Characterization of the surface of bio-ceramic thin films

The biocompatibility and corrosion resistance of orthopaedic and dental implants are determined by their material composition and surface microstructural properties such as surface roughness, grain size, etc. Thin films of bio-inert materials such as oxides of Ti, Al, Zr, and bioactive materials such as hydroxy-apatite (Ca-10(PO4)(6)(OH)(2)), compounds of calcium and phosphorous oxides are more attractive as bioceramic films because of their biocompatibility being higher, and toxicity being lower than those of the other materials. In this study, we mainly focused on characterization of the surface of bio-ceramics using atomic force microscopy (AFM). These films having a thickness of about 500 nm, had been processed using ion-beam sputter deposition, and ion-beam-assisted sputter deposition methods. Investigation of the surface of the films by AFM shows that irradiation with oxygen ions in the energy range of 3 keV increases the surface roughness. A detailed study of the grain size and roughness of several experimental cases of TiO2 thin films showed that the films contained columnar grains with mean size of about 100 X 100 nm(2) grown in the z direction with a height of a few nanometers.