阅读说明：本技术 多层陶瓷电子组件及制造多层陶瓷电子组件的方法 (Multilayer ceramic electronic component and method of manufacturing multilayer ceramic electronic component ) 是由 禹锡均 车炅津 金正烈 赵志弘 于 2019-03-14 设计创作，主要内容包括：本发明提供一种多层陶瓷电子组件及制造多层陶瓷电子组件的方法。所述制造多层陶瓷电子组件的方法包括：制备陶瓷生片；通过将包括导电粉末的用于内电极的膏体涂敷到所述陶瓷生片形成内电极图案；通过层叠其上形成有所述内电极图案的所述陶瓷生片形成陶瓷层叠结构；通过烧结所述陶瓷层叠结构形成包括介电层和内电极的主体；以及通过在所述主体上形成电极层并在所述电极层上形成导电树脂层形成外电极,并且所述导电粉末包括导电金属和锡(Sn),并且锡(Sn)的基于所述导电金属的重量的含量为1.5wt％或更高。(The invention provides a multilayer ceramic electronic component and a method of manufacturing the same. The method of manufacturing a multilayer ceramic electronic component includes: preparing a ceramic green sheet; forming an internal electrode pattern by applying a paste for internal electrodes including a conductive powder to the ceramic green sheets; forming a ceramic laminated structure by laminating the ceramic green sheets on which the internal electrode patterns are formed; forming a body including a dielectric layer and an internal electrode by sintering the ceramic laminated structure; and forming an external electrode by forming an electrode layer on the body and forming a conductive resin layer on the electrode layer, and the conductive powder includes a conductive metal and tin (Sn), and a content of tin (Sn) based on a weight of the conductive metal is 1.5 wt% or more.)

1. A multilayer ceramic electronic component comprising:

a body including a dielectric layer and an internal electrode; and

an external electrode including an electrode layer disposed on the body and connected to the internal electrode, and a conductive resin layer disposed on the electrode layer,

wherein the internal electrode includes a plurality of metal crystal grains and a composite layer disposed at a crystal grain boundary between the plurality of metal crystal grains, and the composite layer includes tin.

2. The multilayer ceramic electronic component of claim 1, wherein the composite layer is further disposed at a boundary between the metal grains and the dielectric layer.

3. The multilayer ceramic electronic component of claim 1, wherein the composite layer encapsulates at least one of the plurality of metal grains.

4. The multilayer ceramic electronic component of any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the internal electrode comprises a conductive metal, and

the content of tin in the internal electrode is 1.5 wt% or more based on the weight of the conductive metal in the internal electrode.

5. The multilayer ceramic electronic component of claim 1, wherein the composite layer has a thickness in a range of 1nm to 15 nm.

6. The multilayer ceramic electronic component of claim 1, wherein the metal grains are nickel (Ni) grains.

7. The multilayer ceramic electronic component according to claim 1, wherein C.gtoreq.85%, wherein C is a ratio of a length of a portion where the internal electrode extends to a total length of the internal electrode.

8. The multilayer ceramic electronic component according to claim 1, wherein the electrode layer comprises glass and at least one material selected from the group consisting of copper, silver, nickel and alloys thereof, and the conductive resin layer comprises a matrix resin and at least one material selected from the group consisting of copper, silver, nickel and alloys thereof.

9. The multilayer ceramic electronic component of claim 1, wherein the internal electrodes have a thickness of less than 1 μ ι η and the dielectric layers have a thickness of less than 2.8 μ ι η.

10. The multilayer ceramic electronic component of claim 1, wherein the internal electrode has a thickness of less than 1 μ ι η.

11. The multilayer ceramic electronic component of claim 1, wherein the dielectric layer has a thickness of less than 2.8 μ ι η.

12. The multilayer ceramic electronic component according to claim 1, wherein td >2 × te, where te is a thickness of the internal electrode and td is a thickness of the dielectric layer.

