Temporally resolved epitaxial lateral overgrowth (ELO) of 12 alternating layers of unintentionally-doped and S-doped InP layers has been conducted in a low-pressure hydride vapour phase epitaxy reactor. The growth was conducted in the openings on a (0 0 1) n-InP substrate and oriented along 30degrees off the [1 1 0] direction. Based on the analysis of the cleaved cross-sections by scanning electron microscopy and scanning capacitance microscopy, an inhomogeneous dopant distribution has been observed within the same ELO layer. This is explained by invoking different bonding configurations exposed to the incorporating dopant atoms in the different emerging planes. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.