Multilayer ceramic electronic component and method of manufacturing the same

1. A multilayer ceramic electronic component comprising:

a ceramic body including dielectric layers, and internal electrodes alternately disposed on the dielectric layers and containing a ceramic additive disposed therein; and

external electrodes formed on an outer portion of the ceramic body and electrically connected to the internal electrodes,

wherein the ceramic additive is disposed in the internal electrode at a position spaced apart from a boundary between the internal electrode and the dielectric layer by a predetermined distance,

wherein the ceramic additive is linearly disposed in the internal electrode at the position spaced apart from the boundary between the internal electrode and the dielectric layer by the predetermined distance, and

0.24≤tb/te≤0.33 is satisfied, in which to is a thickness of the internal electrode, and tb is a distance from the boundary between the internal electrode and the dielectric layer to the position at which the ceramic additive is linearly disposed.

2. The multilayer ceramic electronic component of claim 1 , wherein a density of the ceramic additive disposed in the internal electrode at the position spaced apart from the boundary between the internal electrode and the dielectric layer by the predetermined distance is higher than that in other regions.

3. The multilayer ceramic electronic component of claim 1 , wherein internal electrode connectivity defined as a ratio of an actual length of the internal electrode to an entire length of the internal electrode is 90% or more.

4. The multilayer ceramic electronic component of claim 1 , wherein an average size of metal particles at a central region of the internal electrode is greater than that of metal particles in boundary regions of the internal electrode between which the central region thereof is disposed.

5. A method of manufacturing a multilayer ceramic electronic component, the method comprising:

preparing a ceramic green sheet;

forming, on the ceramic green sheet, an internal electrode pattern using a conductive paste containing a conductive metal and a ceramic additive;

stacking additional ceramic green sheets on each of which an additional internal electrode pattern is formed to form a ceramic multilayer body; and

sintering the ceramic multilayer body to form a ceramic body including dielectric layers and internal electrodes,

wherein the conductive paste is composed of first and second conductive pastes in which particle sizes of the conductive metal are different from each other, and a size of metal particles contained in an electrode connectivity contributing layer disposed in a central portion of the internal electrode pattern is greater than that of metal particles contained in a withstand voltage improving layer disposed in an outer region thereof adjacent to the ceramic green sheet.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein two or more conductive metal particles are disposed in the withstand voltage improving layer in a stacking direction of the ceramic green sheets.

7. The method of claim 5 , wherein 0.24≤ta/te≤0.33 is satisfied, in which to is a thickness of the internal electrode pattern, and to is a thickness of the withstand voltage improving layer.

8. The method of claim 5 , wherein the ceramic additive is disposed in the internal electrode at a position spaced apart from a boundary between the internal electrode and the dielectric layer by a predetermined distance.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the ceramic additive is linearly disposed in the internal electrode at the position spaced apart from the boundary between the internal electrode and the dielectric layer by the predetermined distance.

10. The method of claim 5 , wherein internal electrode connectivity defined as a ratio of an actual length of the internal electrode to an entire length of the internal electrode is 90% or more.

11. A multilayer ceramic electronic component comprising:

a ceramic body including alternatively disposed dielectric layers and internal electrodes; and

external electrodes formed on an outer surface of the ceramic body and electrically connected to the internal electrodes,

wherein in a thickness direction of a respective one of the internal electrodes, an intermediate region of the respective internal electrode has a density of a ceramic additive greater than densities of ceramic additive contained in a boundary region and a center region of the respective internal electrode between which the intermediate region is interposed.

12. The multilayer ceramic electronic component of claim 11 , wherein the intermediate region linearly extends along a length direction of the ceramic body.

13. The multilayer ceramic electronic component of claim 11 , wherein internal electrode connectivity defined as a ratio of an actual length of the respective internal electrode to an entire length of the respective internal electrode is 90% or more.

14. The multilayer ceramic electronic component of claim 11 , wherein an average size of metal particles in the central region of the respective internal electrode is greater than that of metal particles in the boundary region of the respective internal electrode.