A system and method for detecting defects in semiconductor wafers in a rapid non-destructive manner. Defects in semiconductor wafers can include micropipes and screw dislocations, stress striations, planer defects, polytype inclusions, and others. When a wafer is illuminated by polarized light, the defects induce birefringence of the polarized light that can be visualized by a polariscope to detect defects in wafers. Defects can cause linearly inputted polarized light to emerge as elliptically polarized light after transmission through a wafer having defects. Placing the wafer between a set of polarizers under the cross poles condition allows for a rapid non-destructive system and method for delineating and locating defects within a semiconductor wafer.