Multilayer Ceramic Component Dummy Conductor Plating
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Solution Overview
Problem
The challenge is to form high-precision external electrodes on small multilayer ceramic electronic components, as the reduced size leads to a smaller effective area for internal electrode overlap, making it difficult to achieve reliable plating, especially with electrolytic plating methods.
Innovation Solution
The introduction of a dummy lead-through conductor in non-effective layer regions of the ceramic body, which is electrically connected to the external electrodes, increases the probability of successful contact with a conductive medium, enhancing electrification efficiency and reducing plating time by providing additional exposed edges for metal deposition.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of moving object
If the size of the multilayer ceramic electronic component is reduced, then the compactness of the electronic device is improved, but the effective area for internal electrode overlap is reduced leading to deterioration of component characteristics
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces dummy lead-through conductors that extend through the ceramic body in the thickness direction (third dimension), providing additional exposed edges on opposite side surfaces. This dimensional extension compensates for the reduced effective area in the planar direction, maintaining reliable plating contact probability despite miniaturization.
2Ease of manufacture
If external electrodes are formed by conventional thick-film paste firing method, then the manufacturing process is simple, but the precision of external electrode formation is insufficient for fine pitch requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The dummy lead-through conductors serve as intermediary structures that facilitate the plating process. They provide additional exposed edges that act as intermediate contact points for the conductive medium, enabling reliable metal deposition without requiring high precision in the paste application process.
3Manufacturing precision
If electrolytic plating is applied to small electronic components, then external electrodes can be formed with high precision, but the probability of successful contact with the conductive medium is reduced due to smaller exposed portion area
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the exposed edges into multiple locations by providing dummy lead-through conductors that protrude from both side surfaces of the ceramic body. This segmentation distributes the plating contact opportunities across multiple spatial locations, increasing the overall probability of successful contact while maintaining the precision benefits of electrolytic plating.
4Reliability
If dummy conductors are added to improve plating reliability, then metal deposition reliability is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The dummy lead-through conductors are formed using the same internal electrode paste and manufacturing process as the functional internal electrodes. This multi-functional approach allows the dummy conductors to be integrated into the existing manufacturing flow without requiring separate processing steps, thereby limiting the increase in device complexity.
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 configuration allows for efficient formation of plated films on small multilayer ceramic electronic components, improving the reliability and precision of external electrode formation even at fine pitches, thus overcoming the limitations of conventional plating methods.
Implementation Method 1
it is possible to deposit metal not only at the exposed edges of internal electrodes but also at the exposed edges of dummy conductors
Data Source
AI summary
In a multilayer ceramic electronic component, when a region of a ceramic body in layers where neither of a first internal electrode and a second internal electrode is provided as viewed in a direction in which a plurality of ceramic layers are stacked on one another is defined as a non-effective layer region, a dummy lead-through conductor is arranged in the non-effective layer region so as to lead to at least two locations on portions of superficies of the ceramic body and be electrically connected to a second external electrode. When a conductive medium is brought into contact with one of a plurality of exposed edges of the dummy lead-through conductor, a current is also applied to the other exposed edges.