Silicon carbide thin films were grown on (11 (2) over bar0) and (1 (1) over bar 00) 4H-SiC substrates by chemical vapor deposition using a single precursor material, bis(trimethylsilyl)methane at substrate temperatures ranging from 990 to 1400degreesC. The morphological evolution of the films as a function of the growth temperature was explained using a model based on the Ehrlich Schwoebel (ES) barrier. On the (11 (2) over bar0) faces, high quality 4H-SiC homoepitaxial thin films were grown above 1200degreesC while amorphous SiC films were obtained below 1100degreesC. Very narrow X-ray rocking curves with a full width at half-maximum of 6.9 arc s were observed for the 4H epi layer grown on (11 (2) over bar0) at 1200degreesC. On the (1 (1) over bar 00) faces, epitaxial 4H- SiC films were grown at temperature as low as 990degreesC, which is approximately 500degreesC lower than the conventional growth temperature. It is believed that sufficient decomposition of the source material, at such a low temperature and the atomic arrangement of the a face containing the 4H stacking sequence (ABCB...) make low temperature epitaxy possible.