A two-step process is designed for removing crystal-originated pits (COPS) in the near-surface region of the Czochralski-grown silicon wafers. Firstly, Ge-ion implantation is used to acquire amorphous layer and thus disrupt COPS in the near-surface region. Following that, the annealing process is performed to boost solid-phase epitaxial growth (SPEG) and remove the implant damage. It is verified by cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy (XTEM), Rutherford backscattering spectroscopy (RBS), Raman spectroscopy and laser scattering technique that a refinement epitaxial layer of fewer COPS and excellent crystalline properties can be acquired by our method. Additionally, it is found that appropriate Ge-implant dose may be around 6 x 10(14)/cm(2) and the corresponding annealing temperature should be above 600degreesC. The two-step process may have some advantages, including relaxed conditions for pulling crystals, over previous methods. (C) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.