Diamond-like carbon coated golf club head

Abstract

A diamond-like carbon (DLC) coated golf club head primarily for reduction of friction between the hitting surface and the golf ball at impact. The DLC coating comes in two varieties including dehydrogenated DLC or hydrogenated DLC and is thinly applied between about 0.1 and 10 μm. The diamond particle size of individual diamond-like carbon molecules or crystals can be less than 0.1 μm, and preferably less than 1 nanometer. The DLC coating may be bonded to the golf club head or hitting surface using cathodic arc method or other applicable methods at temperatures of less than 200° C.

What is claimed is:  
     
         1 . A golf club head comprising: 
 a body having a hitting surface wherein said hitting surface is coated with from 0.1 μm and 10 μm of diamond-like carbon (DLC) coating, and wherein said diamond-like carbon (DLC) of said coating has a grain size less than 0.1 μm.    
     
     
         2 . A golf club head as in  claim 1  further comprising a lower surface, said lower surface being coated with from 0.1 μm and 10 μm of diamond-like carbon (DLC) coating, and wherein said diamond-like carbon (DLC) of said coating has a grain size less than 0.1 μm.  
     
     
         3 . A golf club head as in  claim 1  wherein said diamond-like carbon (DLC) comprises distorted tetrahedral carbon.  
     
     
         4 . A golf club head as in  claim 1  wherein said diamond-like carbon (DLC) of said coating has a grain size less than 1.0 nanometer.  
     
     
         5 . A golf club head as in  claim 1  as in  claim 2  wherein the hitting surface coating and the bottom surface coating is a single continuous coating, and is not present elsewhere on the golf club head.  
     
     
         6 . A golf club head as in  claim 1  wherein the diamond-like carbon (DLC) coating extends from the hitting surface to another part of the head.  
     
     
         7 . A golf club head as in  claim 1  wherein the hitting surface has a frictional coefficient of less than 0.1.  
     
     
         8 . A golf club head as in  claim 1  wherein said golf club head is comprised primarily of material selected from the group consisting of iron and titanium.  
     
     
         9 . A golf club head as in  claim 1  wherein said diamond-like carbon (DLC) contains less than 10% (by atoms) hydrogen.  
     
     
         10 . A golf club head as in  claim 9  wherein said coating of said diamond-like carbon (DLC) is from 50% to 95% (by atoms) diamond.  
     
     
         11 . A golf club head as in  claim 10  wherein said coating containing said diamond-like carbon (DLC) is from 80% to 95% (by atoms) diamond.  
     
     
         12 . A golf club head as in  claim 1  wherein said coating containing said diamond-like carbon (DLC) contains at least 10% (by atoms) hydrogen.  
     
     
         13 . A golf club head as in  claim 12  wherein said coating containing said diamond-like carbon (DLC) is from 20% to 60% (by atoms) diamond.  
     
     
         14 . A golf club head as in  claim 13  wherein said coating containing said diamond-like carbon (DLC) is from 30% to 60% (by atoms) diamond.  
     
     
         15 . A golf club head as in  claim 1  wherein said diamond-like carbon (DLC) is deposited to said hitting surface by physical vapor deposition method (PVD).  
     
     
         16 . A golf club head as in  claim 15  wherein said physical vapor deposition method (PVD) is cathodic arc method.  
     
     
         17 . A golf club head as in  claim 12  wherein said diamond-like carbon (DLC) is deposited to said hitting surface at a temperature less than 200° C.  
     
     
         18 . A golf club head as in  claim 1  wherein the diamond-like carbon (DLC) comprises diamond, graphite, and a hydrocarbon plastic.  
     
     
         19 . A golf club head as in  claim 1  wherein the diamond-like carbon (DLC) comprises diamond and a hydrocarbon plastic.  
     
     
         20 . A golf club head as in  claim 1  wherein the diamond carbon atoms and the graphite carbon of the diamond-like carbon (DLC) coating are randomly assembled, forming an amorphous coating structure.