A new Ion-Assisted Filtered Cathodic Arc Deposition (IFCAD) system has been developed for low temperature production of superhard thin-film coatings. Only ions within a well defined energy range arrive at the substrate surface depositing thin-films with excellent mechanical and optical properties.@footnote 1@ The new IFCAD system consists of a cylindrical rotary deposition chamber with two (or four) Filtered Cathodic Arc (FCA) sources, each associated with an end-Hall Ion-Assisted-Deposition (IAD) ion gun.@footnote 2@ By coupling IAD with FCA the development of cost effective deposition processes for applying superhard advanced thin-film materials such as: Amorphous Diamond-Like-Carbon (A-DLC); Aluminum Oxide (Al2O3); Aluminum Nitride (AlN); Carbon Nitride (C3N3); Titanium Nitrite (TiN); Titanium Nitride Carbide (TiCN); Titanium Oxide (TiO2: Rutile); and others in multi-layer thin-film structures suitable for tribological and electro-optical applications is now feasible. The IFCAD film properties are superior to other processes at elevated deposition temperatures, for example: the A-DLC thin-films have a micro-hardness in excess of 50 GPa (Diamond = 100 GPa); and the amorphous Al2O3 films have a hardness in excess of 20 GPa (bulk sapphire is 35 GPa). This new IFCAD technology has been included in advanced commercial, military and space development programs, such as: EUV mirrors; plastic and glass lens coatings for optical systems; wear resistant coatings on various metal substrates; and ultra smooth, durable, surface coatings for injection molds. @FootnoteText@ @footnote 1@ P. J. Martin, R. P. Netterfield, A. Bendavid, and T. J. Kinder, "The deposition of thin films by filtered arc evaporation," Surface and Coatings Technology, 54/55 (1992) 136-142. @footnote 2@ M. L. Fulton, "Application of ion-assisted-deposition using a gridless end-Hall ion source for volume manufacturing of thin-film optical filters," in Optical Interference Coatings, Florin Abeles, Editor, Proc. SPIE 2253, (1994) 374-393.