TEM and STEM/EELS Studies of Diamond-Like Carbon (DLC) Films and Diamond Films

This thesis is concerned with microstructural and chemical investigations of thin layers of diamond and diamond-like carbon (DLC) which were performed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) in combination with electron energy loss spectroscopy. Practical aspects about the EELS technique of determining the fractions of sp2-hybridized carbon-atoms in DLC films are studied. The wear mechanism of diamond is proved by TEM to involve an atom-by-atom amorphization process driven by mechanical force.