It is an object of the present invention to provide an epitaxial wafer with fewer pit defects in the epitaxial layer of a silicon monocrystalline wafer that has been doped with arsenic. Pit defects tend to occur when gas etching is performed prior to epitaxial film formation, but this tendency is reversed and a sound epitaxial layer is obtained by setting the crystal plane orientation to (100) and specifying the range of the tilt angle for the angle .theta. in the [001] direction or [001] direction or the angle .phi. in the [010] direction or [010] direction with respect to the [100] axis.