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A hybrid approach which combines titanium magnetron sputtering and graphite laser ablation was used in synthesizing nanocrystalline TiC/amorphous carbon composite films at near room temperature. Transmission electron microscopy, x-ray diffraction analyses and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy were employed in examining the film microstructure. The films were made up of 10 nm sized TiC crystallites inside a sp3 bonded a-c matrix and exhibit a 32 GPa hardness and excellent plasticity.

The interactions between plasmas produced by a nitrogen ion beam source and the pulsed laser ablation of an [Al.sub.2][O.sub.3] target are analyzed for the growth of Al-O-N films. The results have shown that the interaction of ion beam and laser ablation plumes in the ion beam assisted pulsed laser deposition (IBPLD) have affected plasma chemistry, excitation states and spatial distribution, thus providing opportunities for the control of deposited film properties.

A study was conducted to investigate the growth and structure of fullerene-like CN(sub x) films produced by laser ablation of graphite in low-pressure nitrogen. The result demonstrates that the laser ablation is a viable technique for the growth of fullerene-like CN(sub x) films.

The study of the plasma chemistry and physics of CN, C2, and atomic carbon arriving at a condensation surface located relatively far away from the target is presented. Correlations among CN(sub x) film composition/bonding, excitation maximus, and kinetic/vibrational energies of atomic carbon, CN and C2 species located near the condensation surface are discussed.

The spatial-temporal distribution of yttria stabilized zirconia plume chemistry, excitation states, and energy was determined for ablations in vacuum, low pressure O2, and low pressure Ar. It was found that an Ar background considerably promotes excitation and ionization of zirconium during the first 1-3(mu)s after the laser strike.