A novel kind of La2O3 doped diamond-like carbon (DLC) films with thickness of 100-120 nm were deposited by unbalanced magnetron sputtering. Raman spectra and photoluminescence properties were measured by Raman spectrometer operated by 325 nm He-Cd laser and 514 nm Ar+ laser, respectively. The intensities of Raman spectra and photoluminescence are higher than those of pure DLC films. The La2O3 doped DLC films have the potential promising for the application of solar cell coatings. (C) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.