JP7359223B2 - Ceramic electronic component manufacturing method and mask plate used in the manufacturing method - Google Patents

Description

The present disclosure relates to a method of manufacturing a ceramic electronic component and a mask plate used in the manufacturing method.

With the recent demand for miniaturization of multilayer ceramic electronic components, there is a need for a manufacturing technology for ceramic electronic components with excellent processing accuracy. For example, in a rectangular parallelepiped ceramic electronic component, an external electrode is provided on the end face of a ceramic body having internal electrodes, and the internal electrode portion exposed on the end face of the ceramic body is electrically connected to the external electrode. With the miniaturization of ceramic electronic components, even if the area of the end face of the ceramic body becomes smaller, the external electrode will reliably cover the end face of the ceramic body, and the internal and external electrodes exposed on the end face of the ceramic body will be connected. are required to be electrically connected.

Conventionally, as a method for manufacturing a laminated ceramic electronic component, there is a method described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 6-53097 (Patent Document 1). The first embodiment of this manufacturing method includes a step of storing a ceramic body in a cavity of a support plate in which a plurality of depressions are formed at a predetermined pitch, and a process of storing a ceramic body in a cavity of a support plate in which a plurality of depressions are formed at intervals of a predetermined pitch. A process of arranging a mask plate each having a rectangular opening on the top surface of the support plate, placing the entire support plate in a sputtering container, and performing a sputtering method while reciprocating the support plate to produce a ceramic material. forming an electrode on the end surface of the body.
In addition, the second embodiment of this manufacturing method further includes the step of arranging another mask plate on the bottom surface of the support plate having a through gap in place of the gap in the first embodiment, and electrodes are formed at the same time.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 6-53097

However, as a result of intensive studies by the present inventors, in the first embodiment of Patent Document 1, when the area of the end face of the ceramic body becomes smaller and the area of the opening of the mask plate becomes smaller, the outer electrode becomes It was found that it was not possible to adequately cover the internal electrode portion exposed on the end face of the element body.
Furthermore, in the second embodiment of Patent Document 1, the size of the opening of the through-hole portion of the support plate is approximately the same as that of the end face of the ceramic body. Therefore, if the ceramic element is housed in the through-hole, the ceramic element may be tilted within the through-hole or the ceramic element may become clogged at the opening of the mask plate. It was found that it was not possible to stably hold it in an appropriate position within the body.
As a result of further studies by the present inventors, we found that the shape of the opening in the mask plate affects the exposure of the internal electrode through the opening and the stable retention of the ceramic body in the through-hole, and that the shape of the opening in the mask plate affects the exposure of the internal electrode through the opening and the stable retention of the ceramic body in the through-hole. It was found that the coating of exposed internal electrode parts was affected.

Therefore, an object of the present disclosure is to provide a method for manufacturing a ceramic electronic component that includes an external electrode that reliably covers at least a portion of the exposed internal electrode portion and is electrically connected to the internal electrode. Another object of the present disclosure is to provide a mask plate that can be used in such a method of manufacturing ceramic electronic components.

In order to solve the above problems, a method for manufacturing a ceramic electronic component, which is one aspect of the present disclosure, includes the following steps:
A method for manufacturing a ceramic electronic component having a rectangular parallelepiped ceramic body having an internal electrode, and an external electrode disposed on a first end surface of the ceramic body from which an end of the internal electrode is exposed, the method comprising:
a step of preparing a support plate having a void and a first mask plate having an opening (i.e., a preparation step);
a step of accommodating the ceramic body in the void (i.e., an accommodating step);
arranging the first mask plate on the top surface of the support plate and locating the opening on the first end surface of the ceramic body (i.e., arranging step);
a step of forming an external electrode on the first end surface of the ceramic body by a sputtering method (i.e., an electrode forming step),
The opening has a mask center and an extension extending radially from the mask center.

According to the aspect, the external electrode is formed on the first end surface of the ceramic body through the opening of the mask plate by sputtering, and the opening of the mask plate has a center of the mask and an extension extending radially from the center of the mask. It has a branch. As a result, an external electrode is formed by sputtering in a state where the first end surface of the ceramic body, where the end of the internal electrode is exposed, is exposed through the opening of the mask plate. Therefore, it is possible to form an external electrode that covers at least a portion of the end of the internal electrode.

