The surface structure of a NaCl(110) homoepitaxial layer grown by molecular beam epitaxy has been investigated by in situ reflection high-energy electron diffraction and ex situ atomic force microscopy. The surfaces exhibited alternating (10 0) and (0 10) facets, which resulted in self-organized ridge-and-valley structures. The period of the V-groove increased through coarsening of narrow-spaced macrosteps in the early growth stage, but was self-limited to be approximately 30 nm in thick films. The regularity of the array improved remarkably with increasing thickness. The aspect ratio of the typical terrace reached up to 100. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.