REVIEW article
Front. Detect. Sci. Technol.
Sec. Materials for Detectors
This article is part of the Research TopicNext-Generation Gaseous Detectors: The Impact of Resistive TechnologiesView all articles
Resistive Diamond-Like Carbon Coatings for Micro-Pattern Gaseous Detectors: A Review from USTC
Provisionally accepted
- 1University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, China
- 2Lanzhou Institute of Chemical Physics State Key Laboratory of Solid Lubrication, Lanzhou, China
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The integration of resistive materials has fundamentally advanced Micro-Pattern Gaseous Detector (MPGD) technology, enabling robust, high-gain operation essential for modern particle physics experiments. Diamond-Like Carbon (DLC) has emerged as a superior material for this purpose due to its uniquely tunable electrical, mechanical, and chemical properties. This article provides a comprehensive review of the development, fabrication, and application of DLC-based resistive coatings for MPGDs, with a focus on work conducted by the University of Science and Technology of China MPGD group. We detail the material fundamentals of DLC, systematically introduce magnetron sputtering as the core deposition methodology, and analyze the critical relationship between coating properties—such as resistivity, uniformity, adhesion, and stability—and final detector performance. A thorough examination of specific detector architectures (μ-RWELL, μRGroove, THGEMs, RWELL, Picosecond Micromegas) demonstrates the transformative impact of DLC. Finally, we summarized the outstanding technical challenges and present a perspective on future research directions aimed at scaling this technology for next-generation experiments.
Keywords: diamond-like carbon, Gaseous particle detectors, magnetron sputtering, Micropattern gaseous detectors, Resistive detector electrodes
Received: 16 Dec 2025; Accepted: 09 Feb 2026.
Copyright: © 2026 Song, Shang, Wang, Zhou, Liu, Shao and Zhang. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Yi Zhou
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