The angular dependence of the lateral growth rate as a function of crystal growth temperature (T-g) was determined for the liquid phase epitaxy (LPE) of (0 0 1) and (1 1 1)A,B InP. Low temperature LPE growth of InP was performed at constant growth temperatures between 330 degreesC and 490 degreesC. Post-growth variations in the shapes of pre-formed mesa structures show that lateral growth rates exhibit strong anisotropy in the [1 1 0] direction at low growth temperatures (T-g < 400 degreesC) on InP (0 0 1) surfaces. This implies that the kink-step density is highest in the [1 1 0] direction on InP (0 0 1). On InP (1 1 1)B surfaces, the maximum lateral growth rate occurred at T-g = 450 degreesC in the <1 1 2> direction, indicating that the kink-step density was highest in this direction. However, at T-g = 450 degreesC the lateral growth rate shows isotropic tendencies on (1 1 1)A surfaces, and the anisotropy decreases as the growth temperature increases. (C) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.