Diamond is an attractive material for use in many applications where w
ear and corrosion resistance or high-thermal conductivity are importan
t. Recent developments in the deposition of polycrystalline diamond (a
nd amorphous diamond-like carbon) coatings have opened up a range of n
ew applications. This paper reviews the deposition of diamond and diam
ond-like carbon coatings, the properties and performance of the materi
als, and their applications.