Solid electrolytic capacitor and method for producing the same

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a solid electrolytic capacitor and a method for producing the same.

2. Description of the Related Art

Conventionally, solid electrolytic capacitors having a small equivalent series resistance (ESR) have been known (see, for example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication Nos. 4-48710, 10-92699 and 10-321471).

FIG. 9 is a sectional view for explaining the structure of a conventional solid electrolytic capacitor. The structure of this conventional solid electrolytic capacitor will be explained with reference to FIG. 9 .

In the conventional solid electrolytic capacitor, as shown in FIG. 9 , a capacitor element 102 is buried in a rectangular parallelepiped-like outer package 101 .

The capacitor element 102 is provided with an anode 104 in which a part of an anode lead 103 is buried and which is made of a porous sintered body of tantalum particles, a dielectric layer 105 containing a tantalum oxide formed on the anode 104 and a cathode 106 formed on the dielectric layer 105 .

The anode lead 103 is constituted of tantalum, wherein one end of the anode lead 103 is buried in the center of the anode 104 and one end of an anode terminal 107 is connected to the other end of the anode lead 103 exposed from the anode 104 . Also, the other end of the anode terminal 107 is exposed from the outer package 101 .

The cathode 106 comprises a first electrolyte layer 106 a made of polyethylenedioxythiophene (PEDOT) formed on the dielectric layer 105 , a second electrolyte layer 106 c which is made of polypyrrole (PPy) and formed on the first electrolyte layer 106 a , a first conductive layer 106 d which is formed on the second electrolyte layer 106 c and contains carbon particles and a second conductive layer 106 e which is formed on the first conductive layer 106 d and contains silver particles.

One end of a cathode terminal 109 is connected to the surface of the cathode 106 through a third conductive layer 108 containing silver particles and the other end of the cathode terminal 109 is exposed from the outer package 101 . The conventional solid electrolytic capacitor is thus constituted.

Next, a process for producing the conventional solid electrolytic capacitor will be explained with reference to FIG. 9 .

In the case of the conventional solid electrolytic capacitor, first, a rectangular parallelepiped-like molded article is formed from tantalum particles and also, one end of the anode lead 103 is buried in this molded article. Next, this molded article is sintered under vacuum to thereby form the anode 104 in which a part of the anode lead 103 is buried.

Then, the anode 104 is subjected to anodic oxidation carried out in an aqueous phosphoric acid solution to form the dielectric layer 105 made of a tantalum oxide on the surface of the anode 104 .

Next, the first electrolyte layer 106 a made of PEDOT is formed on the dielectric layer 105 by chemical polymerization of ethylenedioxythiophene (EDOT). Moreover, the second electrolyte layer 106 c made of PPy is formed on the first electrolyte layer 106 a by electrolytic polymerization of pyrrole (Py). Also, a carbon paste containing carbon particles is applied to the second electrolyte layer 106 c and dried to thereby form the first conductive layer 106 d containing carbon particles on the second electrolyte layer 106 c . Further, a silver paste containing silver particles is applied to the first conductive layer 106 d and dried to form the second conductive layer 106 e containing silver particles on the first conductive layer 106 d . The capacitor element 102 provided with the cathode 106 including these layers 106 a , 106 c , 106 d and 106 e on the dielectric layer 105 is thus formed.

Next, the anode terminal 107 is connected to the anode lead 103 exposed from the anode 104 by welding. Also, the cathode 106 and the cathode terminal 109 are dried in the condition that the both are stuck to each other through a silver paste containing silver particles to thereby form the third conductive layer 108 containing silver particles between the cathode 106 and the cathode terminal 109 and also, the cathode 106 is connected to the cathode terminal 109 through the third conductive layer 108 .

Finally, the capacitor element 102 to which the anode terminal 107 and the cathode terminal 109 are connected is buried in a resin composition and this resin composition is heat-cured to form the outer package 101 provided with the buried capacitor element 102 . The conventional solid electrolytic capacitor is manufactured by the above method.

