Disclosed herein are charge or electricity generating devices and methods of making and use thereof.

A multilayer ceramic capacitor includes a multilayer body, a first internal electrode layer extending to opposing end surfaces of the multilayer body, a second internal electrode layer extending to opposing side surfaces of the multilayer body, first and second external electrodes connected to the first internal electrode layer and provided on the opposing end surfaces, and third and fourth external electrodes connected to the second internal electrode layer and provided on the opposing side surfaces. The second internal electrode layer includes a central section in a central portion of the dielectric layer and an extending section extending to the opposing side surfaces. The first internal electrode layer is larger in number than the second internal electrode layer, at least two first internal electrode layers are successively layered, and the extending section is larger in thickness than the central section located in the central portion of the dielectric layer.

A dielectric composition is provided. The dielectric composition includes: a main component made of: a first complex oxide expressed by a chemical formula {K(Ba.sub.1-xSr.sub.x).sub.2Nb.sub.5O.sub.15}; and a second complex oxide expressed by a chemical formula that differs the chemical formula of the first complex oxide. The second complex oxide is a complex oxide expressed by one of chemical formulae: {(Ca.sub.1-ySr.sub.y)(Zr.sub.1-zTi.sub.z)O.sub.3}; {Ba(Ti.sub.1-uZr.sub.u)O.sub.3}; {(Ca.sub.1-vSr.sub.v)TiSiO.sub.5}; and {(Ba.sub.1-wRe.sub.2w/3)Nb.sub.2O.sub.6}, x satisfies 0.35≦x≦0.75, and a satisfies 0.25≦a≦0.75 when a molar ratio between the first and second complex oxides is defined by a:b in an order and a+b=1.00.

A multilayer capacitor is provided. The multilayer capacitor includes a body and an external electrode disposed outside the body, wherein the body includes an active portion including a plurality of dielectric layers and a plurality of internal electrodes stacked with dielectric layers interposed therebetween, and a side margin portion covering at least one side surface of side surfaces to which the internal electrodes are exposed in the laminate, wherein the side margin portion includes a dielectric including a BaTiO.sub.3-based main component, a first subcomponent including a rare earth element, and a second subcomponent including Zr, wherein, based on a molar content per 100 moles of the main component, when a molar content of the rare earth element is RE, a molar content of Zr and RE satisfies 0.20≤Zr/RE≤0.37.

A multilayer ceramic capacitor includes a multilayer body including ceramic layers, internal electrodes and a pair of side surfaces, and side margin portions, wherein each of ceramic layers and the side margin portions is composed of a polycrystalline body having a perovskite structure, wherein the side margin portions contain at least one of calcium and strontium, when the side margin portions contain calcium, an atomic ratio of the calcium to titanium in the side margin portions is greater than that in the ceramic layers, and when the side margin portions contains strontium, the atomic ratio of the strontium to titanium in the side margin portions is greater than that in the ceramic layers, wherein glass particles composed of silicon as a main component are dispersed in the polycrystalline body, and an atomic ratio of silicon to titanium is 1 at % or more and 10 at % or less.

A multilayer ceramic electronic component includes a laminated body, a first external electrode, a pair of second external electrodes, and a pair of insulating coating portions. The insulating coating portions extend in a laminating direction between each of the second external electrodes and the first external electrode on a second principal surface, and from the second principal surface to respective portions of first and second side surfaces. A maximum thickness of the first external electrode on the second principal surface is larger than a maximum thickness for each of the second external electrodes on the second principal surface. A maximum thickness for each of the insulating coating portions on the second principal surface is larger than the maximum thickness of the first external electrode on the second principal surface.

An electronic component includes a laminated body including dielectric layers and internal electrode layers, a first external electrode, a pair of second external electrodes, and a pair of insulating coating portions. The internal electrode layers include first and second internal electrode layers, the second internal electrode layers each include first and second extended electrode portions. A relationship of L1/L2>1.0 is satisfied when a length of a first contact portion with one second external electrode in contact with the first extended electrode portion in the length direction is L1, and a length of a second contact portion with the other second external electrode in contact with the second extended electrode portion in the length direction is L2.

A multilayer ceramic electronic component includes a laminated body, a first external electrode, a pair of second external electrodes, and a pair of insulating coating portions. The pair of insulating coating portions extends in a laminating direction between each of the pair of second external electrodes and the first external electrode on a second principal surface, from the second principal surface to respective portions of a first side surface and a second side surface. A maximum thickness of the first external electrode on the second principal surface is larger than a maximum thickness of the pair of second external electrodes on the second principal surface. The maximum thickness of the pair of second external electrodes on the second principal surface is larger than a maximum thickness of the pair of insulating coating portions on the second principal surface.

A multilayer ceramic electronic component includes a laminated body, a first external electrode, a pair of second external electrodes, and a pair of insulating coating portions. The pair of insulating coating portions extends in a laminating direction between each of the pair of second external electrodes and the first external electrode on a second principal surface, from the second principal surface to respective portions of a first side surface and a second side surface. As viewed from at least one direction in the laminating direction, an end of the pair of insulating coating portions, which is located closest to a first principal surface, is located closer to the first principal surface than an end of the first external electrode and pair of second external electrodes, which is located closest to the first principal surface.

A thin film capacitor comprises a base material, a dielectric layer provided on the base material, and an upper electrode layer provided on the dielectric layer. The dielectric layer includes a plurality of columnar crystals that extend along a normal direction with respect to a surface of the upper electrode layer. The columnar crystal has a perovskite crystal structure represented by A.sub.yBO.sub.3. An element A is at least one of Ba, Ca, Sr, and Pb, and an element B is at least one of Ti, Zr, Sn, and Hf. Further, y≦0.995 is satisfied, and the dielectric layer contains 0.05 to 2.5 mol of Mg per 100 mol of A.sub.yBO.sub.3.