A method of growing a single-crystal of silicon carbide, SiC, in the nominal c-axis growth direction using a physical vapor transport, PVT, process in a sublimation system, wherein the crystal is completely free of micropipe defects, the method comprising: attaching a seed material to a seed holder and forming a uniform thermal contact between the seed material and seed holder, wherein the seed material comprises a SiC seed wafer having a micropipe density of less than 2 cm -2; placing a source material and the seed material attached to the seed holder in a reaction crucible, wherein constituent components of the sublimation system including at least the source material, the seed holder, and the reaction crucible are substantially free from metallic impurities, wherein the source material has a total concentration of less than 5 parts per million by weight of metallic impurities; and controlling growth temperature, growth pressure, SiC sublimation flux and composition, and a temperature gradient between the source material and the seed material or the SiC crystal growing on the seed material during the PVT process, comprising controlling the growth pressure to be in a range of from 40,000 Pa to 13 Pa (300 to 0.1 torr); controlling the growth temperature to have a start temperature in a growth nucleation temperature range of 2000° to 2200° C during an initial growth nucleation phase of bulk growth such that a modified Si/C ratio is induced which promotes the closing-off of micropipes that may exist in the seed material during the initial stages of bulk growth; controlling the temperature gradient to be in a range of from 50 to 150 deg C/cm; and controlling the growth temperature to have a ramped increase in the range of 0.3 to 10 deg C/hr and to be in the range of 2000° to 2500° C; thereby eliminating micropipe-inducing process instabilities and growing the micropipe-free SiC crystal on the seed material. attaching a seed material to a seed holder and forming a uniform thermal contact between the seed material and seed holder, wherein the seed material comprises a SiC seed wafer having a micropipe density of less than 2 cm -2; placing a source material and the seed material attached to the seed holder in a reaction crucible, wherein constituent components of the sublimation system including at least the source material, the seed holder, and the reaction crucible are substantially free from metallic impurities, wherein the source material has a total concentration of less than 5 parts per million by weight of metallic impurities; and controlling growth temperature, growth pressure, SiC sublimation flux and composition, and a temperature gradient between the source material and the seed material or the SiC crystal growing on the seed material during the PVT process, comprising controlling the growth pressure to be in a range of from 40,000 Pa to 13 Pa (300 to 0.1 torr); controlling the growth temperature to have a start temperature in a growth nucleation temperature range of 2000° to 2200° C during an initial growth nucleation phase of bulk growth such that a modified Si/C ratio is induced which promotes the closing-off of micropipes that may exist in the seed material during the initial stages of bulk growth; controlling the temperature gradient to be in a range of from 50 to 150 deg C/cm; and controlling the growth temperature to have a ramped increase in the range of 0.3 to 10 deg C/hr and to be in the range of 2000° to 2500° C; thereby eliminating micropipe-inducing process instabilities and growing the micropipe-free SiC crystal on the seed material.