In the MLCC industry, there has been a strong impetus for shifting from Precious Metal Electrode (PME) technology to Base Metal Electrode (BME) technology in high capacitance per unit volume parts, primarily as an avenue for materials cost savings. This poses several technical challenges with respect to processing and to the resulting properties of the MLCC. One of the key factors governing the successful application of BME technology is the selection of suitable nickel powders which possess a combination of desirable characteristics. The critical criteria involved in nickel powder selection include particle size, size dispersity, surface area, degree of crystallinity, oxidation resistance, tap density, chemical purity, dispersion properties, and thermal characteristics of the powder. In this paper, criteria for the selection of suitable nickel powders for application in the electrodes of BME MLCC are discussed. Processing of MLCC with X5R and Y5V characteristics are addressed using nickel powders made by two different syntheses: the precipitation method and the gas-phase method. Processing ramifications and robustness characteristics of the MLCC are discussed with respect to the nickel powder characteristics and electrode properties.
展开▼
