The growth of carbon nanotubes usually requires a catalyst (typically Ni, Co or Fe). Although these catalysts promote the growth of nanotubes, they also require complex purifying treatments to remove them, which damage and dope the final product. Alternative catalyst-free growth of nanotubes films, as needed for electronic applications, was achieved by laser-annealing of amorphous SiC in vacuum at a relatively low temperature. In this work, we present the main results obtained and give some relevant examples of such carbon systems. The formation mechanism of carbon nanotube films is also discussed.(C) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.