Fabrication of diamond and diamond-like carbon coatings

A method for treating a substrate having a carbon constituent element, comprising the steps of:

• directing laser energy at a surface of the substrate, and with said laser energy:
• (a) causing localized heating of selected amounts of a carbonaceous element within the substrate so as to move said carbonaceous element toward said surface of the substrate to be vaporized by said laser energy;
• (b) modifying the structure of said vaporized carbonaceous element by said laser energy;
• and
• (c) forming, from said vaporized carbon constituent element, a diamond or diamond-like carbon material at least on said surface of the substrate.

A method of treating a substrate having a carbon constituent element, comprising the steps of:

• directing laser energy at a surface of the substrate, and with said laser energy:
• (a) causing localized heating of selected amounts of a carbon-containing element within the substrate so as to move said carbon-containing element toward said surface of the substrate to be vaporized by said laser energy;
• (b) modifying the structure of said vaporized carbon-containing element by said laser energy;
• and
• (c) forming, from said vaporized carbon constituent element, a diamond or diamond-like carbon material at least on said surface of the substrate.

A method for treating a substrate having a carbon constituent element, the method comprising the steps of:

• directing laser energy at a surface of the substrate;
• activating selected amounts of the carbon constituent element within the substrate through the use of said laser energy thereby effecting movement of the carbon constituent element toward said surface of the substrate;
• vaporizing selected amounts of the carbon constituent element through the use of said laser energy;
• and
• modifying the structure of the vaporized carbon constituent element through the use of said laser energy to form from the vaporized carbon constituent element a diamond or diamond-like carbon material at least on said surface of the substrate.