Method and apparatus for producing a ceramic electronic component

Abstract

A method for producing a laminated ceramic capacitor allows a surface of at least a portion of a ceramic element body chip to be brought into contact with a plated layer formed in advance in a mold member, and performs heat processing on the ceramic element body chip in that contact state, thereby to form an external conductor layer made of the plated layer on the surface of at least the portion of the ceramic element body chip. Thus, a method and an apparatus for producing a ceramic electronic component accurately and precisely controls the thickness of the external conductor layer to be small, and easily controls the length of the external conductor layer.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method for producing a ceramic electronic component including a ceramic element body, comprising:
 a step of allowing a surface of at least a portion of the ceramic element body to be brought into contact with a plated layer formed in advance on a member different from the ceramic element body; and   a step of performing heat processing on said ceramic element body in a state in which the surface of at least the portion of said ceramic element body is in contact with said plated layer, thereby to form an external conductor layer made of said plated layer on the surface of the portion of said ceramic element body.   
     
     
         2 . A method for producing a ceramic electronic component including a ceramic element body, comprising:
 a step of forming a plated layer on an inside surface of a recess of a mold member into which a portion of the ceramic element body can be inserted and fitted;   a step of allowing a surface of the portion of the ceramic element body to be brought into contact with said plated layer formed on the inside surface of the recess of said mold member by inserting and fitting the portion of said ceramic element body into the recess of said mold member;   a step of performing heat processing on said ceramic element body in a state in which the surface of the portion of said ceramic element body is in contact with said plated layer, thereby to form an external conductor layer made of said plated layer on the surface of the portion of said ceramic element body; and   a step of separating said ceramic element body, on which said external conductor layer is formed, from said mold member.   
     
     
         3 . The method for producing a ceramic electronic component according to  claim 2 , wherein the step of forming the plated layer on the inside surface of the recess of said mold member is carried out by electrolytic plating, a portion of said mold member on which the plated layer is to be formed is made of a conductor, and a portion of said mold member on which the plated layer is not to be formed is made of an insulator. 
     
     
         4 . The method for producing a ceramic electronic component according to  claim 2 , wherein the step of forming the plated layer on the inside surface of the recess of said mold member is carried out by non-electrolytic plating, a portion of said mold member on which the plated layer is to be formed is made of a material that has a catalytic activity with respect to a reducing agent contained in a non-electrolytic plating bath, and a portion of said mold member on which the plated layer is not to be formed is made of a material that does not have a catalytic activity with respect to the reducing agent contained in the non-electrolytic plating bath. 
     
     
         5 . The method for producing a ceramic electronic component according to  claim 1 , wherein the heat processing on said ceramic element body is carried out at a temperature higher than a temperature at which a metal contained in said plated layer reacts with oxygen contained in said ceramic element body to yield a product. 
     
     
         6 . The method for producing a ceramic electronic component according to  claim 1 , wherein said ceramic element body includes a plurality of laminated ceramic layers and a plurality of internal conductor layers disposed between said plurality of ceramic layers, a surface of a portion of said internal conductor layers is exposed to an outside surface of said ceramic element body, and said external conductor layer is formed to be electrically connected to said internal conductor layers in the step of forming the external conductor layer made of said plated layer on the surface of the portion of said ceramic element body. 
     
     
         7 . A method for producing a ceramic electronic component including a ceramic element body, the method comprising the sequentially performed steps of:
 forming a plated layer on an inside surface of a recess of a mold member into which a portion of the ceramic element body is to be inserted and fitted;   allowing a surface of the portion of the ceramic element body to be brought into contact with said plated layer formed on the inside surface of the recess of said mold member by inserting and fitting the portion of said ceramic element body into the recess of said mold member;   performing heat processing on said ceramic element body in a state in which the surface of the portion of said ceramic element body is in contact with said plated layer, thereby to form an external conductor layer made of said plated layer on the surface of the portion of said ceramic element body; and   separating said ceramic element body, on which said external conductor layer is formed, from said mold member.   
     
     
         8 . The method for producing a ceramic electronic component according to  claim 7 , wherein a plated layer is formed on an inside surface of a recess of a first mold member, and a plated layer is formed on an inside surface of a recess of a second mold member in the step of forming the plated layer on the inside surface of the recess of the mold member, a surface of a portion on one side of said ceramic element body is brought into contact with said plated layer formed on the inside surface of the recess of said first mold member by inserting and fitting the portion on the one side of said ceramic element body into the recess of said first mold member, and a surface of a portion on the other side opposite to the one side of said ceramic element body is brought into contact with said plated layer formed on the inside surface of the recess of said second mold member by inserting and fitting the portion on the other side of said ceramic element body into the recess of said second mold member in the step of allowing the surface of the portion of the ceramic element body to be brought into contact with said plated layer formed on the inside surface of the recess of said mold member. 
     
     
         9 . The method for producing a ceramic electronic component according to  claim 1 , wherein a major component of said plated layer is nickel or copper. 
     
     
         10 . An apparatus for producing a ceramic electronic component including a ceramic element body, the apparatus comprising:
 a first station arranged to form a plated layer on an inside surface of a recess of a mold member into which a portion of the ceramic element body can be inserted and fitted;   a second station arranged to allow a surface of the portion of said ceramic element body to be brought into contact with said plated layer formed on the inside surface of the recess of said mold member by inserting and fitting the portion of said ceramic element body into the recess of said mold member;   a third station arranged to perform heat processing on said ceramic element body in a state in which the surface of the portion of said ceramic element body is in contact with said plated layer, thereby to form an external conductor layer made of said plated layer on the surface of the portion of said ceramic element body; and   a fourth station arranged to separate said ceramic element body, on which said external conductor layer is formed, from said mold member; wherein   the first station, the second station, the third station and the fourth station are successively arranged in this order.   
     
     
         11 . The apparatus for producing a ceramic electronic component according to  claim 10 , wherein the first station arranged to form the plated layer on the inside surface of the recess of the mold member includes a station arranged to form a plated layer on an inside surface of a recess of a first mold member, and a station arranged to form a plated layer on an inside surface of a recess of a second mold member, and the second station arranged to allow the surface of the portion of the ceramic element body to be brought into contact with said plated layer formed on the inside surface of the recess of said mold member includes a station arranged to allow a surface of a portion on one side of said ceramic element body to be brought into contact with said plated layer formed on the inside surface of the recess of said first mold member by inserting and fitting the portion on the one side of said ceramic element body into the recess of said first mold member, and a station arranged to allow a surface of a portion on the other side opposite to the one side of said ceramic element body to be brought into contact with said plated layer formed on the inside surface of the recess of said second mold member by inserting and fitting the portion on the other side of said ceramic element body into the recess of said second mold member.