A simple rapid-heating method was successfully developed for calcium phosphate coatings on Ti6A14V substrates deposited by using a sol-gel derived precursor. After five repetitions of coating procedures and heat treatment at 600 degreesC, the formation of hydroxyapatite (HA) has been confirmed by X-ray diffractometry (XRD) analyses and the substrate material was found to be slightly oxidized. The residual organics, as revealed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) spectra of a coating calcined at 400 degreesC, might retard the formation of calcium phosphate phase, thus only small amount of calcium phosphate phase is present. After calcining at 600 degreesC, calcium phosphate phase is the only one identifiable by XPS spectra. The adhesive strength of the five-coating layer on the substrate is around 60 MPa. The surface morphology of the thick HA film, calcined at 400 degreesC and then consolidated at 600 degreesC, displays porous structure arisen from rapid-heating of the bulk precursor. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.