However, in the foregoing conventional solid electrolytic capacitor, contact resistance between the first electrolyte layer 106 a and the second electrolyte layer 106 c tends to be large, giving rise to a problem that it is difficult to further decrease ESR in, particularly, a high frequency range.

The present invention has been made to solve the problem as mentioned above and it is an object of the present invention to provide a solid electrolytic capacitor having a small equivalent series resistance.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a method for producing a solid electrolytic capacitor having a small equivalent series resistance.

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a solid electrolytic capacitor comprising an anode, a dielectric layer formed on the anode and a cathode formed on the dielectric layer, wherein the cathode is provided with a first electrolyte layer formed on the dielectric layer and containing a conductive polymer, an intermediate layer formed on the first electrolyte layer and containing organic silane and a second electrolyte layer formed on the intermediate layer and containing a conductive polymer.

In the solid electrolytic capacitor according to the first aspect, the intermediate layer preferably contains at least one organic silane selected from the group consisting of aminopropyltriethoxysilane (APTES), octadecyltriethoxysilane (OTES), n-propyltrichlorosilane (nPTCS), dimethoxydiphenylsilane (DMDPS), methylphenyldichlorosilane (MPDCS) and mercaptopropyltrimethoxysilane (MPTMS).

In the solid electrolytic capacitor according to the first aspect, the first electrolyte layer preferably contains polyethylenedioxythiophene (PEDOT) and the second electrolyte layer contains polypyrrole (PPy).

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for producing a solid electrolytic capacitor, the method comprising a step of forming a dielectric layer on an anode and a step of forming a cathode on the dielectric layer, wherein the step of forming a cathode includes a step of forming a first electrolyte layer containing a conductive polymer on the dielectric layer, a step of drying a solution containing organic silane stuck to the first electrolyte layer to form an intermediate layer containing organic silane on the first electrolyte layer and a step of forming a second electrolyte layer containing a conductive polymer on the intermediate layer.

In the method for producing a solid electrolytic capacitor according to the second aspect, the step of forming the first electrolyte layer preferably includes a step of forming the first electrolyte layer by chemical polymerization and the step of forming the second electrolyte layer preferably includes a step of forming the second electrolyte layer by electrolytic polymerization. In the present invention, the term “chemical polymerization” means a polymerization reaction by an oxidation reaction using an oxidant and the term “electrolytic polymerization” means a polymerization reaction induced by an electrode reaction.

In the present invention, the intermediate layer containing organic silane is formed between the first and second electrolyte layers containing a conductive polymer, thereby improving adhesion between the first and second electrolyte layers. This reduces contact resistance between the first and second electrolyte layers, making it possible to reduce ESR in a high frequency range. As a result, a solid electrolytic capacitor having a small ESR can be obtained.

As the organic silane contained in the intermediate layer, a methyl type, phenyl type, vinyl type, alkoxy type, mercapto type or amino type silane may be used. Particularly, the amount of ESR can be easily reduced by using at least one organic silane selected from the group consisting of APTES, OTES, nPTCS, DMDPS, MPDCS and MPTMS.

Also, ESR can be further reduced by using PEDOT having high conductivity to form the first electrolyte layer and by using a highly conductive PPy produced by electrolytic polymerization to form the second electrolyte layer.

Also, after the first electrolyte layer is formed, an organic silane solution is applied and dried, whereby an intermediate layer containing the organic silane can be easily formed on the first electrolyte layer. Also, adhesion between the first and second electrolyte layers can be easily improved by forming the second electrolyte layer on the intermediate layer.

Also, adhesion between the dielectric layer and the first electrolyte layer can be improved by forming the first electrolyte layer by chemical polymerization. Also, a highly conductive second electrolyte layer can be formed by forming the second electrolyte layer by electrolytic polymerization.

FIG. 1 is a sectional view for explaining the structure of a solid electrolytic capacitor according to a first embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view for explaining the structure of the solid electrolytic capacitor according to a second embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view for explaining the structure of the solid electrolytic capacitor according to a third embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view for explaining the structure of the solid electrolytic capacitor according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a sectional view for explaining the structure of the solid electrolytic capacitor according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a sectional view for explaining the structure of the solid electrolytic capacitor according to a sixth embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 7 is a sectional view for explaining the structure of the solid electrolytic capacitor according to a seventh embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 8 is a sectional view for explaining the structure of the solid electrolytic capacitor according to an eighth embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 9 is a sectional view for explaining the structure of a conventional solid electrolytic capacitor.

