the authors have developed a new compact, versatile and automated system for spatially resolved photoluminescence (pl) measurements which is described in detail in the first part of this contribution. the image of the pl intensity is obtained by scanning the semiconductor surface with a he-ne laser light focused by a microscope objective. the absorption of the excitation light occurs close to the top surface, which ensures that the pl magnitude is strongly controlled by the surface properties. the pl intensity is measured with a silicon photodiode which has a maximum spectral sensitivity close to 0.9 mu m, corresponding well to the wavelengths of the pl signal from gaas and inp. the pl image is obtained by moving the sample with a motorized x/y travel stage. sample moving, data acquisition and treatment, image processing and display of the pl image are performed using a microcomputer. photoluminescence images from various inp surface are presented. it is demonstrated that the pl intensities from a semiconductor (inp) surface are always non-uniform spatially on a microscopic scale and are strongly affected by such treatments as polishing, etching and annealing