Patent ID: 8059388

Claim:
A multilayer ceramic capacitor comprising dielectric layers and internal electrode layers disposed alternately, the dielectric layers including a dielectric ceramic containing barium titanate as a main component, calcium, magnesium, vanadium, manganese, and any rare-earth element among dysprosium, holmium, erbium, and yttrium, wherein crystals constituting the dielectric ceramic include a first crystal group constituted by crystal grains containing the barium titanate as a main component and containing the calcium in a concentration of 0.2 atomic % or less and a second crystal group constituted by crystal grains containing the barium titanate as a main component and containing the calcium in a concentration of 0.4 atomic % or more; ratios (C 2 /C 1 ) of concentrations (C 2 ) of the magnesium and the rare-earth element contained in center portions of the crystal grains constituting the first crystal group to concentrations (C 1 ) of the magnesium and the rare-earth element contained in surface layers of the crystal grains constituting the first crystal group are respectively larger than ratios (C 4 /C 3 ) of concentrations (C 4 ) of the magnesium and the rare-earth element contained in center portions of the crystal grains constituting the second crystal group to concentrations (C 3 ) of the magnesium and the rare-earth element contained in surface layers of the crystal grains constituting the second crystal group; and b/(a+b) is 0.5 to 0.8 where, in a polished surface obtained by polishing a surface of the dielectric ceramic, a represents an area of the crystal grains constituting the first crystal group and b represents an area of the crystal grains constituting the second crystal group.