An embodiment of the present invention will be explained with reference to the drawings.

First Embodiment

FIG. 1 is a sectional view for explaining the structure of a solid electrolytic capacitor according to a first embodiment of the present invention. The structure of the solid electrolytic capacitor according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be explained with reference to FIG. 1 .

In the solid electrolytic capacitor according the first embodiment of the present invention, a capacitor element 2 is buried in an outer package 1 having a rectangular parallelepiped-like form and primarily made of an epoxy resin as shown in FIG. 1 .

The capacitor element 2 is provided with an anode 4 in which a part of an anode lead 3 is buried and which is constituted of a porous sintered body of a valve metal such as tantalum or niobium, a dielectric layer 5 which is formed on the anode 4 and contains an oxide of the above valve metal and a cathode 6 formed on the dielectric layer 5 .

One end of the anode lead 3 is buried in the center of the anode 4 , and one end of the anode terminal 7 is connected to the other end of the anode lead 3 exposed from the anode 4 . Also, the other end of the anode terminal 7 is exposed from the outer package 1 .

The cathode 6 includes a first electrolyte layer 6 a which is formed on the dielectric layer 5 and contains a conductive polymer such as polyethylenedioxythiophene (PEDOT) or polypyrrole (PPy), an intermediate layer 6 b which is formed on the first electrolyte layer 6 a and contains organic silane such as aminopropyltriethoxysilane (APTES), a second electrolyte layer 6 c which is formed on the intermediate layer 6 b and contains a conductive polymer such as PEDOT or PPy, a first conductive layer 6 d which is formed on the second electrolyte layer 6 c and contains carbon particles and a second conductive layer 6 e which is formed on the first conductive layer 6 d and contains silver particles. Also, the first electrolyte layer 6 a is formed so as to substantially cover the entire surface of the dielectric layer 5 almost uniformly, and the intermediate layer 6 b is formed so as not to be brought into contact with the dielectric layer 5 . Also, the intermediate layer 6 b is formed so as to substantially cover the entire surface of the first electrolyte layer 6 a almost uniformly and the second electrolyte layer 6 c is formed so as not to be brought into contact with the first electrolyte layer 6 a.

One end of a cathode terminal 9 is connected with the cathode 6 through a third conductive layer 8 containing silver particles and the other end of the cathode terminal 8 is exposed from the outer package 1 . The solid electrolytic capacitor of Example 1 according to the present invention is thus constituted.

A process for producing the solid electrolytic capacitor according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be explained with reference to FIG. 1 .

In the production of the solid electrolytic capacitor according to the first embodiment of the present invention, first a rectangular parallelepiped-shape is molded out of particulate valve metals such as tantalum particles or niobium particles and also, one end of the anode lead 3 is buried in the molded article. Next, this molded article is sintered under vacuum to form the anode 4 in which a part of the anode lead 3 is buried.

Next, the anode 4 is dipped in an electrolyte solution such as phosphoric acid aqueous solution and voltage is applied to the anode 4 to carry out anodic oxidation. This process results in the formation of the dielectric layer 5 containing an oxide of a valve metal on the surface of the anode 4 so as to substantially cover the entire surface of the anode 4 almost uniformly.

Next, the anode 4 provided with the dielectric layer 5 formed on its outermost surface is dipped in a solution containing a monomer such as ethylenedioxythiophene (EDOT) or pyrrole (Py), an oxidant such as p-toluenesulfonic acid, a solvent such as n-butanol and pure water, followed by drying to carry out chemical polymerization. The first electrolyte layer 6 a containing a conductive polymer such as PEDOT or PPy is thus formed on the dielectric layer 5 in such a manner that it substantially covers the entire surface of the dielectric layer 5 almost uniformly. Since the dielectric layer 5 is formed between the anode 4 and the first electrolyte layer 6 a , the anode 4 is not in contact with the first electrolyte layer 6 a.

