The growth behavior of InAs on Si using metalorganic vapor phase epitaxy (MOVPE) was studied. The large lattice mismatch of InAs to Si, similar to 12%, results in island formation under typical MOVPE growth conditions, which prevents the development of the thin coherent films of InAs needed for high-speed device applications. The growth of InAs at low temperature is expected to lead to rapid nucleation and low surface mobility, resulting in the formation of a coherent film at low thicknesses. This study explored the growth behavior of InAs on Si at low temperatures, i.e. <350 degrees C and varying V/III ratio. InAs films were grown on {100)-, {111}- and {211}-oriented Si substrates using trimethyl indium, tertiary butyl arsine and AsH3. Small islands ranging from 15 to 30 nm form on the samples at growth temperatures <325 degrees C. Subsequent annealing of this thin layer at 600 degrees C for 5 min leads to island coarsening. High-resolution X-ray diffraction, atomic force microscopy and scanning electron microscopy were used to characterize InAs layer grown on Si. Published by Elsevier B.V.