Electrical properties of hydroxyapatite thin films grown by pulsed laser deposition

The formation of bioceramic hydroxyapatite (HAp) thin films has been accomplished on various substrates, such as Ti, alpha-Al2O3, SiO2// Si(100) and SrTiO3(100) using an ArF pulsed laser deposition. The surface morphology of the HAp films was also examined using an atomic force microscope. Au/HAp/Nb doped SrTiO3(100) structures have been fabricated to measure the electrical properties of the HAp films, and the dielectric constant and breakdown voltage at 25 degrees C are 5.7 (at 1 MHz) and 10(4) V Cm-1, respectively. From our results, it is suggested that the HAp films are useful not only as a biocompatible coating material for implantation but also for insulating and dielectric materials used in electric circuits and bio-electronic devices. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science S.A.