13. The multilayer ceramic electronic component of claim 1, wherein the composite layer further comprises nickel.

14. The multilayer ceramic electronic component of claim 1, wherein the metal grains comprise nickel grains.

15. A multilayer ceramic electronic component comprising:

a body including a dielectric layer and an internal electrode; and

an external electrode including an electrode layer disposed on the body and connected to the internal electrode, and a conductive resin layer disposed on the electrode layer,

wherein the internal electrode includes a plurality of metal crystal grains and a composite layer,

the composite layer is disposed at a boundary between the internal electrode and the dielectric layer, and the composite layer includes tin.

16. The multilayer ceramic electronic component of claim 15, wherein the composite layer encapsulates one or more of the plurality of metal grains.

17. The multilayer ceramic electronic component of any one of claims 15 and 16, wherein the internal electrode comprises a conductive metal, and

the content of tin in the internal electrode is 1.5 wt% or more based on the weight of the conductive metal in the internal electrode.

18. The multilayer ceramic electronic component of claim 15, wherein the composite layer has a thickness in a range of 1nm to 15 nm.

19. The multilayer ceramic electronic component of claim 15, wherein the internal electrode has a thickness of less than 1 μ ι η.

20. The multilayer ceramic electronic component of claim 15, wherein the dielectric layer has a thickness of less than 2.8 μ ι η.

Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to a multilayer ceramic electronic component and a method of manufacturing the same.

Background

In general, an electronic component using a ceramic material, such as a capacitor, an inductor, a piezoelectric device, a varistor, or a thermistor, may include a body formed using the ceramic material, internal electrodes formed in the body, and external electrodes disposed on a surface of the body to be connected to the internal electrodes.

Among the multilayer ceramic electronic components, the multilayer ceramic capacitor may include a plurality of stacked dielectric layers, inner electrodes opposite to each other with a single dielectric layer interposed therebetween, and outer electrodes electrically connected to the inner electrodes.

Multilayer ceramic capacitors have been used as components of mobile communication devices such as computers, PDAs, mobile phones, and the like because of their small size, their high capacity secured, and their easy installation.

Interest in electrical components continues to increase, and multilayer ceramic capacitors used in the electrical industry, such as those used in vehicles or infotainment systems, have been required to have high reliability and high internal voltage performance.

In order to secure high reliability and high internal voltage performance, it may be necessary to prevent discontinuity and agglomeration of the internal electrodes and to improve the connectivity of the internal electrodes.

In order to solve this problem, a method of dispersing an inhibitor (a ceramic material for delaying sintering of the conductive powder) in a paste for an internal electrode and delaying sintering of the conductive powder has been developed. However, this method has a local problem depending on the dispersion state of the inhibitor, and may require the addition of a significantly large amount of the inhibitor and organic material to sufficiently obtain the intended effect.

In addition, the residue of the organic material for achieving the strength of the sheet may become harmful residual carbon (crystallized residual carbon) during the sintering process, which may cause agglomeration of the electrode, a dielectric layer that is not uniformly sintered, and the like.

Therefore, it has been necessary to develop a method capable of solving the problems of discontinuity and agglomeration of the internal electrodes without the problem of dispersion or the like, while preventing the generation of residual carbon.

Disclosure of Invention

An aspect of the present disclosure may provide a method of manufacturing a multilayer ceramic electronic component having high reliability and high internal voltage performance by preventing discontinuity and agglomeration of internal electrodes without dispersion problems and the like, while preventing generation of residual carbon.

According to an aspect of the present disclosure, a method of manufacturing a multilayer ceramic electronic component includes: preparing a ceramic green sheet; forming an internal electrode pattern by applying a paste for internal electrodes including a conductive powder to the ceramic green sheets; forming a ceramic laminated structure by laminating the ceramic green sheets on which the internal electrode patterns are formed; forming a body including a dielectric layer and an internal electrode by sintering the ceramic laminated structure; and forming an external electrode by forming an electrode layer on the body and forming a conductive resin layer on the electrode layer. The conductive powder includes a conductive metal and tin (Sn), and a content of the tin (Sn) based on a weight of the conductive metal is 1.5 wt% or more.

