Over the past decade, significant progress has been made in reducing the density of several extended and point defects within silicon carbide substrates and epitaxy. For instance, great success has been achieved in the elimination of micropipes and reductions in the lifetime killing point defect Z(1/2). However, a wide-array of extended defects persist, ranging from various types of stacking faults and threading dislocations. An overview of the current status of these efforts is outlined here. (C) 2012 The Electrochemical Society. [DOI: 10.1149/2.069203jes] All rights reserved.