Monolithic ceramic electronic component and method for manufacturing the same

Abstract

A method for manufacturing a monolithic ceramic electronic component includes a plating substep of depositing precipitates primarily composed of a specific metal on an end of each of internal electrodes exposed at a predetermined surface of a laminate and growing the precipitates to coalesce into a continuous plated layer, wherein the specific metal is different from that of the internal electrodes, and the same or substantially the same metal that defines the internal electrodes is distributed throughout the plated layer.

1 . A method for manufacturing a monolithic ceramic electronic component, comprising the steps of:
 preparing a laminate including laminated ceramic layers and a plurality of internal electrodes disposed between the ceramic layers, an end of each of the internal electrodes being exposed at a predetermined surface of the laminate; and   forming a plated layer on the predetermined surface of the laminate to electrically connect the ends of the internal electrodes to each other; wherein   the step of forming a plated layer comprises:
 a plating substep of depositing precipitates primarily composed of a specific metal on the end of each of the internal electrodes exposed at the predetermined surface of the laminate and growing the precipitates to coalesce into a continuous plated layer; 
   the specific metal is different from that of the internal electrodes, and the same or substantially the same metal that defines the internal electrodes is distributed throughout the plated layer.   
     
     
         2 . The method for manufacturing a monolithic ceramic electronic component according to  claim 1 , wherein the plating substep is performed in a plating bath that includes one of ions, a complex of the specific metal and ions, or a complex of the same or substantially the metal that defines the internal electrodes. 
     
     
         3 . The method for manufacturing a monolithic ceramic electronic component according to  claim 1 , wherein the plating substep is performed in a plating bath that includes one of ions or a complex of the specific metal and particles of the same or substantially the same metal that defines the internal electrodes. 
     
     
         4 . The method for manufacturing a monolithic ceramic electronic component according to  claim 1 , wherein the specific metal is Cu, and the metal defining the internal electrodes is Ni. 
     
     
         5 . A method for manufacturing a monolithic ceramic electronic component, comprising the steps of:
 preparing a laminate including laminated ceramic layers and a plurality of internal electrodes disposed between the ceramic layers, an end of each of the internal electrodes being exposed at a predetermined surface of the laminate; and   forming a plated layer on the predetermined surface of the laminate to electrically connect the ends of the internal electrodes to each other; wherein   the step of forming a plated layer comprises:
 a first plating substep of depositing precipitates primarily composed of a specific metal on the end of each of the internal electrodes exposed at the predetermined surface of the laminate and growing the precipitates to coalesce into a continuous first plated sublayer; 
 a second plating substep of forming a second plated sublayer primarily composed of the same or substantially the same metal that defines the internal electrodes; and 
   a substep of heat-treating the laminate at a temperature of at least about 800° C. after the second plating substep.   
     
     
         6 . The method for manufacturing a monolithic ceramic electronic component according to  claim 5 , wherein the first plated sublayer has an average thickness of about 10 μm or less. 
     
     
         7 . The method for manufacturing a monolithic ceramic electronic component according to  claim 5 , wherein the specific metal is Cu, and the metal defining the internal electrodes is Ni.