Reliability design of Multilayer Ceramic Capacitor against thinning of dielectric layers

The lifetime of multilayer ceramic capacitors (MLCCs) under a high dc electric field (200 kV/cm) was investigated. Mean time to failure (MTTF) during a highly accelerated lifetime test (HALT) was dependent on thickness of dielectric layers, despite the fixed electric field. Thermal stimulated current (TSC) and dielectric loss (tandelta) measurement revealed the amount of oxygen vacancies and their movement in MLCCs during the HALT. These results demanded "the localized oxygen vacancy model." Comparing the material designed for 1.0 mum dielectric layers to a conventional material, we proposed a promising material design for ultra-thin layer MLCCs with high reliability.