Electronic component, circuit board arrangement and method of manufacturing electronic component

1. An electronic component comprising:

an element body that includes a dielectric and at least one inner electrode; and

at least one external electrode,

wherein each of the at least one external electrode includes:

a base layer connected to one or more of said at least one inner electrode and containing a metal and a first co-material mixed with the metal, the base layer being formed on a side surface of the element body and extending from the side surface to cover one or more of adjacent surfaces of the element body, the base layer thereby having a plurality of faces facing different directions,

a plating layer formed on at least one face of the base layer, and

an oxide layer formed on one or more of the faces of the base layer other than said at least one face of the base layer, the oxide layer having a surface layer made of plural kinds of oxides, the plural kinds of oxides including an oxide film of the metal of the base layer and an oxide ceramic, the oxide ceramic being distributed in the form of islands over an entire surface of the oxide layer, being exposed on the surface of the oxide layer, and puncturing the oxide film to reach the base layer, thereby serving as a strut penetrating the oxide layer and supporting the oxide layer on the base layer.

2. The electronic component according to claim 1 , wherein the first co-material contained in the base layer and the oxide ceramic contained in the oxide layer have a same composition.

3. The electronic component according to claim 1 , wherein a main component of the dielectric is oxide ceramic.

4. The electronic component according to claim 1 , wherein the first co-material contained in the base layer and the oxide ceramic contained in the oxide layer have a same composition as a main component of the dielectric.

5. The electronic component according to claim 1 ,

wherein at least some of the oxide ceramic in the oxide layer is a portion of some of the first co-material in the base layer that reaches the oxide layer, thereby having a continuous structure from the base layer to the oxide layer, and

wherein the first co-material and the oxide ceramic have a single or poly- crystal structure or amorphous structure therein.

6. The electronic component according to claim 1 , wherein the metal of the base layer is present in the form of crystalline or amorphous particles and the first co-material is also present in the form of crystalline or amorphous particles such that the particles of the metal of the base layer are mixedly present with the particles of the first co-material.

7. The electronic component according to claim 1 , wherein a main component of the dielectric is barium titanate.

8. The electronic component according to claim 1 , wherein the plating layer formed on at least a bottom face of the base layer, and the oxide layer is provided on a face of the base layer that is on the side surface of the element body and on at least a portion of a top face of the base layer that is opposite to the bottom face on which the plating layer is formed.

9. The electronic component according to claim 1 , wherein a ratio of the oxide ceramic at a surface of the oxide layer is in a range from 20 at % to 75 at %.

10. The electronic component according to claim 1 , wherein the metal of the base layer is a metal or alloy containing at least one of Cu, Fe, Zn, Al, Ni, Pt, Pd, Ag, Au and Sn.

11. The electronic component according to claim 1 , wherein the first co-material includes at least one of barium titanate, strontium titanate, calcium titanate, magnesium titanate, barium strontium titanate, barium calcium titanate, calcium zirconate, barium zirconate, calcium titanate zirconate and titanium oxide.

12. The electronic component according to claim 1 , wherein the oxide layer includes nickel oxide and barium titanate at a surface of the oxide layer.

13. The electronic component of claim 12 , wherein the oxide layer further includes a compound containing nickel, magnesium, and oxygen at the surface of the oxide layer.

14. The electronic component according to claim 1 ,

wherein the element body has a laminate, in which at least one first inner electrode layer and at least one second inner electrode layer, as said at least one inner electrode, are alternately laminated via the dielectric,

said at least one external electrode includes a first external electrode and a second external electrode provided on opposite side surfaces of the laminate such that the first external electrode is spaced from the second external electrode,

said at least one first inner electrode layer is connected to the first external electrode, and

said at least one second inner electrode layer is connected to the second external electrode.

15. The electronic component according to claim 14 , wherein the plating layer is formed on at least a bottom face of the base layer, and said at least one first inner electrode layer and said at least one second inner electrode layer are alternately laminated in a direction perpendicular to the bottom face of the base layer on which the plating layer is formed.

16. A circuit board arrangement comprising:

a circuit board; and

the electronic component as set forth in claim 1 , mounted on the circuit board,

the electronic component being connected to the circuit board via a solder layer attached to the plating layer.

17. The electronic component according to claim 1 , wherein the oxide ceramic is made by a plurality of particles collected to a size of about μm to 40 μm.