A strong, porous article useful as a bone substitute material. The samples of the PCMO precursor solution are analyzed by UV spectroscopy to determine UV transmissivity of the samples of the PCMO precursor solution and the samples used to form PCMO thin films. ions, in which a particle beam is shaped into a desired beam pattern by means of a mask positioned in the particle beam, converted into a beam pattern by apertures in the mask and projected onto the substrate to form an image of the mask apertures. Thus, the thickness uniformity of the semiconductor alloy film may be substantially increased if the film is deposited after performing the implantation.