MLCC External Electrode Layout for Thin-Body Mounting Strength
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Solution Overview
Problem
The challenge is to maintain the strength of multilayer ceramic capacitors while reducing their thickness, as thinner capacitors face issues with uneven external electrode formation, leading to low solder wetting and contact area, which reduces the fixation strength during mounting.
Innovation Solution
A multilayer ceramic capacitor design with external electrodes formed by plating deposition, where the electrodes are strategically positioned on the lateral surfaces and main surfaces, ensuring a balanced surface area ratio and adequate contact area with solder, thereby enhancing fixation strength.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Length of moving object
If the thickness of multilayer ceramic capacitors is reduced, then the size of electronic devices can be reduced, but the external electrodes cannot be equally formed and the fixation strength is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by making the external electrodes extend beyond the corner regions of the stacked body to cover areas where internal electrodes are exposed. This ensures that even in thin capacitors, the external electrodes maintain sufficient surface area for solder mounting, resolving the issue of uneven electrode formation and low fixation strength that occurs with conventional corner-only electrode placement in reduced-thickness designs.
2Ease of manufacture
If external electrodes are formed by plating deposition at the four corners, then the manufacturing process is simple, but the external electrodes have low wetting degree of solder and small contact area
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extends the external electrodes from merely corner regions into the lateral surface regions of the stacked body, utilizing the lateral dimensions more effectively. This dimensional expansion of the electrode footprint increases the contact area with solder while maintaining the simple plating deposition manufacturing process, as the electrodes still follow the natural exposure pattern of internal electrodes on the lateral surfaces.
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 proposed design achieves reliable fixation strength during mounting by ensuring a sufficient surface area ratio of external electrodes and maintaining the structural integrity of the capacitors despite their reduced thickness.
Implementation Method 1
external electrodes formed by plating deposition
Data Source
AI summary
A multilayer ceramic capacitor includes a stacked body and external electrodes. The stacked body includes stacked dielectric layers and internal electrodes. The external electrodes are disposed on lateral surfaces of the stacked body and are connected to the internal electrodes. A ratio of min to max is not less than about 36% and not more than about 90%, where A1, A2, A3, and A4 respectively denote the surface areas of first, second, third, and fourth external electrodes that are located on the first or second main surface of the stacked body.