A systematic study has been performed on the production of V-grooves in (100) InP substrates by wet chemical etching. The dissolution process and its dependence on etchant, etch mask, and its accuracy of alignment relative to the [011] or [0 (1) over bar 1] directions has been analyzed. Consequently, the conditions necessary to achieve V-grooves having (111)A, (111)B, and (211)A sidewalls has been established.