Epitaxial cubic SiC films were grown on Si(0 0 1) substrates without carbonization at temperatures of 900-1000 degrees C by high-vacuum chemical vapor deposition using 1,3-disilabutane (H3SiCH2SiH2CH3). The films were characterized by in situ RHEED, TEM, XRD, SEM, RBS, AES and ERD analyses. The electron and X-ray diffraction results showed that the crystalline structure of the deposited films depends on the heating rate of the substrate from similar to 100 degrees C to the growth temperature. The films grown only with a temperature ramp slower than 1.5 degrees C/s were found to be single-crystalline over this temperature range. RBS, AES and ERD analyses showed that our films are stoichiometric and homogeneous in depth and have low levels of impurities, especially hydrogen.