A multilayer ceramic capacitor includes: a multilayer structure in which ceramic dielectric layers and internal electrode layers are alternately stacked, wherein: a main component of the ceramic dielectric layer is barium titanate in which a donor element having a larger valence than Ti is solid-solved and an acceptor element having a smaller valence than Ti and larger ion radius than Ti and the donor element is solid-solved; a solid-solution amount of the donor element is 0.05 mol or more and 0.3 mol or less on a presumption that an amount of the barium titanate is 100 mol and the donor element is converted into an oxide; and a solid solution amount of the accepter element is 0.02 mol or more and 0.2 mol or less on a presumption that the amount of the barium titanate is 100 mol and the acceptor element is converted into an oxide.

A piezoelectric material including a perovskite-type metal oxide represented by the following general formula (1); Bi; and Mn, wherein the content of Bi is 0.1-0.5 mol % with respect to 1 mol of the metal oxide, the content of Mn is 0.3-1.5 mol % with respect to 1 mol of the metal oxide, and the piezoelectric material satisfies (L.sub.4−L.sub.5)/L.sub.5≧0.05 and (L.sub.8−L.sub.9)/L.sub.9≧0.05 when the lengths of twelve Bi—O bonds with Bi that is located at a 12-fold site with respect to O in a perovskite-type unit cell as a starting point are taken to be L.sub.1 to L.sub.12 in length order:

(Ba.sub.1-xM1.sub.x)(Ti.sub.1-yM2.sub.y)O.sub.3  (1)

wherein 0≦x≦0.2, 0≦y≦0.1, and M1 and M2 are mutually different metal elements which have a total valence of +6 and are selected from other elements than Ba, Ti, Bi and Mn.

A method of forming one or more high temperature co-fired ceramic articles, comprising the steps of:— a) forming a plurality of green compacts, by a process comprising dry pressing a powder comprising ceramic and organic binder to form a green compact; b) disposing a conductor or conductor precursor to at least one surface of at least one of the plurality of green compacts to form at least one patterned green compact; c) assembling the at least one patterned green compact with one or more of the plurality of green compacts or patterned green compacts or both to form a laminated assembly; d) isostatically pressing the laminated assembly to form a pressed laminated assembly; e) firing the pressed laminated assembly at a temperature sufficient to sinter the ceramic layers together.

A dielectric material which satisfies X9M characteristics and ensures operations over an extended period of time at 200° C. is provided.

A multilayer ceramic capacitor that includes a laminated body of multiple dielectric layers and internal electrodes laminated alternately therewith. The dielectric layers contain Ba, Sr, Ti, Ca, Zr, Mg, and R, where R represents at least one element of Y, La, Sm, Eu, Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho, Er, Tm, and Yb. When Ti is 100 parts by mol, the dielectric layers contain Sr at 0.5 to 3.0 parts by mol; Ca at 3 to 15 parts by mol; Sr at 0.05 to 3.0 parts by mol; Mg at 0.01 to 0.0 9 parts by mol; and R at 2.5 to 8.4 parts by mol.

A ceramic green sheet where the proportion of a Si-containing constituent coating the surface of barium titanate-based ceramic particles is 95% or higher, and the proportion of a rare-earth element-containing constituent coating the surface of the barium titanate-based ceramic particle is 85% or higher.

A method of producing a multilayer ceramic electronic component includes a lamination step of producing a laminate by laminating green sheets each with an internal electrode layer formed thereon, an isotropic pressing step of subjecting the laminate to isotropic pressing, a flattening step of shaving one or both of main surfaces of the isotropic pressed laminate to flatten the one or both of the main surfaces of the laminate, and a rigid pressing step of pressing the flattened laminate from both of the main surfaces with a rigid body on each of the main surfaces.

A multilayer ceramic capacitor includes a multilayer body in which a plurality of internal electrodes including Ni and a plurality of ceramic dielectric layers are alternately stacked, and external electrodes. The ceramic dielectric layer includes an inner dielectric layer located between internal electrodes, and an outer dielectric layer located outside in a stacking direction and including at least NiO. A difference between average grain sizes of dielectric grains of the outer dielectric layers and the inner dielectric layers is about 10% or less. A molar amount of NiO with respect to about 100 moles of Ti is larger by about 0.6 mole or more in the outer dielectric layer than in the inner dielectric layer.

There is provided a dielectric ceramic composition including a base powder, wherein the base powder includes: a first major component represented by BaTiO.sub.3, a second major component represented by (Na, K)NbO.sub.3, and a third major component represented by (Bi, Na)TiO.sub.3. The base powder is represented by xBaTiO.sub.3-y(Na, K)NbO.sub.3-z(Bi, Na)TiO.sub.3, where x+y+z=1, and x, y, and z are represented by mol, and x, y and z satisfy 0.5≦x≦0.97, 0.01≦y≦0.48, and 0.02≦z≦0.2, respectively. In certain embodiments, the base powder is be represented by xBaTiO.sub.3-y(Na.sub.0.5K.sub.0.5)NbO.sub.3-z(Bi.sub.0.5Na.sub.0.5)TiO.sub.3.

A dielectric ceramic composition has good characteristics even under the high electric field intensity, and particularly good IR characteristic and the high temperature accelerated lifetime. The dielectric ceramic composition has a main component having a perovskite type compound shown by a compositional formula (Ba.sub.1-x-ySr.sub.xCa.sub.y).sub.m(Ti.sub.1-zZr.sub.z)O.sub.3, a first sub component having oxides of a rare earth element R, a second sub component as a sintering agent, wherein the dielectric particles has dielectric particles having high diffusion rate of the rare earth element, preferably of a complete solid solution particle, and when a concentration of Ti atom in the diffusion phase is 100 atom %, then an average concentration of the rare earth element R in the diffusion phase is 5 atom % or more, and an average concentration of Zr in the diffusion phase is 10 atom % or more.