Next, the anode 4 provided with the first electrolyte layer 6 a formed on its outermost surface is dipped in a solution containing organic silane such as APTES, followed by drying. The intermediate layer 6 b containing organic silane such as APTES is thus formed on the first electrolyte layer 6 a in such a manner that it substantially covers the entire surface of the first electrolyte layer 6 a almost uniformly. Also, since the first electrolyte layer 6 a is formed between the dielectric layer 5 and the intermediate layer 6 b , the dielectric layer 5 is not in contact with the intermediate layer 6 b.

Then, the anode 4 provided with the intermediate layer 6 b formed on its outermost surface is dipped in an aqueous solution containing a monomer such as EDOT or Py and an additive such as naphthalenesulfonic acid and voltage is applied to the anode 4 to run electrolytic polymerization. The second electrolyte layer 6 c containing a conductive polymer such as PEDOT or PPy is thus formed on the intermediate layer 6 b in such a manner that it substantially covers the entire surface of the intermediate layer 6 b almost uniformly. Also, since the intermediate layer 6 b is formed between the first electrolyte layer 6 a and the second electrolyte layer 6 c , the first electrolyte layer 6 a is not in contact with the second electrolyte layer 6 c.

Then, a carbon paste containing carbon particles is applied to the second electrolyte layer 6 c in such a manner as to cover almost the entire surface of the second electrolyte layer 6 c , followed by drying. This results in the formation of the first conductive layer 6 d containing carbon particles on the second conductive polymer layer 6 c . Moreover, a silver paste containing silver particles is applied to the first conductive layer 6 d in such a manner as to cover almost the entire surface of the first conductive layer 6 d , followed by drying. The second conductive layer 6 e containing silver particles is thus formed on the first conductive layer 6 d . The foregoing processes result in the production of the capacitor element 2 formed with the cathode 6 constituted of the layers 6 a to 6 e on the dielectric layer 5 .

Next, the anode terminal 7 is connected with the anode lead 3 exposed from the anode 4 by welding. Also, the cathode 6 and the cathode terminal 9 are put into a close contact state through the silver paste containing silver particles to carry out drying, whereby the third conductive layer 8 containing silver particles is formed between the cathode 6 and the cathode terminal 9 and also, the cathode 6 is connected with the cathode terminal 9 through the third conductive layer 8 .

Finally, the capacitor element 2 with which the anode terminal 7 and the cathode terminal 9 are connected is buried in a resin composition such as an epoxy resin and this resin composition is thermally cured to form the outer package 1 in which the capacitor element 2 is buried. Thus, the solid electrolytic capacitor according to the first embodiment of the present invention is manufactured by the above method.

In this solid electrolytic capacitor of this embodiment, the intermediate layer 6 b containing organic silane is formed between the first electrolyte layer 6 a and second electrolyte layer 6 c containing a conductive polymer to thereby improve adhesion between the first electrolyte layer 6 a and the second electrolyte layer 6 c . This reduces contact resistance between the first electrolyte layer 6 a and the second electrolyte layer 6 c and it is therefore possible to decrease ESR in a high-frequency range.

Also, in this embodiment, organic silane can be uniformly stuck even to pores inside of the anode 4 constituted of a porous sintered body by dipping the first electrolyte layer 6 a in a solution containing the organic silane after the first electrolyte layer 6 a is formed. Moreover, the solution containing the organic silane which is stuck to the first electrolyte layer 6 a is dried, thereby enabling the intermediate layer 6 b containing the organic silane to be formed easily on the first electrolyte layer 6 a . Also, adhesion between the first electrolyte layer 6 a and the second electrolyte layer 6 c can be easily improved by forming the second electrolyte layer 6 c on the intermediate layer 6 b.