According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a multilayer ceramic electronic component includes: a body including a dielectric layer and an internal electrode; and an external electrode including an electrode layer disposed on the body and connected to the internal electrode, and a conductive resin layer disposed on the electrode layer. The internal electrode includes metal grains and a composite layer encapsulating the metal grains, and the composite layer includes nickel (Ni) and tin (Sn).

Drawings

The above and other aspects, features and advantages of the present disclosure will be more clearly understood from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

fig. 1 is a schematic view illustrating a conductive powder having a core-shell structure according to an exemplary embodiment in the present disclosure;

fig. 2 is a graph showing a comparison of thermal shrinkage behavior according to a change in content of tin (Sn) based on the content of a conductive metal;

FIGS. 3A and 3B are schematic views showing ceramic green sheets on which internal electrode patterns are formed;

fig. 4 is a schematic perspective view illustrating a multilayer ceramic electronic component manufactured by a method of manufacturing the multilayer ceramic electronic component according to an exemplary embodiment in the present disclosure;

FIG. 5 is a schematic perspective view showing the body of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken along line I-I' in FIG. 4; and

fig. 7 is a diagram showing a portion P1 in fig. 6 in an enlarged form.

Detailed Description

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described as follows with reference to the accompanying drawings.

This disclosure may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the specific embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the disclosure to those skilled in the art. Therefore, the shapes and sizes of elements in the drawings may be exaggerated for clarity of description, and elements indicated by the same reference numerals in the drawings are the same elements.

In the drawings, certain elements may be omitted for clarity in describing the present disclosure, and the thicknesses may be exaggerated for clarity in expressing various layers and various regions. The same reference numerals will be used to describe the same elements having the same functions within the scope of the same concept. Further, throughout the specification, it will be understood that when an element is "included" in part, the element may also include, but does not exclude, another element, unless otherwise specified.

In the drawings, the X direction is a second direction or a length direction, the Y direction is a third direction or a width direction, and the Z direction is a first direction, a lamination direction, or a thickness direction.

Fig. 1 is a schematic view illustrating a conductive powder having a core-shell structure according to an exemplary embodiment in the present disclosure.

Fig. 2 is a graph showing a comparison of thermal shrinkage behavior according to a change in the content of tin (Sn) based on the content of a conductive metal.

Fig. 3A and 3B are schematic views illustrating ceramic green sheets on which internal electrode patterns are formed.

Fig. 4 is a schematic perspective view illustrating a multilayer ceramic electronic component manufactured by a method of manufacturing the multilayer ceramic electronic component according to an exemplary embodiment.

Fig. 5 is a schematic perspective view illustrating the body of fig. 4.

Fig. 6 is a sectional view taken along line I-I' in fig. 4.

Fig. 7 is a diagram showing a portion P1 in fig. 6 in an enlarged form.

In the following description, a method of manufacturing a multilayer ceramic electronic component and a multilayer ceramic electronic component manufactured by the method will be described in more detail according to exemplary embodiments with reference to fig. 1 to 7.

Method for manufacturing multilayer ceramic electronic component

The method of manufacturing a multilayer ceramic electronic component may include: preparing a ceramic green sheet; forming an internal electrode pattern by applying a paste for internal electrodes including conductive powder to the ceramic green sheets; forming a ceramic laminated structure by laminating ceramic green sheets on which internal electrode patterns are formed; forming a body including a dielectric layer and an internal electrode by sintering a ceramic laminated structure; and forming an external electrode by forming an electrode layer on the body and forming a conductive resin layer on the electrode layer. The conductive powder may include a conductive metal and tin (Sn), and the content of tin (Sn) may be 1.5 wt% or more based on the weight of the conductive metal.

