Strain-compensated InGaN/AlN MQWs were grown on a c-plane GaN/sapphire template by MOVPE at 780 degrees C. After optimization of its growth conditions, several samples of InGaN/AlN MQWs with varied well and barrier thicknesses were prepared in order to find the best balance of each layer thickness. Strains inside the MQWs were evaluated by reciprocal space mapping (RSM) measurements, and the results were quite consistent with the calculation of strain estimation. Characterization by HRXRD and photoluminescence measurements revealed an impact of strain accumulation on the quality of MQWs, and the best results were obtained in the most strain-compensated InGaN/AlN MQWs. Compared with InGaN/GaN MQWs with the same thicknesses of wells and barriers, InGaN/AlN MQWs proved to have promising characteristics for several optical devices. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.