Reduced electrical terminations in surface-mount technology components

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10424438-B2
Application number	US-201615275369-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 24, 2016
Priority date	Jan 18, 2016
Publication date	Sep 24, 2019
Grant date	Sep 24, 2019

Abstract

Systems and methods described in this disclosure are related to fabrication and utilization of two-terminal electrical components that may have terminations with reduced width. Components, such as the ones described herein may be used to increase the density of components in electrical devices, as they may reduce a separation distance between devices that lead to solder bridging. Methods for fabrication are also described, including the use of ceramic layers that may provide reduction in parasitic capacitance and/or inductances.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An electrical component comprising:
a first electrical termination disposed along a bottom of the electrical component, a first terminal edge of the electrical component that abuts a first end of the electrical component and the first end of the electrical component extending to a third terminal edge of the electrical component that abuts a top of the electrical component, wherein a first portion of the first electrical termination disposed in the first end of the electrical component comprises a trapezoidal shape; and
a second electrical termination disposed along the bottom of the electrical component and extending to a second terminal edge of the electrical component that abuts a second end of the electrical component opposite to the first end of the electrical component,
wherein the first electrical termination is disposed at a first distance from a first and a second corner of the first terminal edge, the first distance corresponding to at least 10% of a total length of the first terminal edge, wherein the first distance is measured along the first terminal edge and the first electrical termination is disposed at a second distance from a third and a fourth end of the third terminal edge, wherein the second distance is smaller than the first distance, and wherein the second distance is measured along the third terminal edge.

2. The electrical component of claim 1 , wherein the trapezoidal shape of the first portion of the first electrical termination is substantially similar to a shape of a second portion of the second electrical termination disposed in the second end of the electrical component.

3. The electrical component of claim 1 , wherein the first electrical termination extends contiguously along the first end and the top of the electrical component.

4. The electrical component of claim 1 , wherein the electrical component is configured to be mounted to a printed circuit board (PCB) using a surface-mount technique (SMT).

5. The electrical component of claim 1 , wherein the electrical component comprises a multilayer ceramic capacitor.

6. The electrical component of claim 1 , wherein a width of the first electrical termination along the first terminal edge is 50 μm smaller than the total length of the first terminal edge.

7. The electrical component of claim 1 , wherein the first electrical termination covers the third terminal edge.

8. A multilayer ceramic capacitor comprising:
a first electrical termination disposed along a bottom and a first end of the multilayer ceramic capacitor, wherein a first region of the first electrical termination disposed in the first end of the multilayer ceramic capacitor comprises a first terminal edge that abuts the bottom of the multilayer ceramic capacitor and a second terminal edge that abuts a top of the multilayer ceramic capacitor, wherein a first width of the first electrical termination along the first terminal edge is smaller than a second width of the first electrical termination along the second terminal edge to form a first trapezoidal shape, wherein the first width is less than 80% of an edge width of the multilayer ceramic capacitor along the first terminal edge, and wherein the first electrical termination is the only termination contacting the first end of the multilayer ceramic capacitor; and
a second electrical termination disposed along the bottom and a second end of the multilayer ceramic capacitor, wherein a second region of the second electrical termination disposed in the second end of the multilayer ceramic capacitor comprises a third terminal edge that abuts the bottom of the multilayer ceramic capacitor and a fourth terminal edge that abuts the top of the multilayer ceramic capacitor, and wherein a third width of the second electrical termination along the third terminal edge is smaller than a fourth width of the second electrical termination along the fourth terminal edge to form a second trapezoidal shape;
a first layer comprising a first electrode, wherein the first electrode comprises a first lip coupled to the first electrical termination along a first electrode edge of the first layer; and
a second layer comprising a second electrode, wherein the second electrode comprises a second lip coupled to the second electrical termination along a second electrode edge of the second layer,
wherein a dimension of the first lip measured along the first electrode edge is less than a total length of the first electrode edge and a second dimension of the second lip measured along the second electrode edge is less than a total length of the second electrode edge.

9. The multilayer ceramic capacitor of claim 8 , wherein the first electrode comprises rounded corners.

10. The multilayer ceramic capacitor of claim 8 , wherein the second electrode comprises a third lip coupled to the second electrical termination along the second electrode edge of the second layer.

11. The multilayer ceramic capacitor of claim 8 , wherein the first layer is disposed in a plane parallel to the bottom of the multilayer ceramic capacitor.

12. The multilayer ceramic capacitor of claim 8 , wherein the first layer is disposed in a plane perpendicular to the bottom of the multilayer ceramic capacitor.

13. The multilayer ceramic capacitor of claim 8 , wherein the first electrical termination comprises a third region along the bottom of the multilayer ceramic capacitor and a fourth region along the top of the multilayer ceramic capacitor, the second electrical termination comprises a fifth region along the bottom of the multilayer ceramic capacitor and a sixth region along the top of the multilayer ceramic capacitor, and the multilayer ceramic capacitor is configured to mount to a printed circuit board through coupling of the third and the fifth region, and the multilayer ceramic capacitor is configured to mount to an electrical component through the fourth region and the sixth region.

14. The multilayer ceramic capacitor of claim 8 , wherein the second width of the first electrical termination along the second terminal edge is similar to a width of the multilayer ceramic capacitor measured along the second terminal edge.

15. An electrical device, comprising:
a printed circuit board comprising a first electrical pad and a second electrical pad; and
a component comprising:
a first electrical termination electrically coupled to the first electrical pad, disposed along a bottom of the component, a first terminal edge of the component that abuts a first end of the component, and the first end of the component extending to a third terminal edge of the component that abuts a top of the component, and wherein a first portion of the first electrical termination disposed in the first end of the component comprises a trapezoidal shape the first electrical termination is disposed at a first distance from a first and a second corner of the first terminal edge measured along the first terminal edge, the first distance corresponds to at least 10% of a total length of the first terminal edge, the first electrical termination is disposed at a second distance from a third and a fourth corner of the third terminal edge measured along the third terminal edge, and the second distance is smaller than the first distance; and
a second electrical termination electrically coupled to the second electrical pad, disposed along the bottom of the component, and extending to a second terminal edge of the component that abuts a second end of the component opposite to the first end of the component.

16. The electrical device of claim 15 , wherein a first width of the first electrica

Assignees

• Apple Inc

Inventors

• Martinez Paul A
• Mead Curtis C
• Morrison Scott D
• De La Cruz Giancarlo F
• Chen Lin
• Wang Albert
• Simeral Brad W
• Vo Vu
• Chen Wyeman

Classifications

• H05K2201/10636

  Leadless chip, e.g. chip capacitor or resistor · CPC title

• H05K3/3442

  having edge contacts, e.g. leadless chip capacitors, chip carriers · CPC title

• H01G4/012

  Form of non-self-supporting electrodes · CPC title

• H01G4/232 Primary

  electrically connecting two or more layers of a stacked or rolled capacitor · CPC title

• H05K2201/10015

  Non-printed capacitor · CPC title