Surface morphologies of thick GaAs buffer layers and thin In0.15Ga0.85As layers grown on (5 5 3)B-oriented GaAs substrates by molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) are studied using atomic force microscopy. A regularly corrugated surface of In0.15Ga0.85As layer is naturally formed during the initial stage of MBE growth. This remarkable growth behavior provides a unique way for the direct synthesis of quantum wires with extreme uniformity and high density. Different growth conditions, especially the growth temperature and V/III flux ratio influences on the formation of In0.15Ga0.85As surface corrugation are intensively investigated for a basic understanding of the growth process.