Diamond-like carbon film overcoats for phase-change optical recording discs

Diamond-like carbon (DLC) films are applied as a protective layer in phase-change optical discs due to their high hardness, low friction and high optical transmission. This article aims to present the effect of surface root-mean-square (Rrms) roughness, optical transmission, electrical signals, adhesion and alkali resistance of DLC films grown by the plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) technique. The studies were conducted by atomic force microscopy (AFM), UV-visible spectrometry, disc-testers, three adhesion-tests and alkali solution, respectively. The results reveal that it is novel and useful to protecting the storage data by making DLC film overcoats on discs.