Copper paste for internal conductor of multilayer ceramic electronic component

A method of manufacturing a multilayer ceramic capacitor, comprising the steps of:

• preparing a plurality of ceramic green sheets;
• preparing copper paste containing copper powder having a mean particle size of 0.3 to 2 .mu.m in a particle size range of 0.1 to 4 .mu.m and ceramic powder having a main component being common to that of a ceramic material forming said ceramic green sheets and being in a particle size range of 0.5 to 8 .mu.m, as well as an organic vehicle and a solvent, the contents of said copper powder and said ceramic powder, and the total content of said organic vehicle and said solvent being in ranges of 40 to 70 percent by weight, 1 to 15 percent by weight, and 25 to 60 percent by weight respectively;
• applying said copper paste onto specific ones selected from said plurality of ceramic green sheets for forming internal copper paste films for defining internal electrodes;
• stacking said ceramic green sheets to locate said copper paste films between said ceramic green sheets;
• forming external copper paste films for defining external electrodes on both ends of the as-formed laminate of said ceramic green sheets to be electrically connected with associated ones of said internal copper paste films;
• and
• cofiring said ceramic green laminate with said internal and external copper paste films.