: Vacuum deposition

Amorphous carbon, often called DLC, is a material obtained in thin layers (sometimes less than 1 µm) by vacuum deposition techniques. Its hardness is variable but always very high (1000 to 5000 Vickers and more). Its particularity is to present a coefficient of friction which is generally very low (coefficient of friction often less than 0.1). This property combined with a remarkable chemical inertia allows it to be used in applications where wear and friction must be low.