1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a laminated capacitor and a method for manufacturing the same. More specifically, the present invention relates to a laminated capacitor with low equivalent series inductance (hereinafter abbreviated as ESL) and a method for manufacturing the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
Because supply voltage fluctuation considerably affects the operation of CPU or the like, a laminated capacitor has been disposed in the vicinity of CPU as means for suppressing supply voltage fluctuation to stabilize power supply.
In recent years, however, current fluctuation is becoming faster and greater with increase in operating frequency of CPU. This increases the effect of ESL of the laminated capacitor itself, causing a possibility that the total inductance including ESL of the laminated capacitor itself will affect the supply voltage fluctuation.
As a technology of reducing ESL, for example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2004-172602 discloses a laminated capacitor comprising first and second capacitors. The first capacitor has low ESL because opposite electrodes, which are embedded in a dielectric body, are connected to terminal electrodes, which are formed on a surface of the capacitor, via many through conductors; the second capacitor has large capacity because opposite electrodes, which are embedded in a dielectric body, are connected one another via a few through conductors.
In the laminated capacitor disclosed in JP 2004-172602, however, the first capacitor has a complicated structure with the many through conductors connected to the opposite electrodes. Therefore, the first and second capacitors have to be prepared separately and assembled later, which makes the laminated capacitor difficult to manufacture.
In addition, if the first and second capacitors are prepared separately and assembled later, a ceramic layer located on a lower surface of the first capacitor and a ceramic layer located on an upper surface of the second capacitor will be joined together to double the ceramic layer thickness at the joint between the first and second capacitors. The increase in ceramic layer thickness makes it difficult to reduce the thickness of the laminated capacitor and increase the capacity of the laminated capacitor.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a laminated capacitor with low ESL.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a laminated capacitor whose capacity can easily be increased.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a laminated capacitor whose thickness can easily be reduced.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a method suitable for manufacturing the laminated capacitor of the present invention.
In order to achieve the above-described objects, the prevent invention provides the following laminated capacitor and first and second methods for manufacturing the same.
1. Laminated Capacitor
The laminated capacitor of the present invention comprises:
In the laminated capacitor of the present invention, as set forth above, the first terminal electrodes are arranged at intervals on one surface of the dielectric body and each connected to one first internal electrode through a corresponding one of the first outer through-hole conductors.
The second terminal electrodes are also arranged at intervals on the same surface of the dielectric body and each connected to one second internal electrode through a corresponding one of the second outer through-hole conductors.
In this construction, the high-frequency current passing through the first internal electrodes, the first outer through-hole conductors and the first terminal electrodes is in the direction opposite to the high-frequency current passing through the second internal electrodes, the second outer through-hole conductors and the second terminal electrodes. Therefore, the magnetic fields generated by the high-frequency currents cancel out each other, thereby reducing ESL.
In addition, since the first terminal electrodes are connected only to the outermost one of the first internal electrodes, which is located closest to the surface of the dielectric body, and the second terminal electrodes are also connected only to the outermost one of the second internal electrodes, which is located closest to the surface of the dielectric body, the number of through-holes may be fewer than those of JP 2004-172602, facilitating the manufacture of the laminated capacitor.
Moreover, since the first inner through-hole conductor connects the first internal electrodes to one another and the second inner through-hole conductor connects the second internal electrodes to one another, a large capacitance can be obtained from the first and second terminal electrodes with the capacitances between the first and second internal electrodes being connected in parallel through the first and second inner through-hole conductors.
Preferably, the number of the first and second inner through-hole conductors is fewer than the number of the first and second outer through-hole conductors. This prevents the area where the first and second internal electrodes are opposed to each other from being substantially reduced by disposing the first and second inner through-hole conductors, thereby enabling to obtain a large capacitance.
Decreasing the number of the first and second inner through-hole conductors also facilitates the manufacture of the laminated capacitor to reduce the cost. Since the laminated capacitor can easily be manufactured, moreover, insulation failure and short-circuit fault can be reduced to improve yields.
