Preferential sputtering in phosphate glass systems for the processing of bioactive coatings

Abstract Phosphate based glass (PBG) coatings of up to 2.6 μm thick have been applied by RF magnetron sputtering for their potential in promoting osseointegration and as an ion delivery system for biomaterials. The processing behaviour of PBG under ion bombardment has been investigated, notably the phenomena of preferential sputtering. The relative sputtering yields for the elements within quaternary and quinternary glass oxides have been found to be dependent upon the chemical bonding and momentum exchange interactions at the surface, subsurface layers of the target material. This led to preferential sputtering in the order, P 2 O 5 and Fe 2 O 3 of between 10.3–15.2, 0.2–0.6 mol% respectively and an increase in MgO, CaO, and Na 2 O of 4.8–6.0, 0.1–3.8, and 3.0–6.9 mol% respectively. The order primarily corresponded to the relative dissociation energies of the network modifying ions bound to oxygen of (818.0 or 1227.0 for Fe), 928.0 for Ca, 788.0 for Mg, and 257.0 kJ mol − 1 for Na. The deposition rates from targets T1–T6 varied between 1.59–1.93 nm min − 1 at a constant pressure of 1.05 Pa. Increasing the pressure from 0.28 to 1.87 Pa led to improved stoichiometric transfer from target to coating.