Considerable interest has been aroused in the synthesis of diamond films due to their potential applications in microelectronics and optoelectronics. Although synthesis of diamond films by a variety of chemical and plasma assisted chemical as well as physical vapor deposition techniques has been reported, the practical applications of these coatings are still very few. The basic reason limiting the applications of these coatings is the inability to deposit films with smooth surface morphology and desired optical and electrical properties at acceptable deposition rates. Published work on diamond films is reviewed to highlight the above issues.