Prosthetic hip joint having sintered polycrystalline diamond compact articulation surfaces

A prosthetic hip joint comprising:

• an acetabular cup shell for placing in a receptacle formed in a hip bone, said acetabular cup shell having a receptacle for receiving an acetabular cup therein,
• an acetabular cup for placement in said acetabular cup shell receptacle, said acetabular cup including a sintered polycrystalline diamond compact,
• a substrate that is part of said acetabular cup polycrystalline diamond compact, said substrate including a metal,
• an acetabular cup diamond table sintered to said acetabular cup substrate,
• a zone between said acetabular cup substrate and said acetabular cup diamond table, said zone exhibiting a gradient of solvent-catalyst metal to diamond content, said gradient being selected from the group consisting of interface gradient, continuous gradient and incremental gradient, said zone being referred to as a gradient transition zone,
• chemical bonds located in said compact which tend to secure said diamond table to said substrate, said chemical bonds including diamond-to-diamond bonds, diamond-to-metal bonds, and metal-to-metal bonds,
• a mechanical grip between said acetabular cup diamond table and said acetabular cup substrate which tends to secure said diamond table to said substrate, said mechanical grip being created at least in part by dilitation of said substrate,
• interstitial spaces in said acetabular cup diamond table,
• substrate metal located in said acetabular cup diamond table interstitial spaces,
• a residual stress field in said acetabular cup polycrystalline diamond compact that tends to enhance the strength of said acetabular cup polycrystalline diamond compact,
• an acetabular cup load bearing and articulation surface on said polycrystalline diamond compact, said acetabular cup load bearing and articulation surface including polycrystalline diamond, said acetabular cup load bearing and articulation surface being formed to present a shape that is at least partially concave spherical and against which a femoral head may articulate,
• a femoral head for articulation against said acetabular cup load bearing and articulation surface, said femoral head including a sintered polycrystalline diamond compact,
• a substrate located on said femoral head polycrystalline diamond compact, said substrate including a metal,
• a femoral head diamond table sintered to said femoral head substrate on said femoral head polycrystalfine diamond compact,
• a gradient transition zone between said femoral head substrate and said femoral head diamond table in said femoral head polycrystalline diamond compact, said femoral head gradient transition zone having a substrate side and a diamond table side, said femoral head gradient transition zone having both substrate metal and diamond therein, and said femoral head gradient transition zone exhibiting a transition of ratios of percentage content of substrate metal to diamond from one side of said gradient transition zone to another such that at a first point in said femoral head gradient transition zone near said substrate side, the ratio of percentage content of substrate metal to diamond is greater than it is at a second point in said femoral head gradient transition zone closer to said diamond side than said first point,
• chemical bonds between said femoral head diamond table and said femoral head substrate which tend to secure said diamond table to said substrate,
• a mechanical grip between said femoral head diamond table and said femoral head cup substrate which tends to secure said diamond table to said substrate,
• interstitial spaces in said femoral head diamond table,
• veins of substrate metal located in said femoral head diamond table interstitial spaces,
• a residual stress field in said femoral head polycrystalline diamond compact that tends to enhance the strength of said femoral head polycrystalline diamond compact,
• a femoral head load bearing and articulation suface on said polycrystalline diamond compact, said femoral head load bearing and articulation surface including polycrystalline diamond, said femoral head load bearing and articulation surface being formed to present a shape that is at least partially convex spherical,
• a stem for placement into a femur,
• a body connecting to said stem,
• a neck having a proximal end and a distal end, said neck proximal end connecting to said body and said neck distal end connecting to said femoral head.