Surface modification of biomedical implants using ion-beam-assisted sputter deposition

Hydroxy-apatite (Ca-10(PO4)(6)(OH)(2)), owing to its good bioaffinity and enhancement of osseo-integration, is a potential material for costing on dental and orthopedic implants. At present, hydroxy-apatite is coated on metal implants by a plasma spraying method or is used in its bulk form in reconstruction surgery. In this paper, experimental results are given for preparation of hydroxy-apatite thin films on various biomedical implant materials using ion-beam sputter deposition and ion-beam-assisted sputter deposition methods. By using the ion-beam-assisted sputter deposition method, the adhesion of hydroxy-apatite thin films to substrate has improved significantly and increased to a level comparable to Ti and Al oxide thin films. Relative atomic densities of Ca, P, O and H in hydroxy-apatite thin films were obtained using ion-beam analysis methods such as RES, RE-RES, ERDA, and PIXE. The relative concentrations of Ca, and P were affected by assisting-beam density, and stoichiometric films were obtained for certain assisting-beam current densities.