Single crystal 3C–SiC platelets, formed by thermal decomposition of methyltrichlorosilane at 1650–1750 °C, have been characterized in terms of structure and morphology. The platelets are ∼3–5 mm in length and 1–1.5 mm in thickness. The (111) C face of the crystal, which has an effective zero growth rate, presents a large, mirrorlike surface in the as‐grown 3C crystals. Atomic force microscopy indicates that theseas‐grownsurfaces are extraordinarily flat and uniform, with a mean surface roughness of 1–2 A˚. This value is comparable with the roughness of state‐of‐artpolishedSi wafers. X‐ray rocking curves of the ⟨111⟩ peak were obtained with a linewidth of 12.3 arcsec. This is the smallest value reported to date for any polytype of SiC. Raman spectroscopy at 300 K reveals a very sharp TO–phonon peak at 797.8 cm−1, with a linewidth of 2.1 cm−1. ©1996 American Institute of Physics.