Patent ID: 8094432

Claim:
A method for manufacturing a multilayer ceramic electronic component, comprising the steps of: preparing a laminate that includes laminated ceramic layers and internal electrodes disposed between the ceramic layers, an end of each of the internal electrodes being exposed at a predetermined surface of the laminate; and forming a plated layer on the predetermined surface of the laminate to electrically connect the ends of the internal electrodes to each other; wherein the step of forming a plated layer comprises: a first substep of depositing precipitates primarily composed of a specific metal on the end of each of the internal electrodes exposed at the predetermined surface of the laminate and growing the precipitates to coalesce into a continuous plated sublayer; and a second substep of heat-treating the laminate including the plated sublayer at a temperature of at least about 800° C.; and forming a plated layer including a plurality of plated sublayers by continuously performing at least two cycles of the first substep and the second substep.