Thin film tantalum coating for medical implants

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10039619-B2
Application number	US-201313933836-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 2, 2013
Priority date	Jul 2, 2012
Publication date	Aug 7, 2018
Grant date	Aug 7, 2018

Abstract

A method of depositing a relatively thin film of bioinert material onto a surgical implant substrate, such as a dental implant. Chemical vapor deposition (CVD) may be used to deposit a layer of tantalum and/or other biocompatible materials onto a solid substrate comprised of an implantable titanium alloy, forming a biofilm-resistant textured surface on the substrate while preserving the material properties and characteristics of the substrate, such as fatigue strength.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for depositing a tantalum coating onto an implant substrate, the method comprising the steps of:
providing the implant substrate within a heat diffusing structure positioned within a reaction chamber, wherein the implant substrate is a metallic substrate comprising at least one of a titanium alloy, cobalt-chromium-molybdenum alloy, and stainless steel; and
chemical vapor depositing the tantalum coating onto the implant substrate by providing tantalum chloride gas heated to a temperature over 900° C. by a heating element, wherein the heat diffusing structure attenuates the excess radiant heat within the reaction chamber such that the implant substrate is at a temperature of 800° C. - 900° C. so as to form an angulated textured tantalum coating on the implant substrate.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the tantalum coating includes a tantalum alloy.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the heat diffusing structure is porous so as to be penetrable by the tantalum coating within the reaction chamber.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the heat diffusing structure includes a bottom, side walls, and an open top.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the implant substrate is a metallic substrate.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the tantalum coating is chemical vapor deposited onto the implant substrate at a temperature between 800° C. and 850° C.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the metallic substrate is a titanium alloy.

8. The method of claim 6 , wherein the titanium alloy retains an alpha-beta microstructure that existed in the titanium alloy before the angulated textured tantalum coating was formed on the implant substrate.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the angulated textured tantalum coating has a thickness of less than 15 microns.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the angulated textured tantalum coating has a thickness of less than 11 microns.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the angulated xtured tantalum coating has a thickness of approximately 4 microns.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein the angulated textured tantalum coating includes pin holes exposing the metallic substrate.

13. The method of claim 1 , wherein the tantalum coating is chemical vapor deposited onto the implant substrate at a temperature below 850° C.

14. The method of claim 1 , wherein the to coating is chemical vapor deposited onto the implant substrate at a temperature above 850° C.

15. The method of claim 1 , wherein the tantalum coating is a single cycle chemical vapor deposition layer.

16. The method of claim 1 , wherein the heat diffusing structure is a three-dimensional metallic structure including a plurality of ligaments that define open voids between the ligaments.

17. The method of claim 15 , wherein the heat diffusing structure is a formed from an open-cell, porous tantalum material.

18. The method of claim 1 , wherein the implant substrate is a solid substrate.

19. The method of claim 1 , wherein the heating element comprises a graphite susceptor.

20. The method of claim 18 , wherein the graphite susceptor is heated by an induction coil positioned in the reaction chamber.

Assignees

• Zimmer Inc

Inventors

• Vargas Joseph R
• Seelman Steven

Classifications

• A61K6/802

  comprising ceramics · CPC title

• A61K6/84 Primary

  comprising metals or alloys · CPC title

• C23C16/46

  characterised by the method used for heating the substrate (C23C16/48, C23C16/50 take precedence) · CPC title

• C23C16/405

  of refractory metals or yttrium · CPC title

• A61F2/28

  Bones · CPC title