Diamond-like carbon (DLC) films with different structures were deposited on Si (100) and stainless steel substrates in a hybrid deposition system with Ar and CH4 as the feedstocks, The effects of the bias voltage, Ti-interlayer, Ti functional gradient layer and Ti-doping on the internal stress in DLC films were investigated. The results show that the internal stress in DLC films arises from both the intrinsic stress generated during the film growth and the thermal stress generated due to the mismatching of the thermal expansion coefficient between the DLC films and the substrate materials. The intrinsic stress can be released through doping titanium element at the expense of reducing the sp(3)/sp(2) ratio. The thermal stress in DLC films can be decreased through introducing Ti-interlayer or Ti functional gradient layer. Noticeably, DLC films with very low internal stress deposited on stainless steel can be obtained through the combination of Ti-doping and Ti functional gradient layer. (C) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.