Murata Manufacturing Co., Ltd.

Shoichi Higuchi

Yukio Hamaji

Tatsuo Kunishi

Akihiro Motoki

Kunihiko Hamada

Yoshihiko Takano

A method for plating electrodes of ceramic chip electronic components includes performing electroplating in a plating bath. The plating bath contains tin (II) sulfamate, acting as a tin (II) salt; a complexing agent including at least one selected from the group consisting of citric acid, gluconic acid, pyrophosphoric acid, heptoic acid, malonic acid, malic acid, salts of these acids, and gluconic lactone; and a brightener including at least one surfactant having an HLB value of about 10 or more. The tin plating adhesion of the resulting ceramic chip electronic components can be limited to a certain level.

Method for plating electrodes of ceramic chip electronic components

An electronic component includes external electrodes formed on a base member, each external electrode including a plurality of layers of which the outermost layer is a tin plating layer. The tin plating layer has a polycrystalline structure, and atoms of a metal other than tin are diffused into the tin crystal grain boundaries. Alternatively, each external electrode includes a plurality of layers including a thick-film electrode formed on the base member, a nickel layer or a nickel alloy layer formed on the thick-film electrode and a tin plating layer formed on the nickel layer or the nickel alloy layer. The tin plating layer has a polycrystalline structure and nickel atoms are diffused into the tin crystal grain boundaries. Methods for fabricating electronic components and a circuit board provided with a plurality of electronic components are also disclosed.

Electronic component, method for producing electronic component, and circuit board

A process for manufacturing an electronic part having a ceramic body and an outer electrode form on the surface of the body, the outer electrode including a plurality of layers and having a Sn plating layer as the outermost layer. The Sn plating layer having an average crystal grain size of about 1 &mgr;m or less is formed on a Ni or Ni alloy by electroplating in a plating bath having a pH of about 3 to 10.

Process for manufacturing electronic part

An electronic part includes a body and an outer electrode formed on the surface of the body, the outer electrode comprising a plurality of layers and having a Sn plating layer as the outermost layer. The Sn plating layer has an average crystal grain size of about 1 &mgr;m or less.

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Shiga-ken, Japan

Shoichi Higuchi