SiC crystals grown by a Physical Vapor Transport (PVT) method in the presence of varying Ce impurity contents (from 0.1 wt% up to 2.5 wt%) added to SiC source material are investigated. The presence of the cerium vapor in the growth atmosphere is confirmed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy measurements. Different electrical properties of SiC crystals are obtained while use was made of non-oxide (CeSi2) or oxide (CeO2) sources of Ce impurity. The impact of cerium on low concentrations of boron atoms in bulk SiC is reported. Presence of Ce in the vapor stabilizes the growth of the 4H-SiC polytype. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.