A sublimation process for producing silicon carbide crystals having increased minority carrier lifetimes, comprising: growing silicon carbide crystals having a first concentration of minority carrier recombination centers, at a growth temperature, resulting in a first minority carrier lifetime; wherein the process further comprises: heating said silicon carbide crystals to dissociate said recombination centers in order to decrease the concentration thereof, and cooling the heated silicon carbide crystal to reduce the recombination of said dissociated recombination centers to provide a silicon carbide crystal having a second concentration of minority carrier recombination centers, resulting in a second minority carrier lifetime, that is lower than the first concentration of minority carrier recombination centers, wherein said second minority carrier lifetime is larger than said first minority carrier lifetime, characterized in that the heating step comprises heating the silicon carbide crystal to a temperature at least 2400 °C and maintaining said heated silicon carbide crystal at a temperature of at least 2400 °C for up to one hour in an inert ambient atmosphere, and the cooling step comprises cooling the heated silicon carbide crystal at a rate of 2 °C per minute or less to a temperature of 1400 °C to 1000 °C. growing silicon carbide crystals having a first concentration of minority carrier recombination centers, at a growth temperature, resulting in a first minority carrier lifetime; wherein the process further comprises: heating said silicon carbide crystals to dissociate said recombination centers in order to decrease the concentration thereof, and cooling the heated silicon carbide crystal to reduce the recombination of said dissociated recombination centers to provide a silicon carbide crystal having a second concentration of minority carrier recombination centers, resulting in a second minority carrier lifetime, that is lower than the first concentration of minority carrier recombination centers, wherein said second minority carrier lifetime is larger than said first minority carrier lifetime, characterized in that the heating step comprises heating the silicon carbide crystal to a temperature at least 2400 °C and maintaining said heated silicon carbide crystal at a temperature of at least 2400 °C for up to one hour in an inert ambient atmosphere, and the cooling step comprises cooling the heated silicon carbide crystal at a rate of 2 °C per minute or less to a temperature of 1400 °C to 1000 °C. heating said silicon carbide crystals to dissociate said recombination centers in order to decrease the concentration thereof, and cooling the heated silicon carbide crystal to reduce the recombination of said dissociated recombination centers to provide a silicon carbide crystal having a second concentration of minority carrier recombination centers, resulting in a second minority carrier lifetime, that is lower than the first concentration of minority carrier recombination centers, wherein said second minority carrier lifetime is larger than said first minority carrier lifetime, characterized in that the heating step comprises heating the silicon carbide crystal to a temperature at least 2400 °C and maintaining said heated silicon carbide crystal at a temperature of at least 2400 °C for up to one hour in an inert ambient atmosphere, and the cooling step comprises cooling the heated silicon carbide crystal at a rate of 2 °C per minute or less to a temperature of 1400 °C to 1000 °C. <EOS>