Patent ID: 7715171

Claim:
A multilayer ceramic capacitor comprising: a capacitor body having a multilayer structure including a plurality of dielectric ceramic layers and a plurality of internal electrodes each of which is disposed at a different interface between adjacent dielectric ceramic layers, and having a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape defined by first and second main surfaces extending in a direction in which the dielectric ceramic layers extend, first and second end surfaces extending in a direction orthogonal to the main surfaces, and first and second side surfaces; and a first and second external electrodes disposed at the respective first and second end surfaces and extending therefrom to respective parts of the main surfaces and side surfaces adjacent to the end surfaces, and connected to specific ones of the internal electrodes such that capacitances formed between the internal electrodes facing each other with the dielectric ceramic layers therebetween are extracted, the capacitor body having an active part having a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape and being the volume containing the portions of the internal electrodes which face each other and contribute to formation of capacitances between them upon application of electrical energy; wherein said active area contains a pair of low-activity regions at least a portion of which is disposed in respective cylindrical regions in the active part having a radius of 0.025 L about respective lines in which a plane parallel to the end surfaces and passing through a position of an end edge of a respective one of the first and second external electrodes on the first main surface of the capacitor body intersects a surface of the active part adjacent to the first main surface, wherein L is the distance between the first and second end surfaces in the longitudinal direction of the capacitor body, and wherein each low-activity region is defined by the volume containing facing internal electrodes for forming capacitances in which the facing area of those electrodes is less than or equal to one fifth that of the internal electrodes in another region of the active part having the same volume as that of the low-activity region.