In another aspect of the method for manufacturing ceramic electronic components,
A method for manufacturing a ceramic electronic component, comprising a rectangular parallelepiped ceramic body having internal electrodes, and external electrodes disposed on a first end surface and a second end surface of the ceramic body, respectively, from which end portions of the internal electrodes are exposed. There it is,
A step of preparing a support plate having a through gap, a first mask plate having an opening, and a second mask plate having an opening (i.e., a preparation step);
arranging the second mask plate on the bottom surface of the support plate (i.e., a first arranging step);
a step of accommodating the ceramic body in the through-hole portion (i.e., an accommodating step);
arranging a first mask plate on the top surface of the support plate and locating the opening on the first end surface of the ceramic body (i.e., a second arrangement step);
forming external electrodes on the first end surface and the second end surface of the ceramic body by a sputtering method,
The opening has a mask center and an extension extending radially from the mask center.

According to the above embodiment, the external electrodes are formed on both end faces of the ceramic body by sputtering through both mask plates, so in addition to the above-mentioned matters, this embodiment has an additional advantage of being excellent in mass production. have
Further, according to the aspect, after the mask plate is placed on the bottom surface of the support plate having the through-hole, the ceramic body is accommodated in the through-hole. The opening in the mask plate has a mask center and an extension extending radially from the mask center. In particular, when the mask plate is placed on the bottom surface of the support plate, the ceramic body accommodated in the through-hole is supported by a portion of the mask plate placed on the bottom surface other than the opening. This prevents the ceramic element from tilting within the through-hole, and the ceramic element is held within the through-hole with both end surfaces exposed through the openings of both mask plates.

Further, in one embodiment of the method for manufacturing a ceramic electronic component,
The opening has at least three extensions.

According to the embodiment, since the area of the opening of the mask plate is relatively large, when performing the sputtering method, the end face of the ceramic body where the end of the internal electrode is exposed is connected to the opening of the mask plate and the cavity. can be exposed more reliably through the opening surface.

Further, in one embodiment of the method for manufacturing a ceramic electronic component,
The extension portion radially extends at equal angles from the center of the mask.

According to the above embodiment, the openings of the mask plate are formed without being biased to specific positions, so that the ends of the internal electrodes are exposed through the openings of the mask plate when performing the sputtering method. The end face of the element body can be exposed reliably.
Furthermore, when the mask plate is placed on the bottom surface of the support plate, the ceramic body is in contact with the mask plate and supported at multiple locations. Since the contact areas of the plurality of locations are substantially equal to each other, the ceramic body is supported with uniform force. Therefore, the ceramic body is stably held within the through-hole without tilting within the through-hole.

Further, in one embodiment of the method for manufacturing a ceramic electronic component,
The void portion has a first opening,
The mask center of the opening is located on the opening center of the first opening.

According to the above embodiment, the mask center of the opening of the mask plate is located on the opening center of the first opening of the cavity, so that when performing the sputtering method, the internal electrode is formed through the opening of the mask plate. It is possible to reliably expose the end face of the ceramic element whose end is exposed.

Further, in one embodiment of the method for manufacturing a ceramic electronic component,
A mask protection sheet is placed on the first mask plate.

According to the embodiment, since the mask protection sheet is disposed on the first mask plate, it is possible to suppress conduction of heat generated by sputtering to the first mask plate during electrode formation. Thereby, deformation of the first mask plate can be suppressed.

Further, in one aspect of the mask plate of the present disclosure,
A mask plate having an opening,
The opening has a mask center and an extension extending radially from the mask center.

Additionally, in one embodiment of the mask plate,
The opening has at least three extensions.

Additionally, in one embodiment of the mask plate,
The opening has an extension extending radially at equal angles from the center of the mask.

The mask plate of the present disclosure can be used in the method for manufacturing ceramic electronic components described above.

