A photoluminescence (PL) signal has been modeled under conditions of steady-state, depth-dependent excitation, ignored surface recombination, and neglected carrier diffusion. In spite of serious model limitations, the experimental data of PL vs. resistivity collected in the 0.0009 to 20 Omega cm range showed a reasonably good agreement with the simulation output. The PL signal reaches maximum within the 0.01 to 0.1 Omega cm range. At lower resistivity, the signal strongly depends on doping level and it can be used for doping striation monitoring. At higher resistivity, PL depends on the applied excitation levels and the concentration of deep recombination centers (material contamination). Within the entire range, PL can be used for imaging of extended defects, such as dislocations and precipitates. (C) 2003 The Electrochemical Society.