Al-doped p-type hydrogenated nanocrystalline cubic silicon carbide (nc-3C-SiC:H) thin films were successfully deposited by very high frequency plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (VHF-PECVD) using dimethylaluminum hydride (DMAH) as an Al source. A high dark conductivity of 6.88 x 10(-4)S/cm was obtained for a 27 nm-thick film under high H-2/MMS and plasma power conditions. We applied this optimized film to a heterojunction emitter of n-type c-Si solar cells. The solar cell showed high fill factor of 0.756. The internal quantum efficiency in the short wavelength region was improved to 0.87 with decreasing the thickness of a buffer layer. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.