According to the present disclosure, it is possible to provide a method for manufacturing a ceramic electronic component including an external electrode that reliably covers at least a portion of the exposed portion of the internal electrode and is electrically connected to the internal electrode. Further, according to the present disclosure, it is possible to provide a mask plate that can be used in such a method of manufacturing a ceramic electronic component.

FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating a method for manufacturing a ceramic electronic component according to a first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a schematic plan view illustrating the method for manufacturing a ceramic electronic component according to the first embodiment, that is, a view seen from the Z direction in FIG. 1. FIG. FIG. 3 is a schematic plan view showing an opening of a mask plate used in the method for manufacturing a ceramic electronic component according to the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a schematic plan view showing a ceramic electronic component. FIG. 7 is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating a method for manufacturing a ceramic electronic component according to a second embodiment. 6 is a schematic plan view illustrating a method for manufacturing a ceramic electronic component according to a second embodiment, that is, a view seen from the Z direction in FIG. 5. FIG. FIG. 7 is a schematic plan view showing various openings of a mask plate used in a method of manufacturing a ceramic electronic component according to a third embodiment.

Hereinafter, a method for manufacturing a ceramic electronic component and a mask plate, which are one aspect of the present disclosure, will be described in detail with reference to illustrated embodiments. Note that X, Y, and Z directions are shown in FIGS. 1 to 6.

A method for manufacturing a ceramic electronic component and a mask plate according to a first embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1, 2, 3, and 4. FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating a method for manufacturing a ceramic electronic component according to a first embodiment, in which a ceramic element is accommodated in a cavity of a support plate, and a mask plate is placed on the top surface of the support plate. 1 is a cross-sectional schematic diagram showing a state in which external electrodes are formed on the end face of a ceramic body by a sputtering method (more specifically, FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A in FIG. ). FIG. 2 is a schematic plan view illustrating the method for manufacturing a ceramic electronic component according to the first embodiment, and shows the schematic plan view of FIG. 1 viewed from the Z direction in FIG. FIG. 3 is a schematic plan view showing an opening of a mask plate used in the method for manufacturing a ceramic electronic component according to the first embodiment. FIG. 4 is a schematic plan view showing a ceramic electronic component.
Note that the direction in which the support plate 10 and the first mask plate 20 are stacked is referred to as the "Z direction." The reverse Z direction corresponds to the vertical direction. In a plane orthogonal to the Z direction, mutually orthogonal directions are referred to as an "X direction" and a "Y direction." The "X direction" is the direction in which the first and second side surfaces 12a and 12b of the gap 12 of the support plate 10 (described later) face each other, and the "Y direction" is the direction in which the first and second side surfaces 12a, 12b of the gap 12 of the support plate 10 (described later) are opposed to each other. 3. The fourth side surfaces 12c and 12d face each other.

As shown in FIGS. 1, 2, and 4, the ceramic electronic component manufactured in the first embodiment includes a rectangular parallelepiped ceramic body 1, and at least a first end face of end faces 2 and 3 of the ceramic body 1. 2 and an external electrode 60 formed based on the present disclosure. Ceramic electronic components are, for example, thermistors, capacitors, inductors or varistors. Ceramic body 1 has internal electrodes 4 . The ends of the internal electrodes 4 are preferably exposed at least at the center of the end surfaces 2 and 3, and the internal electrodes 4 are electrically connected to the external electrodes 60. The ceramic body 1 is, for example, a laminate of an insulating layer made of ceramic containing an insulating material and a conductive layer having a predetermined pattern. The conductive layer constitutes the internal electrode 4. At least one external electrode 60 is formed by a sputtering method based on the present disclosure.
Note that the shape of the end surfaces 2 and 3 of the ceramic body 1 is rectangular when viewed from the Z direction, specifically, although it is square, it is not limited to this, and may be rectangular. Good too.

In this specification, "rectangular parallelepiped shape" is not limited to a strict rectangular parallelepiped, and for example, the corners may be arcuate as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. In addition, the center portion of the end surfaces 2 and 3 is defined as a radius R centered on the intersection of the diagonal lines of the end surfaces of the rectangular ceramic body 1 when the end surfaces 2 and 3 of the ceramic body 1 are viewed from the Z direction. This is the part of the range up to. The radius R is, for example, 1/20 to 1/4 of the length of the short side of the rectangular ceramic body 1 when viewed in plan from the Z direction. Here, in this specification, "rectangular shape (square shape, rectangular shape)" is not limited to a strict rectangle (square, rectangle), and for example, as disclosed in FIG. It may be arcuate.

