US4819128A — Electrical multilayer component comprising a sint…

Claim 1

Independent Claim 216 words

In an electrical multilayer component including a sintered, monolithic ceramic body having cavities extending in alternating fashion from opposed end faces and extending partially into opposed lateral surfaces at right angles to said opposed end faces, said body also having an upper surface and a lower surface parallel thereto, both mutually perpendicular to said opposed end faces and said opposed lateral surfaces, ceramic particles disposed in said cavities to serve as support elements between adjoining layers of said ceramic body, metal layers completely filling said cavities and composed of a metal whose melting temperature is substantially lower than the sintering temperature of said ceramic body, and contact elements covering said end faces and extending partially about said lateral surfaces, said contact elements electrically connecting together said metal layers, the improvement which comprises: the edges between said end faces and their adjoining lateral surfaces as well as the edges between the end faces and said upper surface and said lower surface, as well as the edges between said upper and lower surfaces and the adjoining lateral surfaces being rounded off such that said metal layers extend out to said contact elements, and said contact elements being non-porous and covering those portions of said lateral surfaces which are open to the surfaces and are filled with metal layers.

Claim 2

Dependent Claim 216 words

In an electrical multilayer component including a sintered, monolithic ceramic body having cavities extending in alternating fashion from opposed end faces and extending partially into opposed lateral surfaces at right angles to said opposed end faces, said body also having an upper surface and a lower surface parallel thereto, both mutually perpendicular to said opposed end faces and said opposed lateral surfaces, ceramic particles disposed in said cavities to serve as support elements between adjoining layers of said ceramic body, metal layers completely filling said cavities and composed of a metal whose melting temperature is substantially lower than the sintering temperature of said ceramic body, and contact elements covering said end faces and extending partially about said lateral surfaces, said contact elements electrically connecting together said metal layers, the improvement which comprises: the edges between said end faces and their adjoining lateral surfaces as well as the edges between the end faces and said upper surface and said lower surface, as well as the edges between said upper and lower surfaces and the adjoining lateral surfaces being rounded off such that said metal layers extend out to said contact elements, and said contact elements being non-porous and covering those portions of said lateral surfaces which are open to the surfaces and are filled with metal layers.

Claim 3

Dependent Claim 27 words

An electrical multilayer component according to claim 1 wherein said metal has the property of readily wetting the surfaces of said ceramic layers in its molten condition.

Claim 4

Dependent Claim 26 words

An electrical multilayer component according to claim 1 wherein said metal is a lead-indium alloy having an indium content of at least 0.5 percent by weight.

Claim 5

Dependent Claim 37 words

An electrical multilayer component according to claim 1 wherein said metal is a lead-silver-indium alloy containing at least 0.5 percent by weight indium and a total of up to 20 percent by weight of silver and indium.

Claim 6

Dependent Claim 18 words

An electrical multilayer component according to claim 1 wherein said metal is a copper-indium or a silver-indium alloy.

Claim 7

Dependent Claim 15 words

An electrical multilayer component according to claim 1 wherein said metal consists predominately of nickel.

Claim 8

Dependent Claim 15 words

An electrical multilayer component according to claim 1 wherein said metal consists predominately of silver.

Claim 9

Dependent Claim 36 words

An electrical multilayer component according to claim 1 wherein said contact elements are multilayer, the inner layer consisting of aluminum or chromium, a middle layer of nickel or nickel-vanadium alloy, and an outer layer of silver.

Claim 10

Dependent Claim 20 words

An electrical multilayer component according to claim 8 which includes a layer of tin over said outer layer of silver.

Claim 11

Dependent Claim 39 words

An electrical multilayer component according to claim 8 wherein said aluminum layer is about 0.5 um thick, said middle layer is composed of nickel-vanadium and is about 1.5 um thick, and said silver layer is about 1 um thick.

Claim 12

Dependent Claim 31 words

An electrical multilayer component according to claim 1 wherein the portions of said lateral surfaces which are not covered by said contact elements are covered with electrically insulating, moisture proof material.

Claim 13

Independent Claim 164 words

A method for the manufacture of an electrical multilayer component which comprises: forming said ceramic particles into layers of from 0.03 to 0.1 mm thickness, applying a suspension having a thickness of about 0.005 to 0.02 mm over said layers in the form of patterns, said suspension containing materials which volatilize upon sintering of said ceramic particle layers, forming a stack of said layers and said patterns in overlapping relationship, compressing the resulting stack, sintering the compressed stack at a temperature of at least 1000° C., dipping the sintered ceramic bodies into a metal melt contained in a pressurized vessel, cooling the metal containing stack while reducing the pressure to atmospheric pressure, abrading the cooled stack in a grinding vessel with an aqueous suspension of abrasive particles to round off edges of said stack to the extent that the metal of said stack extends completely to the end faces of said stack, and applying non-porous contact electrodes to the end faces of said stack.

Claim 14

Independent Claim 164 words

A method for the manufacture of an electrical multilayer component which comprises: forming said ceramic particles into layers of from 0.03 to 0.1 mm thickness, applying a suspension having a thickness of about 0.005 to 0.02 mm over said layers in the form of patterns, said suspension containing materials which volatilize upon sintering of said ceramic particle layers, forming a stack of said layers and said patterns in overlapping relationship, compressing the resulting stack, sintering the compressed stack at a temperature of at least 1000° C., dipping the sintered ceramic bodies into a metal melt contained in a pressurized vessel, cooling the metal containing stack while reducing the pressure to atmospheric pressure, abrading the cooled stack in a grinding vessel with an aqueous suspension of abrasive particles to round off edges of said stack to the extent that the metal of said stack extends completely to the end faces of said stack, and applying non-porous contact electrodes to the end faces of said stack.

Claim 15

Dependent Claim 23 words

A metal according to claim 12 wherein said patterns are connected to each other over the full width of said layers by bridges.

Claim 16

Dependent Claim 28 words

A method according to claim 12 wherein said grinding vessel is composed of V2A steel and which is rotated at a speed of from 60 to 100 rpm.

Annuity Stage	Window Opens	Payment Deadline	Surcharge Period Until	Estimated Fee	Status
3.5 Years (Year 4)	1992-04-03	1992-10-03	1993-04-04	$2000.00	Window Closed / Lapsed
7.5 Years (Year 8)	1996-04-03	1996-10-03	1997-04-04	$3760.00	Window Closed / Lapsed
11.5 Years (Year 12)	2000-04-03	2000-10-03	2001-04-04	$7700.00	Window Closed / Lapsed

Electrical multilayer component comprising a sintered, monolithic ceramic body and method for its manufacture

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