Conduction mechanisms in hydrogenated amorphous silicon carbide

•Hydrogenated amorphous silicon carbid films with a variation of the silicon/carbon ratio were deposited by plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition.•Raise of carbon concentration lead to an increase of the optical Tauc bandgap and the Urbach edge parameter. Indicating an increase of disorder in the films.•Through an investigation of the current-voltage characteristic of films with same properties but different thicknesses it was possible to show, that the determining conduction mechanism is due to space charged limited current enhanced by the Poole-Frenkel effect. Further, this model allows to explain the observed decrease of conductivity of films with higher carbon ratio by the means of an increase of the trap density.