Preparation of ceramic Green sheet

A ceramic green sheet including ceramic powder can be manufactured.

The ceramic green sheet may be a sheet having a certain thickness (μm), which may use a slurry formed of a mixture of ceramic powder, a binder, a solvent, etc., and is manufactured by performing a doctor blade process on the slurry. The ceramic green sheet may be sintered, and a dielectric layer 111 as shown in fig. 6 may be formed.

Forming internal electrode patterns

The internal electrode pattern may be formed by applying a paste for internal electrodes including conductive powder to the ceramic green sheets. The conductive powder may include a conductive metal and tin (Sn), and the content of tin (Sn) may be 1.5 wt% or more based on the weight of the conductive metal.

The internal electrode patterns may be formed by a screen printing method or a gravure printing method.

The difference in sintering temperature between the paste for internal electrodes and the ceramic green sheets may cause several problems such as discontinuity of electrodes, agglomeration of electrodes, and the like. In particular, in order to secure high reliability and high internal voltage performance, it may be necessary to improve the connectivity of the internal electrodes by preventing discontinuity and agglomeration of the internal electrodes.

In order to solve the above problems, a method of dispersing an inhibitor (a ceramic material for delaying sintering of conductive powder) in a paste for an internal electrode and delaying sintering of the conductive powder has been developed. However, this method has a local problem depending on the dispersion state of the inhibitor, and may require the addition of a significantly large amount of the inhibitor and organic material to sufficiently obtain the intended effect.

In addition, the residue of the organic material for achieving the strength of the sheet may become harmful residual carbon (crystallized residual carbon) during the sintering process, which may cause agglomeration of the electrode, a dielectric layer that is not uniformly sintered, and the like.

The conductive powder according to example embodiments may include a conductive metal and tin (Sn), and the content of tin (Sn) may be 1.5 wt% or more based on the weight of the conductive metal. Since the conductive powder includes tin (Sn), sintering of the conductive powder may be uniformly delayed regardless of the dispersion property.

Further, if a conductive powder not including tin (Sn) is used, harmful carbon residue (crystal carbon residue) that looks like a bunch of wires is generated on the surface of the electrode, and a problem of caking of the electrode, a dielectric layer that is unevenly sintered, and the like may be caused. However, according to example embodiments, tin (Sn) may prevent agglomeration of the conductive metal during the sintering process, and may prevent generation of harmful carbon residue (crystalline carbon residue) caused by the conductive powder used as the dehydrogenation catalyst.

In addition, tin (Sn) may not be easily dissolved in the conductive powder, but may have good wet fastness properties with the conductive powder and a low melting point. Accordingly, as shown in fig. 7, during the sintering process, tin (Sn) may melt onto the surfaces of the crystal grains 121a and 122a of the internal electrodes 121 and 122 and form composite layers 121b and 122b including nickel (Ni) and tin (Sn), thereby preventing the crystal grains 121a and 122a from growing.

Therefore, according to the exemplary embodiments, the generation of harmful carbon residue and the discontinuity and agglomeration of the internal electrodes may be prevented without the problem of dispersion, etc., and a multilayer ceramic electronic component having high reliability and high internal voltage performance and a method of manufacturing the same may be provided.

Fig. 2 is a graph showing a comparison of thermal shrinkage behaviors of a conductive powder not including tin (Sn) (comparative example 1), a conductive powder having 0.2 wt% of tin (Sn) based on the weight of a conductive metal (comparative example 2), and a conductive powder having 1.5 wt% of tin (Sn) based on the weight of a conductive metal (example 1).

Referring to fig. 2, the higher the content of tin (Sn) based on the weight of the conductive metal, the higher the temperature at which shrinkage starts. However, in comparative example 2, the content of tin (Sn) was less than 1.5 wt%, and the temperature at which shrinkage starts in comparative example 2 was not significantly different from that in comparative example 1, which did not include tin (Sn), and the expected effect was not achieved. In example 1 in which the content of tin (Sn) based on the weight of the conductive metal was 1.5 wt%, the temperature at which shrinkage started was significantly higher than that in comparative example 1.

