Disclosed herein is a high throughput method for providing directional protection to a three dimensional feature on a substrate by forming a multi-layer amorphous carbon-containing coating with tunable conformality thereon. Forming the multi-layer amorphous carbon-containing coating with tunable conformality includes depositing a base layer onto a horizontal surface of the three dimensional features, and a second layer over the base layer and onto a first portion of a vertical or inclined surface of the three dimensional feature. The base layer includes a first material with a first sticking coefficient and the second layer includes a second material with a second sticking coefficient that is smaller than the first sticking coefficient. The first material includes no fluorine or less fluorine than the second material. Also disclosed herein is a method of manufacturing a three dimensional device as well as three dimensional devices.