The support plate 10 has a top surface 10a, and a first mask plate 20 is disposed on the top surface 10a. The support plate 10 has a plurality of voids 12. The cavity 12 has a first side surface 12a, a second side surface 12b, a third side surface 12c, a fourth side surface 12d, a bottom surface 12e, and a first opening 12f. The first side surface 12a and the second side surface 12b are opposed to each other. The third side surface 12c and the fourth side surface 12d are orthogonal to the first side surface 12a and the second side surface 12b and are opposed to each other. The bottom surface 12e and the first opening 12f are surrounded by the first side surface 12a to the fourth side surface 12d. The first openings 12f of the cavity 12 are provided on the top surface 10a side of the support plate 10, and are lined up at predetermined intervals. The support plate 10 accommodates the ceramic body 1 in the cavity 12 . The cavity 12 has a rectangular parallelepiped shape and has a dimension slightly larger than the ceramic body 1 .

The first mask plate 20 has a plurality of openings 22. The openings 22 are arranged at predetermined intervals. The opening 22 corresponds to the first opening 12f of the cavity 12 of the support plate 10 when the first mask plate 20 is placed on the top surface 10a of the support plate 10. The opening 22 becomes a passage for sputtered particles in an electrode formation process using a sputtering method, which will be described later. The first mask plate 20 can be manufactured, for example, by processing photoresist by wet etching.

<First embodiment>
The method for manufacturing a ceramic electronic component according to the first embodiment includes a preparation step, a housing step, an arrangement step, and an electrode forming step. In the method for manufacturing a ceramic electronic component, an external electrode 60 is formed on at least the first end surface 2 of the end surfaces 2 and 3 of the ceramic body 1 . Below, a method for forming the external electrode 60 on the first end surface 2 will be described as an example.

(Preparation process)
In the preparation step, a support plate 10 having a cavity 12 and a first mask plate 20 having an opening 22 are prepared.

(Accommodation process)
In the housing process, the ceramic body 1 is housed in the cavity 12 of the support plate 10. As a result, the first end surface 2 of the ceramic body 1 is exposed through the first opening 12f of the cavity 12.

(Placement process)
In the placement step, the first mask plate 20 having the opening 22 is placed on the top surface 10a of the support plate 10, and the opening 22 is positioned on the first end surface 2 of the ceramic body 1. At this time, when viewed in plan from the Z direction, the mask center 22c of the opening 22 of the first mask plate 20 and the opening center 14 of the first opening 12f of the cavity 12 of the support plate 10 overlap (that is, The mask center 22c of the opening 22 is located on the opening center 14 of the first opening 12f). As a result, the first end surface 2 of the ceramic body 1 is exposed through the opening 22 of the first mask plate 20 and the first opening 12f of the gap 12 of the support plate 10.
Specifically, the first end surface 2 of the ceramic body 1 accommodated in the cavity 12 has an exposed region 2a exposed through the opening 22 and the first opening 12f, and a non-exposed region not exposed from the opening 22. 2b. The exposed region 2a, including all the ends of the internal electrodes 4 exposed on the first end surface 2 of the ceramic body 1, is exposed through the opening 22 and the first opening 12f.

The opening center 14 of the first opening 12f of the cavity 12 of the support plate 10 corresponds to the intersection of diagonals in the rectangular first opening 12f.
As shown in FIG. 3, the opening 22 of the first mask plate 20 has a mask center 22c located on the opening center 14 of the first opening 12f of the cavity 12, and an extension axis 22d extending radially from the mask center 22c. has. The opening 22 of the first mask plate 20 has a central portion 22a that includes a mask center 22c, and an extending portion 22b that extends along the stretching axis 22d and has a width in a direction perpendicular to the stretching axis 22d. The mask center 22c corresponds to the intersection of the plurality of stretching axes 22d.

