Monolithic ceramic electronic component and production process therefor, and ceramic paste and production process therefor

A process for producing a monolithic ceramic electronic component, which comprises:

• forming a composite structure by shaping the ceramic slurry into a ceramic green sheet having a main surface, applying a conductive paste onto a portion of the main surface of the ceramic green sheet so as to provide step-like section of an internal circuit element film, and applying a ceramic paste onto the region on the main surface of the sheet on which the element film has not been formed so as to form a ceramic green layer which substantially compensates for the spaces defined by the step-like section;
• forming a green laminate by laminating a plurality of the composite structures;
• and firing the green laminate,
• wherein the ceramic paste comprises ceramic powder, an organic solvent and an organic binder, and
• wherein the organic binder comprises a member selected from the group consisting of (a) a mixture of polyvinyl butyral and cellulose ester, (b) a mixture of a polyacrylate and a cellulose ester, (c) a mixture of polyvinyl butyral and polyvinyl acetate and (d) a mixture of polyvinyl butyral and a polyacrylate, and wherein the binder mixtures are at a weight ratio of about 10:90 to 90:10.