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Thin tetrahedrally coordinated amorphous carbon (ta-C) films have been grown using a filtered vacuum arc. ta-C is a new allotrope of carbon whose existence was previously thought to be unlikely. A model is proposed which accounts for the formation and structure of these films on the basis of the compressive stress generated by the shallow implantation of carbon ions. An optimal range of beam energies between 15 and 70 eV, a high film stress, and a graphitic surface are predicted and confirmed by experimental evidence. Computer simulation of the growth confirms that high compressive stress is generated by impact energies in this range.