The four extension parts 22b extend radially from the mask center 22c at equal angles. In this specification, "equiangular" means that the angles formed by the extension axes 22d of the extension parts 22b that are adjacent to each other are equal. The four stretching axes 22d are parallel to the X direction or the Y direction. Therefore, the angles formed by the extension axes 22d of the extension portions 22b that are adjacent to each other are equal to each other at 90°.

Since the opening 22 has the above shape, when the first mask plate 20 is placed on the top surface 10a of the support plate 10 in the placement process, all the ends of the internal electrodes 4 exposed on the first end surface 2 of the ceramic body 1 are At least a portion of the portion is exposed through the opening 22 of the first mask plate 20.

The width w of the extending portion 22b is preferably at least 10 times the width t (width in the Y direction) of the internal electrode 4.

In the arrangement step, it is preferable that a mask protection sheet 30 is further arranged on the first mask plate 20 as shown in the figure. The mask protection sheet 30 has a plurality of openings 32, and the openings 32 are located above the first opening 12f of the cavity 12. When a film is formed on the first mask plate 20 in the electrode forming process described below, the first mask plate 20 may be deformed due to the stress of the formed film. In this embodiment, by arranging the mask protection sheet 30 on the first mask plate 20, formation of a film on the first mask plate 20 can be suppressed. Therefore, deformation of the first mask plate 20 can be prevented. Furthermore, in this embodiment, by arranging the mask protection sheet 30 on the first mask plate 20, it is possible to suppress conduction of heat generated by the sputtering method to the first mask plate 20. Therefore, deformation of the first mask plate 20 due to heat can be prevented. As described above, since the first mask plate 20 is prevented from being deformed by the mask protection sheet 30, the external electrodes 60 are formed in a highly accurate shape on the end faces 2 and 3 in the electrode forming process described later.

(Electrode formation process)
In the electrode forming step, the external electrode 60 is formed on the first end surface 2 of the ceramic body 1 through the first opening 12f of the gap 12 of the support plate 10 and the opening 22 of the first mask plate 20 by sputtering. . That is, the external electrode 60 is formed by sputtering with the end of the internal electrode 4 exposed through the first opening 12f of the gap 12 of the support plate 10 and the opening 22 of the first mask plate 20. As a result, an external electrode 60 is formed on the first end surface 2 of the ceramic body 1, and a ceramic electronic component is obtained. The external electrode 60 is electrically connected to all six ends of the internal electrode 4 exposed on the first end surface 2 . Note that an external electrode may be formed on the second end surface 3 of the ceramic body 1 by the above-described housing step, arrangement step, and electrode forming step.

<Second embodiment>
A method for manufacturing a ceramic electronic component according to a second embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 5 and 6. FIG. 5 is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating a method for manufacturing a ceramic electronic component according to the second embodiment. FIG. 5 is similar to FIG. 1 except that the support plate has a through gap instead of a gap and another mask plate is disposed on the bottom surface of the support plate. FIG. 6 is a schematic plan view illustrating the method for manufacturing a ceramic electronic component according to the second embodiment, that is, a view viewed from the Z direction of FIG. 5 (viewed from the second end surface 3 side of the ceramic body 1 in FIG. Figure). The second embodiment is different from the first embodiment in which the external electrodes are formed on one end surface of the ceramic body in that the external electrodes are simultaneously formed on both end surfaces of the ceramic body in one step. This different configuration will be explained below. Note that in the second embodiment, the same reference numerals as those in the first embodiment have the same configurations as in the first embodiment, so the description thereof will be omitted.

The support plate 10A has a top surface 10a, and the first mask plate 20 is disposed on the top surface 10a. Further, the support plate 10A has a bottom surface 10b, and the second mask plate 40 is disposed on the bottom surface 10b. The support plate 10A has a plurality of through gaps 12A. The through gap 12A penetrates the support plate 10 from the top surface 10a to the bottom surface 10b. The support plate 10A accommodates the ceramic body 1 in the through gap 12A. The through-hole portion 12A has a rectangular parallelepiped shape and has dimensions slightly larger than the ceramic body 1. In the support plate 10A, the through gap 12A has a first side surface 12a, a second side surface 12b, a third side surface 12c, a fourth side surface 12d, and a first opening 12f and a second opening 12g. The first openings 12f of the through-hole portion 12A are provided on the top surface 10a side of the support plate 10, and are lined up at predetermined intervals. The second openings 12g of the through-hole portion 12A are provided on the bottom surface 10b side of the support plate 10, and are lined up at predetermined intervals.

