Multilayer Capacitor Electrode Curvature for Breakdown Reliability
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Solution Overview
Problem
The challenge is to develop a multilayer ceramic capacitor with reduced size and increased capacitance while maintaining high reliability, as thinner internal electrodes can lead to short circuits, decreased capacitance, and lower breakdown voltage due to uneven thickness and smoothness issues.
Innovation Solution
The solution involves a multilayer electronic component design with internal electrodes that are curved at the ends and flat in the capacitance forming portion, where the distances from the outermost to the flat electrodes are controlled to ensure a uniform thickness, suppressing unevenness and enhancing smoothness, thereby increasing capacitance and reliability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of moving object
If the thickness of internal electrodes is decreased to reduce component size, then the capacitance per unit volume increases, but the reliability decreases due to short circuits and decreased breakdown voltage
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies different geometric configurations to different portions of the internal electrodes. Specifically, some internal electrodes have curved end portions while others have flat end portions within the capacitance forming portion. This local differentiation allows optimization of electric field distribution in critical regions while maintaining overall compact dimensions, thereby improving breakdown voltage without sacrificing size reduction
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes curved end portions for certain internal electrodes within the capacitance forming portion. This curvature modifies the electric field distribution at the electrode ends, preventing field concentration that would lead to premature breakdown. The curved geometry allows thinner electrodes to maintain higher breakdown voltage compared to straight-edged electrodes of the same thickness
2Quantity of substance
If the thickness of internal electrodes is decreased to increase capacitance, then the capacitance per unit volume increases, but short circuits occur due to uneven thickness
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces flat end portions for certain internal electrodes within the capacitance forming portion. This local geometric modification ensures uniform thickness distribution in critical areas where capacitance is formed, preventing short circuits that would occur with completely thin or uneven electrode structures. The flat portions act as thickness reference zones that maintain manufacturing precision
3Volume of moving object
If thinner dielectric layers are used to reduce component size, then the component size decreases, but the breakdown voltage decreases leading to lower reliability
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies curved and flat end portion configurations to internal electrodes at specific locations within the capacitance forming portion. This local geometric optimization compensates for the reduced dielectric layer thickness by modifying the electric field distribution pattern, thereby maintaining adequate breakdown voltage even with thinner dielectric layers
Solution Approach 2:
The curved end portions of internal electrodes modify the electric field lines in regions adjacent to the thin dielectric layers. This curvature prevents field concentration at sharp edges, allowing the use of thinner dielectric layers without proportionally reducing the breakdown voltage
Data Source
AI summary
A multilayer electronic component includes: a body including internal electrodes alternately disposed with dielectric layers in a first direction, wherein when a region in which the internal electrodes overlap each other in the first direction is a capacitance forming portion, the internal electrodes include internal electrodes that are curved at end portions thereof in the capacitance forming portion and internal electrodes that are flat in the capacitance forming portion, and in a cross-section of the body in the first and second directions, (F1+F2)/D1×100 is 35 or less, where F1 is a maximum distance from an uppermost internal electrode to an uppermost flat internal electrode in the first direction, F2 is a maximum distance from a lowermost internal electrode to a lowermost flat internal electrode in the first direction, and D1 is a size of the capacitance forming portion in the first direction at the center thereof in the second direction.