Commercial applications of ion beam deposited diamond-like carbon (DLC) coatings

Abstract

We report the results of applications development by Diamonex on ion beam deposited diamond-like carbon (DLC) coatings. Many of the process scale-up issues for ion beam deposition of DLC coatings have been solved. Commercial applications for abrasion resistant DLC-coated optics take advantage of the transparency, chemical inertness, low friction coefficient, high hardness and excellent adhesion of ion beam deposited DLC coatings. DLC-coated polycarbonate sunglass lenses are more resistant to abrasion by #0000 steel wool than any polycarbonate sunglasses commercially available. Using DLC, highly durable coatings with a variety of iridescent reflected colors can be produced. In addition to providing polycarbonate with substantially improved abrasion and chemical resistance, the ballistic strength of polycarbonate is maintained. DLC-coated float glass windows in supermarket laser bar code scanners demonstrated a projected average lifetime of 9 years, approximately 100 times longer than uncoated glass. ZnS and ZnSe IR windows coated with DLC coatings 1–2 μm thick are highly transparent from 3 to 15 μm wavelength and exhibit large improvements in chemical resistance and abrasion resistance relative to uncoated ZnSe and ZnS. The combination of the high electrical resistivity, relatively high thermal conductivity, low friction coefficient, high hardness and excellent adhesion to metals of ion beam deposited DLC, permits its use as a scratch-resistant dielectric layer for copper heat removal devices in multichip modules.