The second mask plate 40 has the same shape as the first mask plate 20. The second mask plate 40 has a plurality of openings 42. The openings 42 are arranged at predetermined intervals. When the second mask plate 40 is placed on the bottom surface 10b of the support plate 10A, the opening 42 corresponds to the second opening 12g of the through gap 12A of the support plate 10A. Like the opening 22, the opening 42 serves as a passage for sputtered particles in the electrode forming process using the sputtering method. The first mask plate 20 is placed on the top surface 10a of the support plate 10A, and the second mask plate 40 is placed on the bottom surface 10b of the support plate 10A. The second mask plate 40 covers a part of the second opening 12g of the through-hole 12A, and supports the ceramic body 1 accommodated in the through-hole 12A.
As shown in FIG. 6, the opening 42 of the second mask plate 40 includes a central portion 42a including a mask center 42c, and an extending portion extending along a stretching axis 42d and having a width in a direction perpendicular to the stretching axis 42d. 42b. Note that in the second embodiment, the first and second mask plates 20 and 40 have the same shape as the first mask plate 20 according to the first embodiment, but the shape is not limited thereto. At least one of the first and second mask plates 20 and 40, for example, only the opening 42 of the second mask plate 40 may have an extension 42b extending radially from the mask center 42c. Further, the shapes of the openings 22 and 42 of the first and second mask plates 20 and 40 may be the same or different.

The method for manufacturing a ceramic electronic component according to the second embodiment includes a preparation step, a first arrangement step, a housing step, a second arrangement step, and an electrode formation step.

(Preparation process)
In the preparation step, a support plate 10A having a through-hole 12A, a first mask plate 20 having an opening 22, and a second mask plate 40 having an opening 42 are prepared.

(First placement process)
In the first arrangement step, a second mask plate 40 having an opening 42 is arranged on the bottom surface 10b of the support plate 10A. At this time, when viewed in plan from the Z direction, the mask center 42c of the opening 42 of the second mask plate 40 and the opening center 16 of the second opening 12g of the through gap 12A of the support plate 10A overlap (that is, , the mask center 42c of the opening 42 is located below the opening center 16 of the second opening 12g). In the first arrangement step, it is preferable to arrange the mask protection sheet 50 on the bottom surface of the second mask plate 40 as shown in the figure. The mask protection sheet 50 has a plurality of openings 52, and the openings 52 are located below the second opening 12g of the through gap 12A.
Like the mask protection sheet 30, the mask protection sheet 50 suppresses the formation of a film on the second mask plate 40 in the electrode formation process described later, and also prevents the heat generated on the second mask plate 40 by the sputtering method. In order to suppress the conduction of the second mask plate 40, deformation of the second mask plate 40 is prevented, and in the electrode forming process, external electrodes are formed on the end surfaces 2 and 3 with a highly accurate shape.

(Accommodation process)
In the housing process, the ceramic body 1 is housed in the through gap 12A of the support plate 10A, and the opening 42 of the second mask plate 40 is positioned below the second end surface 3 of the ceramic body 1. As a result, the second end surface 3 of the ceramic body 1 is exposed through the opening 42 of the second mask plate 40 and the second opening 12g of the through gap 12A of the support plate 10A.
Specifically, the second end surface 3 of the ceramic body 1 housed in the through-hole 12A has an exposed region 3a exposed through the opening 42 and the second opening 12g, and a non-exposed region 3a that is not exposed from the opening 42. region 3b. The exposed region 3a, including at least a portion of the ends of all the internal electrodes 4 exposed on the second end surface 3 of the ceramic body 1, is exposed through the opening 42 and the second opening 12g. On the other hand, the non-exposed region 3b is supported by the second mask plate 40. Since the non-exposed regions 3b are present near the four corners of the rectangular second end surface 3, the ceramic body 1 is supported by the second mask plate 40 at a plurality of locations, and is The ceramic element body 1 is stably held at an appropriate position within the through-hole portion 12A without causing the ceramic element body 1 to tilt or the like. Thereby, in the electrode forming process, the ceramic body 1 is exposed to the ends of the internal electrodes 4 exposed to the first and second end surfaces 2 and 3 through the openings 22 and 42 of the first and second mask plates 20 and 40. Since the external electrode is formed by sputtering with the internal electrode 4 exposed, the external electrode can be formed to appropriately cover the internal electrode 4.

