Aluminum-doped hydrogenated microcrystalline cubic silicon carbide (Al-doped mu c-3C-SiC:H) films were successfully deposited by hot wire chemical vapor deposition using a gas mixture of monomethylsilane, hydrogen and trimethylaluminum (TMA). Deposition rate and infrared absorption measurements indicate that radicals generated from TMA extract hydrogen atoms from the growing surface of the films. Infrared absorption and secondary ion mass spectroscopy measurements suggest the existence of Al-H complexes in the deposited film. The dark conductivity was found to be below 10(-7) S/Cm for as-deposited films and 10(-6)-10(-4) S/cm for annealed films. Our studies indicate the possibility of forming p-type mu c-3C-SiC:H films on glass substrates at process temperature below 400 degrees C. (c) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.