Ordered surface step arrays were successfully prepared on two different types of miscut yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) substrates via one-step pre-annealing. These steps were subsequently used as templates for the self-assembly of the nanoislands, which results in significantly improved alignment of the islands along the step direction. Additionally, a unique step faceting phenomenon at island growth front was observed only on the (001)-[100] miscut YSZ substrates. Preliminary investigation indicates that this faceting is induced by doping via surface diffusion, while the elastic interaction between the faceted steps also plays an important role. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.