Also, the first electrolyte layer 6 a is formed so as to substantially cover the entire surface of the dielectric layer 5 almost uniformly and therefore, the intermediate layer 6 b relatively inferior in adhesion is not brought into contact with the dielectric layer 5 . As a result, the dielectric layer 5 is hardly peeled from the cathode 6 even in the case of carrying out heat treatment such as reflow soldering treatment when the solid electrolytic capacitor is surface-packaged on a print board or the like and therefore, ESR can be further reduced.

Also, in this embodiment, the first electrolyte layer 6 a is formed by chemical polymerization, thereby making it possible to improve adhesion between the dielectric layer 5 and the first electrolyte layer 6 a . The second electrolyte layer 6 c having high conductivity can be formed by forming the second electrolyte layer 6 c by electrolytic polymerization.

Also, in this embodiment, the electrolytic capacitor element 2 is covered with the outer package 1 to make a highly reliable solid electrolytic capacitor resistant to the influence of the environment.

Next, comparative experiments as shown below were conducted to confirm the effect of the solid electrolytic capacitor according to the first embodiment.

Experiment 1

In Experiment 1, solid electrolytic capacitors A 1 to A 5 having the structures shown in Table 1 were manufactured.

Here, the anode 4 was formed from a porous sintered body of tantalum or niobium particles. For the anode lead 3 , a metal line made from tantalum was used.

Also, each anode 4 was dipped in an aqueous solution containing about 0.1 wt % of phosphoric acid which was kept at about 60° C. and a fixed voltage of about 8 V was applied to the anode 4 for about 10 hours to from the dielectric layer 5 made of a tantalum oxide or niobium oxide.

Also, the first electrolyte layer 6 a was formed by chemical polymerization in the following manner. First, the anode 4 provided with the dielectric layer 5 on its outermost surface was dipped in a solution containing about 10 wt % of EDOT or Py, about 30 wt % of p-toluenesulfonic acid, about 40 wt % of n-butanol and about 20 wt % of pure water for 10 minutes. Next, the anode 4 was taken out of this solution and heated at about 80° C. for about 15 minutes to dry. Further, the unreacted solution was removed by washing with water and the anode was heated at about 90° C. for about 10 minutes to dry. By this process, the first electrolyte layer 6 a containing PEDOT or PPy was formed on the dielectric layer 5 .

Also, the intermediate layer 6 b made of APTES was formed in the following manner. First, the anode 4 provided with the first electrolyte layer 6 a formed on its outermost surface was dipped in an aqueous solution containing about 0.002 wt % of APTES for about 10 minutes. Next, the anode 4 was taken out of the solution, washed with water and then heated at about 60° C. for about 10 minutes. The intermediate 6 b including APTES was formed on the first electrolyte layer 6 a in such a manner that it was not in contact with the dielectric layer 5 .

Also, the second electrolyte layer 6 c to be obtained by electrolytic polymerization was formed in the following manner. First, the anode 4 provided with the intermediate layer 6 b formed on its outermost surface was dipped in an aqueous solution containing about 3.2 mol/l of EDOT or Py and about 0.2 mol/l of naphthalenesulfonic acid and voltage was applied to the anode 4 to thereby make about 0.5 mA current flow for about 5 hours. This results in the formation of the second electrolyte layer 6 c including PEDOT or PPy on the intermediate layer 6 b.

Solid electrolytic capacitors A 6 to A 10 having the same structures as the solid electrolytic capacitors A 1 to A 5 respectively were manufactured except that the intermediate layer 6 b was not formed but the second electrolyte layer 6 c was directly formed on the first electrolyte layer 6 a.

Next, the produced solid electrolytic capacitors A 1 to A 10 were subjected to ESR measurement made at a frequency of about 100 kHz. The ESR measurement was made using an LCR meter by applying voltage across the anode terminal 7 and the cathode terminal 9 . The results are shown in Table 1. In Table 1, the result of measurement of each solid electrolytic capacitor was indicated by a relative value obtained when the value of the solid electrolytic capacitor A 6 was standardized as 100.

As shown in Table 1, the solid electrolytic capacitors A 1 to A 5 each have a smaller ESR than each of the solid electrolytic capacitors A 6 to A 10 provided with no intermediate layer 6 b made from organic silane. It has been found from this fact that ESR is decreased by forming the intermediate layer 6 b including organic silane between the first electrolyte layer 6 a and the second electrolyte layer 6 c.

