Structure and properties of novel functional diamond-like carbon coatings produced by laser ablation

Diamond-like carbon (DLC) mainly consists of sp3 bonded carbon atoms. It can have properties that rival those of crystalline diamond. Its beneficial properties stem from the continuous rigid random networks of sp3 carbon atoms, and the properties can essentially be tailored by the sp3/sp2 ratio. DLC coatings or thin films can be prepared by pulsed laser ablation (PLA), filtered cathodic vacuum arc (FCVA) deposition and mass selected ion beam (MSIB) deposition. In the past decade, tremendous progress has been made in experimental and theoretical investigations of hydrogen-free DLC. Experimental and commercial applications in microelectronics, micro-tribology, biomedical technologies, etc., have been demonstrated. Potential applications include sensors, flat panel displays (field emitters), photodiode, etc. In this paper, we report comprehensively the past and recent efforts in the research of functional diamond-like carbon coatings prepared by pulsed laser ablation in our group. In order to alleviate the internal compressive stress problem associated with high quality DLC coatings, we have adopted a novel and simple target design. The films were characterized by Raman spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy, IR range optical measurements, tribological measurement, etc.