Pulsed laser ablation of glassy carbon targets for the coating of ion accelerator electrodes

The synthesis of hard carbon films grown by laser ablation of glassy-carbon targets is reported. The carbon films were deposited under various conditions using XeCl pulsed laser deposition at 10(-1) torr on Mo substrates kept at temperatures ranging from 200 to 500 degreesC. The structural features of the deposits were investigated by means of reflection high energy electron diffraction (RHEED) and Raman spectroscopy. Ion sputtering experiments have been performed using 1-keV Ar+ beams in order to verify the suitability of such coatings to protect spatial components against erosion by accelerated ions.