Abstract
Effect of firing atmosphere on the degradation in insulation resistance of Ni-electrode multilayer ceramic capacitors under highly accelerated life test has been studied with special reference to the microstructure. The degradation behavior shows clear dependence not only on the ambient atmosphere during firing but also on the segregation of Fe- and Nn-oxides along the surface of Ni electrode. It is shown that the degradation is caused by the electrolytic migration of oxygen vacancies.
