Diamond-like carbon (DLC) has gained recent interest since it can be easily deposited at room temperature with a conventional radio frequency (rf) plasma. DLC has the potential benefits of a low coefficient friction, high hardness, and can be deposited with common inexpensive precursors, However, for optical applications used in the visible spectrum DLC has the problem of having a peak absorbance at 305-330 nm. This absorbance with thicker films or for higher volume fractions of DLC in a nanocomposite structure monotonically decreases into the visible spectrum where the film appears yellowish to brownish. The work here has focused on using a common alkoxy silane precursor, tetraethoxysilane, to deposit DLC/SiO2 nanocomposites at room temperature using an ion-assisted process to deposit transparent antiscratch films in the visible spectrum. The highest scratch resistant nonabsorbing films were deposited at low pressures (similar to 15 mTorr), high flows of oxygen (>120 seem), at modest power densities (similar to 0.2 W/cm(2)), and low flows of argon (15 seem) keeping the TEOS bubbler temperature constant. Under these conditions very little SP2 carbon is deposited, hence, little absorption. However, more important argon bombardment allows the SiO2 to be nearly hydroxyl free and the carbon that is left may allow the films to retain a lower coefficient of friction and their hydrophobicity. At higher system pressures (similar to 200 mTorr) the films deposited were much softer than the films deposited at lower system pressures (similar to 30 mTorr), hence, the importance of ion bombardment. At higher power densities (similar to 1.4 W/cm2) DLC is deposited independent of other system parameters. The measured absorbtivity of DLC was 31600 cm(-1) at 305-330 nm.