Experiment 2

In Experiment 2, solid electrolytic capacitors B 1 to B 5 each having the same structure as the solid electrolytic capacitor A 1 were produced except that as the intermediate layer 6 b , octadecyltriethoxysilane (OTES), n-propyltrichlorosilane (nPTCS), dimethoxydiphenylsilane (DMDPS), methylphenyldichlorosilane (MPDCS) or mercaptopropyltrimethoxysilane (MPTMS) was used in place of APTES.

Each intermediate layer 6 b of the solid electrolytic capacitors B 1 to B 5 was formed in the same manner as in the process of manufacturing the solid electrolytic capacitor A 1 except that the first electrolytic layer 6 a was dipped in an aqueous solution containing about 0.002 wt % of each of OTES, nPTCS, DMDPS, MPDCS and MPTMS instead of dipping the first electrolyte layer 6 a in the aqueous solution containing about 0.002 wt % of APTES.

Then, the produced solid electrolytic capacitors B 1 to B 5 were subjected to ESR measurement made at a frequency of about 100 kHz. The ESR measurement was made using an LCR meter by applying voltage across the anode terminal 7 and the cathode terminal 9 . The results are shown in Table 2. In Table 2, the result of measurement of each solid electrolytic capacitor was indicated by a relative value obtained when the value of the solid electrolytic capacitor A 6 was standardized as 100.

As shown in Table 2, the solid electrolytic capacitors B 1 to B 5 each have a smaller ESR than each of the solid electrolytic capacitors A 6 to A 10 provided with no intermediate layer 6 b made of organic silane similarly to the case of the solid electrolytic capacitor A 1 . It has been found from this fact that ESR is decreased by forming the intermediate layer 6 b including at least one organic silane selected from the group consisting of APTES, OTES, nPTCS, DMDPS, MPDCS and MPTMS between the first electrolyte layer 6 a and the second electrolyte layer 6 c . Also, particularly, the intermediate layer 6 b is preferably constituted of at least one organic silane selected from the group consisting of APTES, DMDPS and MPTMS.

Second Embodiment

FIG. 2 is a sectional view for explaining the structure of the solid electrolytic capacitor according to a second embodiment of the present invention. The structure and production process of the solid electrolytic capacitor according to the second embodiment of the present invention will be explained with reference to FIG. 2 . In FIG. 2 , the same parts as those used in FIG. 1 are designated by the same symbols and explanations of these parts are omitted here.

In the solid electrolytic capacitor according to the second embodiment of the present invention, an intermediate layer 6 f containing organic silane such as APTES is formed between the second electrolyte layer 6 c and the first conductive layer 6 d as shown in FIG. 2 . In this case, the intermediate layer 6 f containing organic silane is formed by dipping treatment carried out in a solution containing organic silane such as APTES in the same manner as in the case of the intermediate layer 6 b.

Then, the solid electrolytic capacitor according to the second embodiment of the present invention has the same structure as the solid electrolytic capacitor according to the first embodiment except for the above.

Third Embodiment

FIG. 3 is a sectional view for explaining the structure of the solid electrolytic capacitor according to a third embodiment of the present invention. The structure and production process of the solid electrolytic capacitor according to the third embodiment of the present invention will be explained with reference to FIG. 3 . In FIG. 3 , the same parts as those used in FIG. 1 are designated by the same symbols and explanations of these parts are omitted here.

In the solid electrolytic capacitor according to the third embodiment of the present invention, an intermediate layer 18 containing organic silane such as APTES is formed between the third conductive layer 8 and the cathode terminal 9 as shown in FIG. 3 . The intermediate layer 18 containing organic silane is formed by dipping treatment carried out in a solution containing organic silane such as APTES in the same manner as in the case of the intermediate layer 6 b.

Then, the solid electrolytic capacitor according to the third embodiment of the present invention has the same structure as the solid electrolytic capacitor according to the first embodiment except for the above.

