Vertical hot-wall chemical vapor deposition of SiC at high growth rates has been investigated. 4H-SiC epilayers, with a quality even superior to conventional epilayers, were grown at 25-60 mum/h, 5-10 times higher than the conventional speed. The correlation of the growth mechanism to Si cluster decomposition is described. Excellent surface morphology of the epilayer grown at 25-60 mum/h was attained by control of H-2 etching during the heating process, in which C3H8 was introduced at 1200degreesC and SiH4 at 1300degreesC. The lowest net donor concentration was 5 x 10(12) cm(-1). In the low-temperature photoluminescence spectrum, free exciton peaks were remarkably dominant, and no impurity-related peaks were observed. Through DLTS measurements, the EH6/7 center located at the midgap of E-c - 1.65 eV was detected. This trap could be suppressed under a Grich condition as in the case of the Z(1/2) center. (C) 2003 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.