The effect of hydrofluoric acid （HF） etching time on Ni/6H-SiC ohmic contacts was investigated． The as-deposited Ni/6H-SiC contacts prepared by 6H-SiC substrates which have been subjected to different HF etching time have different I-V characteristics． For SiC substrates etched for less than 12 hours, the contacts were rectifying, and excellent linear curves were observed after high temperature thermal annealing．X_ray diffraction, Auger electronic spectroscopy and low_energy reflection electron energy loss spectroscopy showed that Ni2Si and amorphous C were the main reaction products after annealing.For SiC substrate etched for 24 hours, the as-deposited Ni/6H-SiC contact was ohmic． The carbon-enriched layer （CEL） on the SiC surface plays an important role in the formation of ohmic contact．