Cat-CVD method has been applied to the growth of Si-C and Si-C--O alloy thin films. Growth mechanism has been studied with emphasis on the effects of filament materials. Growth rates and alloy compositions were measured for W, Ta, Mo and Pt filaments at the filament temperatures ranging from 1300 to 2000 degreesC. Si1-xCx films with x ranging from 0.38 to 0.7 could be grown by using single molecule source Si(CH3)(2)H-2 (dimethylsilane). Si-C-O ternary alloy films was successfully prepared by using Si(OC2H5)(4) (tetraethoxysilane) and Si(CH3)(2)(OCH3)(2) (dimethyldimethoxysilane) molecules. (C) 2003 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.