Multifunctional amorphous carbon based coatings

Research and development in the field of diamond-like carbon (DLC) coatings have resulted in a class of hard and wearresistant thin films with very different properties. The most well-known carbon based coatings are "hydrogen-free" ta-C coatings (H<5at%), hydrogenated amorphous carbon a-C:H (H<50at%), metal-containing Me-C:H coatings and DLC coatings modified by adding different non-metallic elements (a-C:H:X). We will present different deposition techniques to prepare pure DLC and modified DLC films. Such films are deposited by plasma-assisted chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) or physical vapor deposition (commonly magnetron sputtering) at low substrate temperatures (T<200 °C). The properties of such DLC-coatings are high hardness, high wear resistance, a very low friction coefficient (e.g. versus steel), electrically conductive or insulating, and adjustable surface energy and very good chemical inertness.