Abstract: In an exemplary embodiment, a piezoelectric ceramic composition is an alkali niobate-based piezoelectric ceramic composition whose primary component is a compound expressed by the general formula LixNayK1-x-yNbO3 (where 0<x<1, 0<y<1, and x+y<1), and which contains 100 ppm or more but less than 1000 ppm of fluorine by mass. The alkali niobate-based piezoelectric ceramic composition demonstrates good properties even when sintered at low temperature.

Abstract: A ceramic electronic component includes a multilayer chip having a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape and including dielectric layers and internal electrode layers that are alternately stacked, the internal electrode layers being alternately exposed to two edge faces of the multilayer chip facing each other, and a pair of external electrodes respectively formed on the two edge faces so as to be connected to the internal electrode layers exposed on the respective edge faces, each external electrode extending to at least one side face of the multilayer chip, wherein in the multilayer chip, oxides including Zn and Ni are present around the internal electrode layer in a vicinity of a connection part connecting the internal electrode layer to the external electrode.

Abstract: A ceramic electronic component includes a multilayer chip having a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape and including dielectric layers and internal electrode layers that are alternately stacked, the internal electrode layers being alternately exposed to two edge faces of the multilayer chip facing each other, and a pair of external electrodes respectively formed on the two edge faces so as to be connected to the internal electrode layers exposed on the respective edge faces, each external electrode extending to at least one side face of the multilayer chip, wherein in the multilayer chip, oxides including Zn and Ni are present around the internal electrode layer in a vicinity of a connection part connecting the internal electrode layer to the external electrode.

Abstract: In an exemplary embodiment, a piezoelectric ceramic composition is an alkali niobate-based piezoelectric ceramic composition whose primary component is a compound expressed by the general formula LixNayK1?x?yNbO3 (where 0<x<1, 0<y<1, and x+y<1), and which contains 100 ppm or more but less than 1000 ppm of fluorine by mass. The alkali niobate-based piezoelectric ceramic composition demonstrates good properties even when sintered at low temperature.

Abstract: In an embodiment, a multilayer ceramic capacitor 10 has a capacitor body comprising a capacitive part 11a constituted by multiple internal electrode layers 11a1 that are stacked with dielectric layers 11a2 in between, as well as dielectric cover parts 11b that respectively cover both sides of the capacitive part 11a in the stacking direction. Also, the dielectric layers 11a2 of the capacitive part 11a, and the dielectric cover parts 11b, contain elemental manganese, and the elemental manganese is distributed in such a way that its quantity gradually decreases in the depth direction from the exterior faces of the dielectric cover parts 11b toward the center of the dielectric layers 11a2 of the capacitive part 11a.

Abstract: In an embodiment, a multilayer ceramic capacitor 10 has a capacitor body comprising a capacitive part 11a constituted by multiple internal electrode layers 11al that are stacked with dielectric layers 11a2 in between, as well as dielectric cover parts 11b that respectively cover both sides of the capacitive part 11a in the stacking direction. Also, the dielectric layers 11a2 of the capacitive part 11a, and the dielectric cover parts 11b, contain elemental manganese, and the elemental manganese is distributed in such a way that its quantity gradually decreases in the depth direction from the exterior faces of the dielectric cover parts 11b toward the center of the dielectric layers 11a2 of the capacitive part 11a.