A deposited amorphous carbon film includes at least 95% carbon. A percentage of sp3 carbon-carbon bonds present in the amorphous carbon film exceeds 30%, and a hydrogen content of the amorphous carbon film is less than 5%. A process of depositing amorphous carbon on a workpiece includes positioning the workpiece within a process chamber and positioning a magnetron assembly adjacent to the process chamber. The magnetron assembly projects a magnetic field into the process chamber. The method further includes providing a carbon target such that the magnetic field extends through the carbon target toward the workpiece. The method further includes providing a source gas to the process chamber, and providing pulses of DC power to a plasma formed from the source gas within the process chamber. The pulses of DC power are supplied in pulses of 40 microseconds or less, that repeat at a frequency of at least 4 kHz.