Microstructure evolution during the co-sintering of Ni/BaTiO3 multilayer ceramic capacitors modeled by discrete element simulations

Electrode discontinuities are a critical issue for manufacturing ultrathin multilayer ceramic capacitors (MLCCs). The Discrete Element Method is used to simulate, at the particle length scale, the microstructure evolution during the co-sintering of state-of-the-art nickel based-MLCCs. Electrode discontinuities are considered to originate from the heterogeneities in the initial powder packing and to grow because of the constraint imposed by adjacent dielectric layers. A parametric study demonstrates that: (i) fast heating rate leads to lower electrode discontinuity during heating, (ii) green density and thickness of the electrode should be optimized to improve the electrode connectivity, (iii) rearrangement of the nickel particles plays a significant role in electrode discontinuity, and (iv) the addition of non-sintering inclusions can improve the electrode connectivity. These findings can be generalized to other multilayer components.