Therefore, it may be desirable to configure the content of tin (Sn) based on the weight of the conductive metal to be 1.5 wt% or more. In addition, it may not be necessary to limit the maximum content of tin (Sn) based on the weight of the conductive metal. For example, the content of tin (Sn) based on the weight of the conductive metal may be 4.0 wt% or less.

In this case, tin (Sn) may form an alloy with the conductive metal, and may be included in the conductive powder in the form of an alloy, or may be included in the conductive powder by being coated on the surface of the conductive metal.

Referring to fig. 1, regarding a configuration in which a surface of a conductive metal is coated with tin (Sn), the conductive powder may have a core-shell structure 10, and the conductive metal may be included in a core 11, and the tin (Sn) may be included in a shell 12.

The shell 12 may be formed by an atomic layer deposition process.

An Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD) process may be used to deposit a film or protective layer on the surface of a substrate during a semiconductor process. Unlike methods of chemically coating films, ALD processes can grow films by stacking atomic layers one on top of the other. The ALD process may have excellent step coverage, may easily adjust the thickness of a film, and may uniformly form a film.

By forming the shell 12 on the surface of the core 11 through the ALD process, a dense and uniformly coated tin (Sn) layer may be formed.

In addition, the conductive powder may further include one or more materials selected from the group consisting of copper (Cu), silver (Ag), palladium (Pd), platinum (Pt), rhodium (Rh), iridium (Ir), ruthenium (Ru), and alloys thereof.

The conductive powder may further include one or more materials selected from the group consisting of tungsten (W), molybdenum (Mo), chromium (Cr), cobalt (Co), and alloys thereof.

Since tungsten (W), molybdenum (Mo), chromium (Cr), and cobalt (Co) have high melting points, the effect of preventing grain growth obtained by using tin (Sn) having a low melting point can be further amplified.

Further, the paste for the inner electrode may further include 300ppm or less (excluding 0) of sulfur (S) based on the content of the conductive powder.

Generally, the paste for the inner electrode may include sulfur (S), a material for delaying shrinkage. However, when the content of sulfur (S) exceeds 300ppm, a composite layer including nickel (Ni) and tin (Sn) may be unevenly formed after the sintering process.

In addition, the conductive metal included in the conductive powder may be nickel (Ni) powder having a melting point higher than that of tin (Sn).

Forming a ceramic laminated structure

The ceramic laminated structure may be formed by laminating ceramic green sheets on which internal electrode patterns are formed.

In this case, the ceramic laminated structure may be pressed by applying pressure in the laminating direction.

Thereafter, the ceramic laminated structure may be turned into a sheet by cutting each region corresponding to one capacitor.

In this case, the ceramic laminated structure may be cut such that one end of the internal electrode pattern is alternately exposed through the side surface. Accordingly, as shown in fig. 3A and 3B, the ceramic laminated structure may have a form in which ceramic green sheets a in which an internal electrode pattern P1 that becomes a first internal electrode 121 after a sintering process is formed on a ceramic green sheet S and ceramic green sheets B in which an internal electrode pattern P2 that becomes a second internal electrode 122 after the sintering process is formed on the ceramic green sheet S are alternately laminated.

Form a main body

The ceramic laminated structure may be sintered to form a body including the dielectric layer and the internal electrode.

The sintering process may be performed in a shrinking atmosphere. In addition, the heating rate may be adjusted during the sintering process. For example, at a temperature of 700 ℃ or less, the heating rate may be in the range of 30 ℃/60s to 50 ℃/60s, but examples thereof are not limited thereto.

Forming external electrodes

The external electrode may be formed by forming an electrode layer on the body and forming a conductive resin layer on the electrode layer. The electrode layer may be formed such that the electrode layer covers the side surface of the body and is electrically connected to the internal electrode exposed to the side surface of the body.