Fourth Embodiment

FIG. 4 is a sectional view for explaining the structure of the solid electrolytic capacitor according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention. The structure and production process of the solid electrolytic capacitor according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention will be explained with reference to FIG. 4 . In FIG. 4 , the same parts as those used in FIG. 1 are designated by the same symbols and explanations of these parts are omitted here.

In the solid electrolytic capacitor according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention, a first conductive layer 16 d containing carbon particles and organic silane such as APTES is formed on the second electrolyte layer 6 c as shown in FIG. 4 .

The first conductive layer 16 d containing organic silane and carbon particles is formed in the following manner. First, carbon particles, water and a binder were mixed in a fixed ratio by weight and organic silane such as APTES is added to prepare an aqueous solution. Then, the anode 4 provided with the intermediate layer 6 f formed on its outermost surface was dipped in the aqueous solution containing organic silane and carbon particles. Then, the anode 4 was taken out of the solution and dried. Thus, the first conductive layer 16 d containing organic silane such as APTES and carbon particles was formed on the intermediate layer 6 f.

Then, the solid electrolytic capacitor according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention has the same structure as the solid electrolytic capacitor according to the first embodiment except for the above.

Fifth Embodiment

FIG. 5 is a sectional view for explaining the structure of the solid electrolytic capacitor according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention. The structure and production process of the solid electrolytic capacitor according to the fifth embodiment of the present invention will be explained with reference to FIG. 5 . In FIG. 5 , the same parts as those used in FIG. 1 are designated by the same symbols and explanations of these parts are omitted here.

In the solid electrolytic capacitor according to the fifth embodiment of the present invention, the intermediate layer 6 f and the intermediate layer 18 containing organic silane such as APTES are formed between the second electrolyte layer 6 c and the first conductive layer 6 d and between the third conductive layer 8 and the cathode terminal 9 respectively as shown in FIG. 5 .

Then, the solid electrolytic capacitor according to the fifth embodiment of the present invention has the same structure as the solid electrolytic capacitor according to the first embodiment except for the above.

Sixth Embodiment

FIG. 6 is a sectional view for explaining the structure of the solid electrolytic capacitor according to a sixth embodiment of the present invention. The structure and production process of the solid electrolytic capacitor according to the sixth embodiment of the present invention will be explained with reference to FIG. 6 . In FIG. 6 , the same parts as those used in FIG. 1 are designated by the same symbols and explanations of these parts are omitted here.

In the solid electrolytic capacitor according to the sixth embodiment of the present invention, the first conductive layer 16 d contains carbon particles and organic silane such as APTES as shown in FIG. 6 . Also, the intermediate layer 6 f containing organic silane such as APTES is formed between the second electrolyte layer 6 c and the first conductive layer 16 d.

Seventh Embodiment

FIG. 7 is a sectional view for explaining the structure of the solid electrolytic capacitor according to a seventh embodiment of the present invention. The structure and production process of the solid electrolytic capacitor according to the seventh embodiment of the present invention will be explained with reference to FIG. 7 . In FIG. 7 , the same parts as those used in FIG. 1 are designated by the same symbols and explanations of these parts are omitted here.

In the solid electrolytic capacitor according to the seventh embodiment of the present invention, the intermediate layer 18 containing organic silane such as APTES is formed between the third conductive layer 8 and the cathode terminal 9 as shown in FIG. 7 . Also, the first conductive layer 16 d containing carbon particles and organic silane such as APTES is formed on the second electrolyte layer 6 c.

Eighth Embodiment

FIG. 8 is a sectional view for explaining the structure of the solid electrolytic capacitor according to an eighth embodiment of the present invention. The structure and production process of the solid electrolytic capacitor according to the eighth embodiment of the present invention will be explained with reference to FIG. 8 . In FIG. 8 , the same parts as those used in FIG. 1 are designated by the same symbols and explanations of these parts are omitted here.

