A laser ablation technique for improving the adhesion of laser-deposited diamond-like carbon coatings to metal substrates

A substrate cleaning technique based on laser ablation is used to improve the adhesion of non-hydrogenated diamond-like carbon coatings to metal substrates. Laser pulses at an energy density of 5 J cm−2 are used to melt and vaporize a thin layer of the substrate surface prior to the deposition of 2 μm diamond-like carbon coatings synthesized by a laser plasma process. Resistance to high impact wear as estimated from the result of sand blasting tests indicates that the lifetime of diamond-like coated metal samples can be increased significantly by using the laser ablation cleaning technique.