CARBON-FILMS DEPOSITED BY THE PHYSICAL VAPOR-DEPOSITION FOCUSED-ARC EVAPORATION TECHNIQUE

Diamond-like carbon was physically vapour deposited on various substrates using an enhanced cathodic are plasma in Ar, H-2 and/or CH4. The enhanced evaporator allows diamond-like coating deposition with a better surface finish than a conventional vacuum are system does; the size of the macroparticles did not exceed 0.3 mu m. Emphasis is put on the evaporator design and its capabilities. The plasma species were identified by optical emission spectroscopy while carbon coatings were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, Raman spectroscopy and electron spectroscopy for chemical analysis.