Since the laminated capacitor of the present invention has a simple structure with only the outermost ones of the first and second internal electrodes connected to the first and second terminal electrodes through the first and second outer through-hole conductors, it can be manufactured in a continuous process. Therefore, the laminated capacitor of the present invention can be manufactured more easily than the laminated capacitor of JP 2004-172602, which requires the first and second capacitors to be prepared separately and assembled later.
2. First Method for Manufacturing the Laminated Capacitor
The first method for manufacturing the laminated capacitor of the present invention comprises:
The second method for manufacturing the laminated capacitor of the present invention comprises:
According to either of the first and second manufacturing methods of the present invention, the laminated capacitor can be manufactured in a continuous process. Thus, the first and second manufacturing methods of the present invention are better than the manufacturing method of JP 2004-172602, which requires the first and second capacitors to be prepared separately and assembled later.
According to either of the first and second manufacturing methods of the present invention, moreover, the laminated capacitor can be manufactured with no local increase in ceramic layer thickness, unlike the manufacturing method of JP 2004-172602, which doubles the ceramic layer thickness at the joint between the first and second capacitors. Thus, the thickness of the laminated capacitor can easily be reduced, while the capacity of the laminated capacitor can easily be increased.
As has been described hereinabove, the present invention has at least one of the following advantages:
The present invention will be more fully understood from the detailed description given hereinbelow and the accompanying drawings which are given by way of illustration only, and thus are not to be considered as limiting the present invention.
(1) Laminated Capacitor
Referring to
The first group of internal electrodes 41 includes first internal electrodes 411-41n embedded in the dielectric body 12. The first internal electrodes 411-41n are arranged in layers. The second group of internal electrodes 42 includes second internal electrodes 421-42n embedded in the dielectric body 12. The second internal electrodes 421-42n are also arranged in layers to alternate with the first internal electrodes 411-41n. Thus, the second internal electrodes 421-42n are opposed to the first internal electrodes 411-41n.
Each first outer through-hole conductor 61 connects each first terminal electrode 31 to the first internal electrode 411 which is located closest, among the first internal electrodes 411-41n, to the surface on which the first and second terminal electrodes 31, 32 are arranged. Each second outer through-hole conductor 62 connects each second terminal electrode 32 to the second internal electrode 421 which is located closest, among the second internal electrodes 421-42n, to the surface on which the first and second terminal electrodes 31, 32 are arranged.
The first inner through-hole conductor 51 connects the first internal electrodes 411-41n to one another. The second inner through-hole conductor 52 connects the second internal electrodes 421-42n to one another.
In the laminated capacitor shown in
The first and second inner through-hole conductors 51, 52 have a diameter D2 that is larger than, preferably about 4 to 16 times, a diameter of the first and second outer through-hole conductors 61, 62. More specifically, the diameter of the first and second inner through-hole conductors 51, 52 may be about 150 to 200 μm, while the diameter of the first and second outer through-hole conductors 61, 62 may be about 50 to 80 μm.
In the laminated capacitor with the first and second internal electrodes connected to the first and second terminal electrodes 31, 32 through the first and second outer through-hole conductors 61, 62, since high-frequency currents flow in opposite directions, magnetic fields cancel out each other, thereby reducing ESL.
In addition, since the first terminal electrodes 31 are connected only to the outermost first internal electrode 411 and the second terminal electrodes 32 are connected only to the outermost second internal electrode 421, the number of through-holes may be fewer than those of JP 2004-172602, facilitating the manufacture of the laminated capacitor.
Moreover, since the first inner through-hole conductor 51 connects the first internal electrodes 411-41n to one another and the second inner through-hole conductor 52 connects the second internal electrodes 421-42n to one another, a large capacitance can be obtained between the first internal electrodes 411-41n and the second internal electrodes 421-42n.
In the laminated capacitor shown in
In the laminated capacitor shown in
Since the first and second inner through-hole conductors 51, 52 are of a larger cross section than the first and second outer through-hole conductors 61, 62, excellent continuity can be ensured even though the number of the first and second inner through-hole conductors 51, 52 is decreased. This prevents poor connection. In addition, ESL can be reduced by increasing the cross section.