(Second placement process)
In the second arrangement step, the first mask plate 20 having an opening 22 is arranged on the top surface 10a of the support plate 10A, and the opening 22 is positioned on the first end surface 2 of the ceramic body 1. At this time, when viewed in plan from the Z direction, the mask center 22c of the opening 22 of the first mask plate 20 and the opening center 14 of the first opening 12f of the cavity 12 of the support plate 10 overlap. As a result, the first end surface 2 of the ceramic body 1 is exposed through the opening 22 of the first mask plate 20 and the first opening 12f of the gap 12 of the support plate 10. As a result, at least a portion of the ends of all the internal electrodes 4 exposed on the first end surface 2 of the ceramic body 1 are exposed through the openings 22 of the first mask plate 20.
In the second placement step, the mask protection sheet 30 is further placed on the first mask plate 20. The mask protection sheet 30 has a plurality of openings 32, and the openings 32 are located above the first opening 12f of the cavity 12.

(Electrode formation process)
In the electrode forming step, an external electrode is formed on the first end surface 2 of the ceramic body 1 through the first opening 12f of the through-hole 12A of the support plate 10A and the opening 22 of the first mask plate 20 by sputtering. At the same time, an external electrode is formed on the second end surface 3 of the ceramic body 1 through the second opening 12g of the through-hole 12A of the support plate 10A and the opening 42 of the second mask plate 40. Thereby, a ceramic electronic component is obtained. The external electrode is electrically connected to all five ends of the internal electrode 4 exposed on the second end surface 3.

<Third embodiment>
With reference to FIG. 7, a mask plate according to a third embodiment will be described. FIG. 7 is a schematic plan view showing an opening of a mask plate used in the method for manufacturing a ceramic electronic component according to the third embodiment. Openings 22A to 22D of the first mask plate 20 according to the third embodiment are shown. The third embodiment differs from the first and second embodiments in the shape of the opening of the first mask plate 20. This different configuration will be explained below.
Note that in the third embodiment, the same reference numerals as in the first and second embodiments have the same configurations as in the first and second embodiments, and therefore, the explanation thereof will be omitted.

As shown in FIGS. 7(a) to 7(d), each of the openings 22A to 22D has a shape in which three to six extending portions 22b extend radially from the mask center 22c at equal angles. The regular polygonal central portion 22a includes a mask center 22c. The opening 22B is different from the opening 22 of the first embodiment in that the stretching axis 22d is rotated by 45 degrees with respect to the mask center 22c.
Note that in the third embodiment, an example of a modification of the first mask plate 20 is given, but the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, the shape of the opening 22 may be a shape obtained by rotating the openings 22A to 22D shown in FIGS. 7(a) to 7(d) by a predetermined angle with respect to the mask center 22c. Further, the opening 42 of the second mask plate 40 may have the same shape as the openings 22A to 22D.
Further, in this specification, the regular polygon shape is not limited to the shape of a strict regular polygon.

The ceramic electronic component may further include a metal film on the external electrode 60. The metal film can be formed using, for example, a plating method. In this case, the external electrode 60 becomes a base electrode.

In the embodiment, each of the first and second mask plates 20 and 40 is composed of one sheet, but the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, the mask plate having the openings shown in FIG. 3 may be constructed by stacking two or more mask plates having openings of different shapes.

In the embodiment described above, the tip of the extending portion 22b of the opening 22 is chamfered, but it may have a corner. The same applies to the opening 42.

