The presence of SiC and SNO particles in as-grown polycrystalline silicon has been investigated using infrared (IR) microscopy. These foreign particles were also characterized using electron beam induced current measurements, and scanning electron microscopy together with energy dispersive spectrum analyses. These performance-degrading inclusions were found to be distributed throughout the bulk of the material and varied in size from several microns to about 20 mum. In addition to the observation of the foreign particles, the feasibility of using IR microscopy as a characterization tool was also demonstrated. (C) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.