Carbon film (technology) should not be confused with Carbonaceous film (paleontology).
Carbon films are thin film coatings which consist predominantly of the chemical element carbon. They include plasma polymer films, amorphous carbon films (diamond-like carbon, DLC), CVD diamond films as well as graphite films.
Carbon films are produced by deposition using gas-phase deposition processes, in most cases taking place in a vacuum: chemical vapor deposition, CVD or physical vapor deposition, PVD. They are deposited in the form of thin films with film thicknesses of just a few micrometres.
Carbon films make it possible to implement a large number of surface functions, especially in the field of tribology - in other words, in applications where wear is a major factor.