Etex Corporation

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

William T Conner

Dusuk Duke Lee

Emanuel Michael Sachs

Dosuk D Lee

Herbert H Sawin

Timothy J Dalton

A process for the production of a hydroxyapatite coated article includes contacting a coating comprising hydroxyapatite with a recrystallization medium, pressurizing the recrystallization medium, heating the coated article under conditions of reduced oxygen activity at a temperature in the range of 100 to 350.degree. C. A process for the production of highly crystalline hydroxyapatite coated articles includes contacting a coating comprising hydroxyapatite with recrystallization medium containing hydroxyapatite particles, pressurizing the recrystallization medium, and heating the immersed coated article under conditions effective to crystallize hydroxyapatite.

Hydroxyapatite coatings and a method of their manufacture

A process for the production of a hydroxyapatite coated article includes contacting a coating comprising hydroxyapatite with a recrystallization medium, pressurizing the recrystallization medium, heating the coated article under conditions of reduced oxygen activity at a temperature in the range of 100.degree. to 350.degree. C. A process for the production of highly crystalline hydroxyapatite coated articles includes contacting a coating comprising hydroxyapatite with recrystallization medium containing hydroxyapatite particles, pressurizing the recrystallization medium, and heating the immersed coated article under conditions effective to crystallize hydroxyapatite.

The invention features a method of depositing a coating on a medical device. The method includes: a) placing the medical device in an evacuated chamber, b) introducing a noble gas into the chamber, c) providing at least one target in the chamber, spaced from the device, and d) sputter depositing a coating onto the device by applying power to the target so that the noble gas forms a plasma in the vicinity of the target and material is sputtered from the target by ion bombardment and deposited on the device. In another aspect, the invention features a medical device having a coating deposited by a plasma sputtering process. Preferably, the coating is a calcium containing compound.

Method of coating medical devices and device coated thereby

A new technique has been developed to measure etching or deposition rate uniformity in situ using a CCD camera which views the wafer during plasma processing. The technique records the temporal modulation of plasma emission or laser illumination reflected from the wafer; this modulation is caused by interferometry as thin films are etched or deposited. The measured etching rates compare very well with those determined by Helium-Neon laser interference. This technique is capable of measuring etching rates across 100-mm or larger wafers. It can resolve etch rate variations across a wafer or within a die. The invention can also be used to make endpoint determinations in etching operations as well as measuring the absolute thickness of thin films.

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Somerville, MA, United States of America

William T Conner