The electrode layer may be formed by applying a paste including one or more materials selected from the group consisting of copper (Cu), silver (Ag), nickel (Ni), and an alloy thereof, and glass, and the conductive resin layer may be formed by applying a paste including one or more materials selected from the group consisting of copper (Cu), silver (Ag), nickel (Ni), and an alloy thereof, and a matrix resin.

Thereafter, a plating layer such as a nickel (Ni) plating layer, a tin (Sn) plating layer, or the like may be formed on the external electrodes.

Multilayer ceramic electronic component

The multilayer ceramic electronic component 100 manufactured by the method of manufacturing a multilayer ceramic electronic component according to the exemplary embodiment as described above may include: a body 110 including a dielectric layer 111, internal electrodes 121 and 122; and external electrodes 131 and 132 including electrode layers 131a and 132a disposed on the body 110 and connected to the internal electrodes 121 and 122, respectively, and conductive resin layers 131b and 132b disposed on the electrode layers. The internal electrodes 121 and 122 may include metal grains 121a and 122a, respectively, and composite layers 121b and 122b encapsulating the metal grains 121a and 122a, respectively, and the composite layers 121b and 122b may include nickel (Ni) and tin (Sn).

In the body 110, the dielectric layer 111 and the internal electrodes 121 and 122 may be alternately stacked.

The shape of the body 110 may not be limited to any particular shape, but as shown in the drawings, the body 110 may have a hexahedral shape or a hexahedral-like shape. The body 110 may have a substantially hexahedral shape, although the hexahedral shape may not be an exact hexahedron formed of straight lines due to shrinkage of the ceramic powder included in the body 110 during the sintering process.

The body 110 may have first and second surfaces 1 and 2 opposite to each other in a thickness direction (Z direction), third and fourth surfaces 3 and 4 connected to the first and second surfaces 1 and 2 and opposite to each other in a length direction (X direction), and fifth and sixth surfaces 5 and 6 connected to the first and second surfaces 1 and 2 and the third and fourth surfaces 3 and 4 and opposite to each other in a width direction (Y direction).

Referring to fig. 5, a distance between the first surface 1 and the second surface 2 may be defined as a thickness T of the body, a distance between the third surface 3 and the fourth surface 4 may be defined as a length L of the body, and a distance between the fifth surface 5 and the sixth surface 6 may be defined as a width W of the body.

The plurality of dielectric layers 111 forming the body 110 may be in a sintered state, and the dielectric layers 111 may be integrated, so that it may be difficult to identify a boundary between adjacent dielectric layers 111 without using a Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM).

According to an example embodiment, the material of the dielectric layer 111 may not be limited to any specific material. For example, the material of the dielectric layer 111 may be, for example, a barium titanate material, a perovskite material combined with lead (Pb), a strontium titanate material, or the like.

To form the material of the dielectric layer 111, barium titanate (BaTiO) may be used₃) Various ceramic additives, organic solvents, coupling agents, dispersants, etc. are added to the powder of the powder.

In this case, the multilayer ceramic capacitor 100 may include a capacitance forming part disposed in the body 110 and forming a capacitance including the first and second internal electrodes 121 and 122 disposed to face each other with the dielectric layer 111 interposed therebetween, and a cover part 112 disposed on upper and lower parts of the capacitance forming part 112.

The cover 112 may not include the internal electrodes 121 and 122, and may include the same material as that of the dielectric layer 111. In other words, the cover 112 may include a ceramic material such as a barium titanate material, a perovskite material combined with lead (Pb), a strontium titanate material, or the like.

The cover part 112 may be formed by providing a single dielectric layer or laminating two or more dielectric layers on the upper and lower surfaces of the capacitor forming part, respectively, and may prevent damage to the inner electrode caused by physical stress or chemical stress.

