Abstract
Hydroxyapatite film formation on Ti or Ti alloy implant materials is one of important technologies for improving the biocompatibility of their surface. A pulsed laser deposition (PLD) becames very popular among the various HAp coating methods. In this method, the substrate is continuously maintained at 500∼800°C to ensure the formation of a highly crystalline HAp film on implant materials. During this process, an oxide layer is formed because of the water vapor atmosphere. In the case of Ti, a TiO2 layer is formed on the Ti substrate. This oxide layer weakens the adhesion strength of the HAp film .
We recently developed a new HAp coating method using two laser beams, so-called laser-assisted laser ablation method (LALA method). This method dose not form the oxide layer on Ti substrate. Moreover, this method roughen up Ti substrate surface. For these reasons, the LALA method can be expected as an excellent method to improve the adhesive strength of the HAp film.
