Method of manufacturing a plurality of electronic components

Abstract

A method of manufacturing a plurality of thin-film, surface-mountable, electronic components, comprising the following successive steps: providing a substantially planar, ceramic substrate having a first and second major surface which are mutually parallel, the substrate containing a series of mutually parallel slots which extend from the first major surface through to the second major surface, such slots serving to subdivide the substrate into elongated segments extending parallel to the slots and located between consecutive pairs thereof, each segment having two oppositely located walls extending along the edges of the adjacent slots, each segment carrying a thin-film electrode structure on at least one of its first and second major surfaces; with the aid of a three-dimensional lithographic technique, providing electrical contacts which extend along both walls of each segment and which make electrical contact with the electrode structure on each segment; severing the segments into individual block-shaped components by severing them along a series of division lines extending substantially perpendicular to the walls of each segment. This method can be used to manufacture various types of component, such as thin-film resistors, fuses, capacitors and inductors, but also passive networks, such as RC and LCR networks.