Manufacturing method for monolithic ceramic electronic component

1. A manufacturing method for a monolithic ceramic electronic component, comprising the steps of:

preparing a mother block including a plurality of ceramic green sheets that are stacked on each other, and an internal electrode pattern arranged along each of a plurality of interfaces between the ceramic green sheets; and

cutting the mother block along a first cutting line and a second cutting line extending in mutually perpendicular or substantially perpendicular directions to obtain a plurality of green chips, the green chips each having a laminated structure including a plurality of ceramic layers and a plurality of internal electrodes that are in a raw state, the internal electrodes being exposed on a cut side surface that is produced by cutting along the first cutting line; wherein

the green chips obtained by the cutting step are arrayed in row and column directions; and

the manufacturing method further comprises the step of, after the cutting step, tumbling the green chips in a state in which the green chips arrayed in the row and column directions are spaced apart from each other, to make the cut side surface of each of the green chips uniformly an open surface; and

further comprising the steps of:

affixing a side surface ceramic green sheet to the cut side surface; and

placing the side surface ceramic green sheet which is not backed with a carrier film on an affixation elastic body, which is deformed during the manufacturing method.

2. The manufacturing method for a monolithic ceramic electronic component according to claim 1 , further comprising the step of:

affixing the green chips arrayed in the row and column directions onto an adhesive sheet having expandability, and expanding the adhesive sheet on which the green chips have been affixed, so that the green chips arrayed in the row and column directions become spaced apart from each other in the tumbling step.

3. The manufacturing method for a monolithic ceramic electronic component according to claim 1 , further comprising the steps of:

pressing the cut side surface against the side surface ceramic green sheet with a force that substantially elastically deforms the affixation elastic body; and

separating each of the green chips from the affixation elastic body in a state in which the side surface ceramic green sheet is stuck to the cut side surface.

4. The manufacturing method for a monolithic ceramic electronic component according to claim 3 , wherein:

the side surface ceramic green sheet has dimensions larger than the cut side surface; and

the step of pressing the cut side surface against the side surface ceramic green sheet includes the step of punching the side surface ceramic green sheet by an edge of the cut side surface.

5. The manufacturing method for a monolithic ceramic electronic component according to claim 1 , further comprising the step of thermo-compression bonding each of the green chips and a raw ceramic protective layer together at a temperature of not higher than about 200° C. to improve adhesion thereof, after forming the raw ceramic protective layer by affixing the side surface ceramic green sheet to the cut side surface.

6. The manufacturing method for a monolithic ceramic electronic component according to claim 1 , further comprising the step of forming an external electrode on a predetermined surface of the monolithic ceramic electronic component so as to be electrically connected to a specific one of the internal electrodes.