Method of making heat treated coated article using diamond-like carbon (dlc) coating and protective film on acid-etched surface

A method of making a heat treated coated article, the method comprising:

• providing a glass substrate including first and second major surfaces,
• the first major surface having been acid etched with a soft acid etchant,
• the second major surface being opposite the first major surface,
• the first major surface supporting, in order moving away from the substrate:
• a layer comprising diamond-like carbon (DLC) on the first major surface, and
• a protective film including at least release and oxygen barrier layers, the release and oxygen barrier layers being different materials and/or having different stoichiometries compared to one another;
• and
• heat treating the glass substrate with the layer comprising DLC and the protective film thereon, so as to remove the release and oxygen barrier layers and cause at least a portion of the layer comprising DLC to be exposed as an outermost layer of the heat treated coated article.

A heat treatable coated article, comprising:

• a glass substrate having first and second major surfaces, the first major surface being acid etched with two passes of a soft acid etchant;
• wherein the first major surface at least temporarily supports, in order moving away from the substrate:
• a layer comprising silicon;
• a layer comprising diamond-like carbon (DLC);
• a zinc-inclusive release layer;
• and
• a layer comprising aluminum nitride,
• wherein the glass substrate is heat treatable so as to cause removal of the zinc-inclusive release layer and the layer comprising aluminum nitride, leaving the layer comprising DLC as an outermost layer, and
• wherein the coated article has a scratch resistance higher than it otherwise would be if the first major surface were etched with a hard acid etchant.