A Study on the Microstructure of the Multilayer Ceramic Capacitors with Ni Internal Electrode

Effect of annealing, in an oxidizing atmosphere after sintering, on the electrical properties and microstructure of (Ba, Ca)(Ti, Zr)O3-based (BCTZ-based) multilayer ceramic capacitors with Ni internal electrodes has been studied. In the case of the dielectric layer thinner than 2μm, insulation resistance greatly increased by annealing, and the layer between the Ni-electrodes was observed to be single grain. After annealing, there was an interface of 0.4 nm between dielectric material and Ni-electrode. The composition of interfaced region was different from the BCTZ-based dielectric.