Slow/monoenergetic positron beams and pulsed positron beams have been used as a non-destructive probe to investigate vacancy-type defects in SIMOX substrates which were formed by high - dose oxygen implantation and high-temperature annealing. To obtain depth profiles of vacancy-type defects, a positron beam in the 0–30keV energy range was used. Doppler broadened annihilation spectrum and positron lifetime were measured as a function of incident positron energy. These measurements show the following results; vacancy -type defects exist near the surface of the top silicon layer even if the specimen was analyzed as defect -free Silicon by XTEM, and in the case of the as-implanted specimen, cavities in diameter of about 50–200A are created in the top silicon layer and they include high pressure gases.