A comprehensive study on the step-controlled homoepitaxial growth on the (0001)Si-face of vicinal 4H-SiC substrates was performed in order to estabilish epitaxial growth on 2 degrees towards (1120) off-cut substrates and 4 degrees towards (1100) off-cut substrates. A standard spitaxial growth process was developed by optimizing the growth temperature T. Si/H ration and C/Si ration for growth on 4 degrees towards (1120) off-cut substrates. Thereby, step-controlled epitaxial growth was achieved within a broad operating window. The surface roughness of such epilayers varies typically between rms=0.5 nm and rms-2.5 nm and step-controlled growth is conserved even at a growth rate of 24 m/h. then, the standard growth process was applied to substrates with different off-cut angles a fo 2 degrees, 4 degrees, and 8 degrees as well as with different off-cut directions (1120) and (1100). The step-controlled growth was achieved also within a wide range of Si/H ration and C/Si ration for growth on 8 degrees and 4 degrees off-cut substrates, but the process window narrows strongly for growth on 2 degrees off-cut substrates. The epilayers surface roughness increases with decreasing off-cut angle of the substate. Epilayers grown on 4 degrees towards (1100) off-cut substrates were significantyl smoother than epilayers grown on 4 degrees towards (1120) off-cut substrates. No influence of the substrates off-cut angle and direction on the growth rate was found. The experimental results of this comprehensive study are discussed globally in consideration of other relevant publications. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.