Electronic Component Terminal Electrode Height Adjustment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional electronic component terminal electrode configurations lead to increased mounting area requirements, making high-density mounting challenging and causing inspection issues due to varying electrode heights, which results in contact failures and damage to inspection pins.
Innovation Solution
An electronic component with a seat portion adjacent to the electronic circuit element and a first terminal electrode formed above the seat portion, allowing adjustable height and reduced solder area, thereby facilitating high-density mounting and improving inspection reliability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the external electrode is formed by multilayer plating to cover the edge portion of the top and bottom surfaces as well as the side wall of the electronic component, then the electrode provides sufficient electrical connection and mechanical strength, but the solder fillet extends outward occupying a considerably larger area than the element itself, making high-density mounting difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The terminal electrode is configured to extend vertically above the seat portion rather than horizontally along the side wall. This vertical extension into the height dimension allows the electrode to provide sufficient connection area without increasing the horizontal mounting footprint, thereby enabling high-density mounting while maintaining reliable electrical and mechanical connections
Solution Approach 2:
The electrode structure is segmented into distinct functional portions: the seat portion (providing mechanical support), the vertical extension portion (providing electrical connection), and the terminal portion (providing solder attachment). This segmentation allows each portion to be optimized independently, with the vertical extension containing the electrode within a compact horizontal area while maintaining adequate connection reliability
2Adaptability or versatility
If two terminal electrodes are formed with different heights (on different levels relative to the substrate), then the electrode configuration can accommodate various connection requirements, but contact failure occurs between the terminal electrodes and inspection pins, making inspection difficult and potentially damaging the inspection pins
Solution Approach 1:
The terminal electrodes are configured to be substantially at the same height relative to the substrate surface. This equipotential arrangement ensures that inspection pins can contact both terminals simultaneously without encountering height differences that would cause contact failure or pin damage, while still allowing versatile electrode configurations through variations in other geometric parameters
3Productivity
If the terminal electrode extends above the seat portion, then the actual mounting area is reduced enabling higher density mounting, but the electrode structure becomes more complex requiring precise height adjustment
Solution Approach 1:
The height of the terminal electrode above the seat portion is optimized to a specific range that provides sufficient solder attachment area while maintaining a compact overall profile. This parameter optimization enables high-density mounting without requiring overly complex electrode structures, balancing mounting density improvements with structural simplicity
Data Source
AI summary
The invention provides an electronic component and a manufacturing method thereof that: can allow electronic components to be mounted on an external substrate at a higher density than before; can adjust the height (level) of a terminal electrode as required and desired, thereby solving problems that would occur in the inspection of the conventional electronic components; and can also improve the yield in the mounting of electronic components, thereby achieving increased productivity. A capacitor 1, which is an electronic component, has: a first upper electrode 5a formed above a substrate 2; a first seat 10 and a second seat 11 which are formed adjacent to the first upper electrode 5a; passivation layers 6 and 8 that cover the first upper electrode 5a and the first and second seats 10 and 11; and a terminal electrode 9a formed above the first and second seats 10 and 11 and connected to the first upper electrode 5a via via-conductors Va and Vc which are formed through the passivation layers 6 and 8 respectively.