Published online by Cambridge University Press: 01 February 2011
Aluminum-doped hydrogenated microcrystalline cubic silicon carbide (μc-3C-SiC:H) films deposited by the hot wire chemical vapor deposition technique at a low substrate temperature of about 300 °C were annealed at various temperatures in vacuum atmosphere. The increase in conductivity was observed on annealing the films over 400°C. The onset of hydrogen desorption occurred in the undoped films at about 650°C, while the onset was shifted towards lower temperatures in the case of Al-doped films. These results indicate that hydrogen plays an important role on the conductivity of the Al-doped μc-3C-SiC:H films.