In the solid electrolytic capacitor according to the eighth embodiment of the present invention, the first conductive layer 16 d contains carbon particles and organic silane such as APTES as shown in FIG. 8 . The intermediate layer 6 f and the intermediate layer 18 containing organic silane such as APTES are formed between the second electrolyte layer 6 c and the first conductive layer 16 d and between the third conductive layer 8 and the cathode terminal 9 respectively.

In the solid electrolytic capacitors according to the above second to eighth embodiments, the intermediate layers 6 f and 18 containing organic silane are also formed between the second electrolyte layer 6 c and the first conductive layer 6 d or 16 d and between the third conductive layer 8 and the cathode terminal 9 and further, organic silane is contained also in the first conductive layer 16 d , which further reduces contact resistance between these layers. This makes it possible to reduce ESR in a high-frequency range.

Then, solid electrolytic capacitors were produced according to the above second to eighth embodiments and evaluated.

Experiment 3

In Experiment 3, solid electrolytic capacitors C 1 to C 7 each having the structure shown in Table 3 were produced. Other structures are the same as those of the solid electrolytic capacitor A 1 .

Here, the intermediate layers 6 f and 18 including APTES were each formed in the same method as in the case of the intermediate layer 6 b including APTES and formed between the first electrolyte layer 6 a and the second electrolyte layer 6 c in the formation of the solid electrolytic capacitor A 1 in Experiment 1.

Also, the first conductive layer 16 d containing carbon particles and APTES was formed in the following manner. First, carbon particles, water and a binder were mixed in a ratio by weight of about 1:about 10:about 0.0005. Also, an aqueous solution was prepared in which APTES was added in an amount of about 1.1 wt % based on the total amount of APTES and carbon particles. Then, the anode 4 provided with the intermediate layer 6 f formed on its outermost surface was dipped in the aqueous solution containing organic silane and carbon particles. Then, the anode 4 was taken out of the solution and dried. Thus, the first conductive layer 16 d containing organic silane such as APTES and carbon particles was formed on the intermediate layer 6 f.

Also, solid electrolytic capacitors C 8 to C 11 having the same structures as the solid electrolytic capacitors C 4 to C 7 respectively were manufactured except that the intermediate layer 6 b was not formed but the second electrolyte layer 6 c was directly formed on the first electrolyte layer 6 a.

Then, the produced solid electrolytic capacitors C 1 to C 11 were subjected to ESR measurement made at a frequency of about 100 kHz. The ESR measurement was made using an LCR meter by applying voltage across the anode terminal 7 and the cathode terminal 9 . The results are shown in Table 3. In Table 3, the result of measurement of each solid electrolytic capacitor was indicated by a relative value obtained when the value of the solid electrolytic capacitor A 6 was standardized as 100.

As shown in Table 3, the solid electrolytic capacitors C 1 to C 11 each have a smaller ESR than each of the solid electrolytic capacitors A 6 to A 10 .

The foregoing embodiments and examples disclosed above are illustrative and should not be interpreted as restrictive in all points. The scope of the invention is defined by the appended claims rather than by the descriptions of the above embodiments and examples, and embraces all changes that fall within meets and bounds of the claims, or equivalence of such meets and bounds.

Also, the anode 4 may be constituted of other valve metals such as aluminum or titanium besides tantalum and niobium or may use an alloy containing these valve metals. Also, as to the shape of the anode 4 , a foil shape or plate shape may be used in addition to the form of a porous sintered body.

Also, the first electrolyte layer 6 a and the second electrolyte layer 6 c may be constituted of, other than PEDOT and PPy, other conductive polymers such as polyaniline or may contain two or more of these conductive polymers.

Also, the intermediate layers 6 b , 6 f and 18 may be constituted of other methyl type silane, phenyl type silane, vinyl type silane, alkoxysilane, mercapto type silane or amino type silane or may contain two or more of these organic silanes. Also, the intermediate layers 6 b , 6 f and 18 may be formed by sticking an aqueous solution containing organic silane by other methods such as spraying, followed by drying.

Also, the first conductive layer 16 d may contain other methyl type silane, phenyl type silane, vinyl type silane, alkoxy silane, mercapto type silane and amino type silane, or may contain two or more of these organic silanes.