The internal electrodes 121 and 122 may be alternately stacked with the dielectric layers, and may include first and second internal electrodes 121 and 122. The first and second internal electrodes 121 and 122 may be alternately disposed to be opposite to each other with the dielectric layer 111 forming the body 110 interposed between the first and second internal electrodes 121 and 122, and the first and second internal electrodes 121 and 122 may be exposed to the third and fourth surfaces 3 and 4 of the body, respectively.

In this case, the first and second internal electrodes 121 and 122 may be electrically isolated from each other by the dielectric layer 111 interposed therebetween.

The method of printing the conductive paste may be a screen printing method, a gravure printing method, or the like. However, the method is not limited thereto.

The first and second internal electrodes 121 and 122 may include metal grains 121a and 122a, respectively, and composite layers 121b and 122b encapsulating the metal grains 121a and 122a, respectively, and the composite layers 121b and 122b may include nickel (Ni) and tin (Sn). Composite layers 121b and 122b including nickel (Ni) and tin (Sn) may be configured to almost completely encapsulate at least one of metal grains 121a and at least one of metal grains 122a, respectively.

The metal grains 121a and 122a may be polyhedrons formed by metal atoms arranged in a regular manner. Composite layers 121b and 122b including nickel (Ni) and tin (Sn) may encapsulate the metal grains 121a and 122a, respectively. In other words, composite layers 121b and 122b including nickel (Ni) and tin (Sn) may be disposed on the grain boundaries. The composite layers 121b and 122b including nickel (Ni) and tin (Sn) may prevent the metal grains 121a and 122a from growing outward, thereby preventing discontinuity and agglomeration of the internal electrodes.

When the ratio of the length of the portion where the internal electrodes are formed to the total length of the internal electrodes 121 and 122 is defined as the connectivity degree C of the internal electrodes, the connectivity degree C may satisfy 85% ≦ C since the composite layers 121b and 122b including nickel (Ni) and tin (Sn) prevent the metal grains 121a and 122a from growing outward.

The composite layers 121b and 122b including nickel (Ni) and tin (Sn) may have a thickness ranging from 1nm to 15 nm.

When the thickness of the composite layers 121b and 122b including nickel (Ni) and tin (Sn) is less than 1nm, it may be impossible to sufficiently prevent the metal grains from growing outward, and when the thickness of the composite layers 121b and 122b including nickel (Ni) and tin (Sn) exceeds 15nm, the thickness of the composite layers 121b and 122b may be unevenly formed. Therefore, the effect of preventing the metal grains from growing outward may be reduced.

The metal grains 121a and 122a may be Ni grains.

The external electrodes 131 and 132 may include electrode layers 131a and 132a disposed on the body 110 and connected to the internal electrodes 121 and 122, respectively, and conductive resin layers 131b and 132b disposed on the electrode layers 131a and 132a, respectively.

In this case, the external electrodes 131 and 132 may further include Ni plating layers 131c and 132c disposed on the conductive resin layers 131b and 132b, respectively, and Sn plating layers 131d and 132d disposed on the Ni plating layers 131c and 132c, respectively.

The external electrodes 131 and 132 may further include a first external electrode 131 disposed on the third surface 3 of the body and a second external electrode 132 disposed on the fourth surface 4.

The first external electrode 131 may include a first electrode layer 131a connected to the first internal electrode 121 and a first conductive resin layer 131b disposed on the first electrode layer 131 a.

The second external electrode 132 may include a second electrode layer 132a connected to the second internal electrode 122 and a second conductive resin layer 132b disposed on the second electrode layer 132 a.

The first external electrode 131 may further include a first Ni plating layer 131c disposed on the first conductive resin layer 131b and a first Sn plating layer 131d disposed on the first Ni plating layer 131 c.

The second external electrode 132 may further include a second Ni plating layer 132c disposed on the second conductive resin layer 132b and a second Sn plating layer 132d disposed on the second Ni plating layer 132 c.

