Multilayer ceramic electronic component, and method of manufacturing multilayer ceramic electronic component

1. A multilayer ceramic electronic component comprising:

a component body including a plurality of ceramic layers laminated in a lamination direction and a plurality of pairs of first internal electrodes and second internal electrodes, the component body including a first main surface and a second main surface facing each other in the lamination direction, a first side surface and a second side surface facing each other in a width direction orthogonal or substantially orthogonal to the lamination direction, and a first end surface and a second end surface facing each other in a length direction orthogonal or substantially orthogonal to the lamination direction and the width direction;

a first external electrode provided on the first end surface of the component body, and connected to the first internal electrodes at the first end surface; and

a second external electrode provided on the second end surface of the component body, and connected to the second internal electrodes at the second end surface; wherein an absolute value |Ra S1 -Ra S2 | of a difference between a surface roughness Ra S1 of the first side surface and a surface roughness Ra S2 of the second side surface of the component body is smaller than an absolute value |Ra M1 -Ra M2 | of a difference between a surface roughness Ra M1 of the first main surface and a surface roughness Ra M2 of the second main surface;

the surface roughness of at least one of the first side surface and the second side surface is smaller than the surface roughness of each of the first main surface and the second main surface;

the first external electrode extends around a portion of each of the first main surface, the second main surface, the first side surface, and the second side surface of the component body;

a thickness of the first external electrode provided on the first side surface and the second side surface of the component body is smaller than a thickness of the first external electrode provided on the first main surface and the second main surface of the component body;

the second external electrode extends around a portion of each of the first main surface, the second main surface, the first side surface, and the second side surface of the component body;

a thickness of the second external electrode provided on the first side surface and the second side surface of the component body is smaller than a thickness of the second external electrode provided on the first main surface and the second main surface of the component body; and

the thickness of the first external electrode on at least one of the first main surface, the second main surface, the first side surface, and the second side surface is different from the-average thickness of the second external electrode on the corresponding at least one of the first main surface, the second main surface, the first side surface, and the second side surface.

2. The multilayer ceramic electronic component according to claim 1 , wherein both of the surface roughness Ra S1 of the first side surface and the surface roughness Ra S2 of the second side surface of the component body are smaller than the surface roughness Ra M1 of the first main surface, and are smaller than the surface roughness Ra M1 of the second main surface.

3. The multilayer ceramic electronic component according to claim 1 , wherein a value of T B /W B is about 0.7 or more and about 1.3 or less, where T B is a dimension of the component body in the lamination direction and WB is a dimension of the component body in the width direction.

4. The multilayer ceramic electronic component according to claim 1 , wherein the component body includes rounded corners and ridges.

5. The multilayer ceramic electronic component according to claim 1 , wherein the surface roughness Ra S1 of the first side surface and the surface roughness Ra S2 of the second side surface of the component body are the same or substantially the same.

6. The multilayer ceramic electronic component according to claim 1 , wherein

the thickness of the first external electrode provided on the first side surface of the component body is the same or substantially the same as the thickness of the first external electrode provided on the second side surface; and

the thickness of the second external electrode provided on the first side surface of the component body is the same or substantially the same as the thickness of the second external electrode provided on the second side surface.

7. The multilayer ceramic electronic component according to claim 1 , wherein each of the first and second external electrodes includes a foundation layer and a plating layer provided on the foundation layer.

8. The multilayer ceramic electronic component according to claim 7 , wherein the foundation layer includes at least one of Cu, Ni, Ag, Pd, Ag-Pd alloy, and Au.

9. The multilayer ceramic electronic component according to claim 7 , wherein the plating layer has a two-layer structure including a Ni plating layer and an Sn plating layer.

10. The multilayer ceramic electronic component according to claim 1 , wherein the surface roughness of the first main surface is different from the surface roughness of the second main surface.