The present disclosure is not limited to the first to third embodiments described above, and design changes can be made without departing from the gist of the present disclosure. Furthermore, the features of the first to third embodiments may be combined in various ways. For example, in the method for manufacturing a ceramic electronic component according to the second embodiment, the mask plate according to the third embodiment can be used as the first and second mask plates.

Cross-reference of related applications

This application is based on Japanese Patent Application No. 2019-235026 (filing date: December 25, 2019, title of invention: "Ceramic electronic component manufacturing method and mask plate used in the manufacturing method") under the Paris Convention. Claim priority. All content disclosed in that application is hereby incorporated by reference.

1 Ceramic element body 2 First end surface 3 Second end surface 4 Internal electrode 10, 10A Support plate 10a Top surface 10b Bottom surface 12 Cavity 12A Penetrating cavity 12f First opening 12g Second opening 14 Center of opening 16 Center of opening 20 First mask Plate 22, 22A, 22B, 22C, 22D Opening 22b Extension 22c Mask center 22d Stretching axis 30 Mask protection sheet 40 Second mask plate 42 Opening 42b Extension 42c Mask center 42d Stretching axis 50 Mask protection sheet 60 Outside Electrode 100 Ceramic electronic components

Claims (11)

A method for manufacturing a ceramic electronic component having a rectangular parallelepiped ceramic body having an internal electrode, and an external electrode disposed on a first end surface of the ceramic body from which an end of the internal electrode is exposed, the method comprising:
preparing a support plate having a void and a first mask plate having an opening;
accommodating the ceramic body in the void;
arranging the first mask plate directly on the top surface of the support plate to position the opening on the first end surface of the ceramic body;
forming an external electrode on the first end surface of the ceramic body by a sputtering method,
The opening has a mask center and an extension extending radially from the mask center,
The method for manufacturing a ceramic electronic component , wherein the first mask plate is composed of one piece . A method for manufacturing a ceramic electronic component, comprising a rectangular parallelepiped ceramic body having internal electrodes, and external electrodes disposed on a first end surface and a second end surface of the ceramic body, respectively, from which end portions of the internal electrodes are exposed. There it is,
preparing a support plate having a through-hole, a first mask plate having an opening, and a second mask plate having an opening;
placing the second mask plate directly on the bottom surface of the support plate;
accommodating the ceramic body in the through gap;
arranging a first mask plate directly on the top surface of the support plate to position the opening on the first end surface of the ceramic body;
forming external electrodes on the first end surface and the second end surface of the ceramic body by a sputtering method,
The opening has a mask center and an extension extending radially from the mask center,
The method for manufacturing a ceramic electronic component , wherein each of the first mask plate and the second mask plate is composed of one piece . The opening has a central part of a regular polygon including the center of the mask, and an extension part extending radially from the center of the mask along a stretching axis,
3. The method for manufacturing a ceramic electronic component according to claim 1, wherein a width of the extending portion perpendicular to the stretching axis is the same as a length of a virtual side of the central portion. The method for manufacturing a ceramic electronic component according to any one of claims 1 to 3 , wherein the opening has at least three extending parts. The method for manufacturing a ceramic electronic component according to any one of claims 1 to 4 , wherein the extending portion extends radially at equal angles from the center of the mask. The void portion has a first opening,
2. The method of manufacturing a ceramic electronic component according to claim 1, wherein the mask center of the opening is located on the opening center of the first opening. The method for manufacturing a ceramic electronic component according to claim 1, wherein a mask protection sheet is placed on the first mask plate. A mask plate having an opening,
The opening has a mask center and an extension extending radially from the mask center,
A mask plate consisting of one piece . The opening has a central part of a regular polygon including the center of the mask, and an extension part extending radially from the center of the mask along a stretching axis,
The mask plate according to claim 8, wherein a width of the extending portion perpendicular to the stretching axis is the same as a length of a virtual side of the central portion. The mask plate according to claim 8 or 9 , wherein the opening has at least three extensions. The mask plate according to any one of claims 8 to 10 , wherein the opening has an extending portion extending radially at equal angles from the center of the mask.

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