Patent ID: 8323752

Claim:
A process for producing a carbon-based thin film that consists of carbon or of carbon and at least one selected from a group consisting of hydrogen, nitrogen, boron and silicon, the process comprising the following steps of: forming an amorphous carbon-based thin film that includes columnar first phases extending in a film thickness direction, and a second phase intervening between the first phases so that an amount of a graphite structure per unit volume in the second phase is smaller than that in the first phases and so that a density of the second phase is lower than that of the first phases; and after forming the amorphous carbon-based thin film, forming a graphite structure at least in the second phase by supplying energy to the amorphous carbon-based thin film so that the amount of the graphite structure per unit volume in the second phase is larger than that in the first phases, so that the density of the second phase is higher than that of the first phases and so that in the second phase, a basal plane of the graphite structure is oriented along the film thickness direction, wherein the amorphous carbon-based thin film is supplied with the energy by an electron beam irradiation with an intensity of 1×10 17 /cm 2 ·sec or less.