Growth of high-quality epilayers on low off-cut angle wafers is essential for the development of high-performance devices based on hexagonal SiC. Device killing defects such as triangular and inverted pyramid-type defects formed during homoepitaxial growth on the 4H-SiC Si face, 4 degrees off-cut towards [11 (2) over bar0] direction, have been investigated in this work. The goal of this research was to minimize or eliminate these defects. Growth parameters responsible for triangular defect formation were identified and optimized for its reduction. It was found that although growth at high temperatures reduces the density of triangular defects and inverted pyramid-type defects, it is not the only remedy for reducing their density; cleanliness of the susceptor along with the initial growth condition plays a major role in the formation of these defects. (C) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.