Growth of 3C-SiC on (100) Si wafers has been carried out by low pressure chemical vapor deposition (LPCVD), using a H-2 + SiH4 + C3H8 gas mixture at about 1000 degreesC. No carbonization layer was performed. Micro-Raman measurements yield the presence of microcrystalline SiC matrix, while neither carbon nor silicon clusterization in amorphous phase was detected with optimized deposition conditions. Transmission electron microscopy has been used to analyze the orientation of the films and the surface growth: the presence of voids and edge dislocations at the interface was revealed. (C) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.