Polycrystalline silicon carbide (SiC) thin films were fabricated on Si(100) substrates using radio-frequency magnetron sputtering followed by annealing at 1300 degrees C in an Ar atmosphere. The SiC films exhibited a zinc blende structure with planar and point defects as detected by X-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy. The SiC films were p-type conductive with electrical resistivity as low as 2.8 3 10(-3) Omega.cm at room temperature. The p-type character of the SiC films can be explained in terms of the Si vacancies in the C-rich environment as evidenced by Raman spectroscopy.