This paper describes the results of a study to investigate the applicability of silicon carbide (SiC) x-ray masks to an optical-heterodyne alignment technique. SiC was deposited at a thickness of 2 micrometer on a 4 inch silicon (Si) wafer. Its surface roughness was improved from 15 nm Ra (geometrical average) to 0.2 nm Ra using a polishing method. Using this SiC material, x-ray masks with Ta absorber patterns for alignment marks and overlay measurement were fabricated. To obtain a high overlay repeatability, we have deposited an anti- reflection coating (ARC) on both sides of the x-ray mask, which increased an optical transmission at a wavelength of 785 nm from 37% to 73%. We have also deposited an opaque coating (OPC) on the mask alignment mark. Using the x-ray mask, the overlay repeatability by mix-and-match method was evaluated. The overlay repeatability near the X, Y and (theta) alignment marks was 21 nm, 21 nm, and 49 nm (3 sigma) for the corresponding axes. The overlay repeatability of the X and Y directions was 61 nm and 54 nm (3 sigma) in a wafer. These results are equivalent to the results obtained using SiN x-ray masks. From these results, we consider that SiC x-ray masks are applicable to optical heterodyne alignment, and can also be used in practical x-ray lithography.