A method in which nanometre-thick film deposition was alteated with hydrogen plasma annealing (layer-by-layermethod) was applied to fabricate hydrogenated amorphous carbon films in a conventional plasma-enhanced chemicalvapour deposition system. It was found that the hydrogen plasma treatment could decrease the hydrogen concentrationin the films and change the sp2/sp3 ratio to some extent by chemical etching. Blue photoluminescence was observed atroom temperature, as a result of the reduction of sp2 clusters in the films.