Nb coatings were prepared on a SiC substrate by low pressure chemical vapor deposition using NbCl5. Thermodynamic calculations were performed to study the effect of temperature and partial pressure of NbCl5 on the final products. The as-deposited coatings were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and energy dispersive spectroscopy. The Nb coatings are oriented and grow in the preferred (2 0 0) plane and (2 1 1) plane, at 1173 K and 1223-1423 K, respectively. At 1123 1273 K, the deposition is controlled by the surface kinetic processes. The activation energy is found to be 133 kJ/mol. At 1273-1373 K, the deposition is controlled by the mass transport processes. The activation energy is found to be 46 kJ/mol. The growth mechanism of the chemical vapor deposited Nb is also discussed based on the morphologies and the deposition rates. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.