The first and second external electrodes 131 and 132 may be electrically connected to the first and second internal electrodes 121 and 122, respectively, to form a capacitance, and the second external electrode 132 may be connected to a potential different from that of the first external electrode 131.

The electrode layers 131a and 132a may include conductive metal and glass.

The conductive metal used to form the electrode layers 131a and 132a may not be limited to any specific material as long as the material can be electrically connected to the internal electrodes to form a capacitor. The material may be one or more materials selected from the group consisting of copper (Cu), silver (Ag), nickel (Ni), and alloys thereof.

The electrode layers 131a and 132a may be formed using a sintering process and a conductive paste made by adding glass frit to powder of conductive metal powder is applied.

The conductive resin layers 131b and 132b may be formed on the electrode layers 131a and 132a, respectively, and may completely cover the electrode layers 131a and 132a, respectively.

The conductive resin layers 131b and 132b may include a conductive metal and a matrix resin.

The base resin included in the conductive resin layers 131b and 132b may not be limited to any specific material as long as the material has adhesive properties and vibration absorbing properties and can be mixed with conductive metal powder to manufacture a paste. For example, the material may include an epoxy.

The conductive metal included in the conductive resin layers 131b and 132b may not be limited to any specific material as long as the material can be electrically connected to the electrode layers 131a and 132 a. For example, the material may include one or more materials selected from the group consisting of copper (Cu), silver (Ag), nickel (Ni), and alloys thereof.

The Ni plating layers 131c and 132c may be formed on the conductive resin layers 131b and 132b, respectively, and may completely cover the conductive resin layers 131b and 132b, respectively.

Sn plating layers 131d and 132d may be formed on the Ni plating layers 131c and 132c, respectively, and may completely cover the Ni plating layers 131c and 132c, respectively.

The Ni plating layers 131c and 132c and the Sn plating layers 131d and 132d may improve connection performance and mounting performance.

The external electrodes 131 and 132 may include a connection part C disposed on the third surface 3 or the fourth surface 4 of the body and a band part B extending from the connection part C to a portion of the first surface 1 and a portion of the second surface 2.

The strip portion B may extend from the connecting portion C to a portion of the fifth surface 5 and a portion of the sixth surface 6, in addition to a portion of the first surface 1 and a portion of the second surface 2.

Fig. 7 is a diagram showing a portion P1 in fig. 6 in an enlarged form.

Referring to fig. 7, in the multilayer ceramic electronic component according to the exemplary embodiment, a thickness td of the dielectric layer 111 and a thickness te of the internal electrodes 121 and 122 may satisfy td >2 × te.

In other words, according to an exemplary embodiment, the thickness td of the dielectric layer 111 may be greater than twice the thickness te of the internal electrodes 121 and 122.

In general, electronic components used in high-voltage electrical components may have a problem of reliability caused by deterioration of insulation breakdown voltage in a high-voltage environment.

In the multilayer ceramic capacitor according to the exemplary embodiment, the thickness td of the dielectric layer 111 may be greater than twice the thickness te of the inner electrodes 121 and 122, and the thickness of the dielectric layer (the distance between the inner electrodes) may be increased, thereby improving the insulation breakdown voltage performance.

When the thickness td of the dielectric layer 111 is twice or less than the thickness te of the internal electrodes 121 and 122, the thickness of the dielectric layer (distance between the internal electrodes) may be low, which may deteriorate the insulation breakdown voltage performance.

The thickness te of the internal electrodes 121 and 122 may be less than 1 μm, and the thickness td of the dielectric layer 111 may be less than 2.8 μm, but the thickness may not be limited thereto.

According to the foregoing exemplary embodiments, by forming the internal electrodes using the conductive powder including tin (Sn), it is possible to prevent discontinuity and agglomeration of the internal electrodes without a problem of dispersion or the like, while preventing generation of harmful residual carbon.

While exemplary embodiments have been shown and described above, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that modifications and variations can be made without departing from the scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.