Since the laminated capacitor has a simple structure with only the outermost first and second internal electrodes 41, 42 connected to the first and second terminal electrodes 31, 32 through the first and second outer through-hole conductors 61, 62, it can be manufactured in a continuous process. Therefore, the laminated capacitor can be manufactured more easily than the laminated capacitor of JP 2004-172602, which requires the first and second capacitors to be prepared separately and assembled later.
With the pair of the first and second inner through-hole conductors 51, 52 centered on the first and second internal electrodes 411-41n, 421-42n, furthermore, the current can be uniformly distributed to reduced ESL. In the illustrated embodiment, still furthermore, since the first and second inner through-hole conductors 51, 52 are disposed adjacent each other, ESL can be reduced much more.
The laminated capacitor shown in
Providing the two pairs of first and second inner through-hole conductors 51, 52 centrally of the first and second internal electrodes 411-41n, 421-42n further reduces the possibility of insulation failure.
In this embodiment, the first and second inner through-hole conductors 51, 52 of each pair are disposed adjacent each other and adjacent the peripheries of the first and second internal electrodes 411-41n, 421-42n as seen in the thickness direction of the dielectric body 12.
Providing the four pairs of first and second inner through-hole conductors 51, 52 further reduces the possibility of insulation failure.
2. First Method for Manufacturing the Laminated Capacitor
Referring now to
Secondly, a plurality of first green sheets 91 are prepared and stacked on the stack of the green sheets 90 as shown in
Thirdly, a second green sheet 92 is placed on the stack of the first green sheets 91 as shown in
Fourthly, a third green sheet 93 is placed on the second green sheet 92 as shown in
Finally, a fourth conductive layer 94 is formed on the placed third green sheet 93 as shown in
It should be noted that the fourth conductive layer 94 may be formed on the third dielectric layer 931 before placing the third green sheet 93 on the second green sheet 92 or after burning the first to third green sheets 91-93.
According to the first manufacturing method, as set forth above, the laminated capacitor can be manufactured in a continuous process. Thus, the first manufacturing method is better than the manufacturing method of JP 2004-172602, which requires the first and second capacitors to be prepared separately and assembled later.
According to the first manufacturing method, moreover, the laminated capacitor can be manufactured with no local increase in ceramic layer thickness, unlike the manufacturing method of JP 2004-172602, which doubles the ceramic layer thickness at the joint between the first and second capacitors. Thus, the thickness of the laminated capacitor can easily be reduced, while the capacity of the laminated capacitor can easily be increased.
3. Second Method for Manufacturing the Laminated Capacitor
Referring now to
Secondly, a second green sheet 97 is placed on the first green sheet 96. The second green sheet 97 has a second conductive layer 973 on a second dielectric layer 971 with second through-hole conductors 972. The second through-hole conductors 972 are configured to provide the first inner through-hole conductor 51 and the second outer through-hole conductors 62 shown in
Thirdly, a plurality of third green sheets 98 are stacked on the second green sheet 97 as shown in
Fourthly, a plurality of green sheets 90 are stacked on the stack of the third green sheets 98 as shown in
Finally, a fourth conductive layer 99 is formed on the first green sheet 96 as shown in
The second manufacturing method has the same advantages as the first manufacturing method.
While the present invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to embodiments thereof, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and detail may be made therein without departing from the spirit, scope and teaching of the invention.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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2005-274585 | Sep 2005 | JP | national |
Number | Name | Date | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
6072690 | Farooq et al. | Jun 2000 | A |
6215647 | Naito et al. | Apr 2001 | B1 |
6407907 | Ahiko et al. | Jun 2002 | B1 |
6885541 | Otsuka et al. | Apr 2005 | B2 |
6999300 | Togashi et al. | Feb 2006 | B2 |
20070064374 | Togashi et al. | Mar 2007 | A1 |
Number | Date | Country |
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2004-172602 | Jun 2004 | JP |
Number | Date | Country | |
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20070064374 A1 | Mar 2007 | US |