Selective homoepitaxial growth has been carried out on partly masked SiC substrates using a carbon mask. The SiC epitaxial mesa structures on a SiC substrate have been obtained after the carbon mask was removed. Polycrystalline 3C-SiC nuclei were grown on the carbon mask surface. The nucleus-free areas without polycrystalline 3C-SiC exist on the mask between the SiC mesa structure and the polycrystal-deposited region. The nucleus-free area became broader with increasing the patterned size. On off-axis (0 0 0 1) masked substrates, the (0 0 0 1) facet appeared and 3C-SiC inclusion on SiC mesa structure occurred at the upstream side of step-flow or in the vicinity of (0 0 0 1) facet. No 3C-SiC inclusion occurred on the SiC mesa structure grown on (1 1 (2) over bar 0) masked substrates. The obtained donor concentration of selective epilayers was similar to that of normal epilayers grown on a SiC maskless substrate under the same condition. C 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.