multilayer ceramic capacitor includes a body, and first and second external electrodes respectively disposed on opposing surfaces of the body in a longitudinal direction. The body includes a capacitive portion including an internal electrode layer including first and second internal electrodes respectively exposed to the opposing surfaces of the body in the longitudinal direction and a floating electrode layer including a floating electrode, the internal electrode layer and the floating electrode layer being alternately stacked with a first dielectric layer interposed therebetween, a cover part disposed on the capacitive portion and having stacked second dielectric layers, a dummy part disposed below the capacitive portion and including a dummy electrode layer including a dummy electrode and a third dielectric layer, the dummy electrode layer and the third dielectric layer being alternately stacked, and an identification layer disposed below the dummy part and having a color distinguished from the cover part.