In this contribution we report on the growth of coherently strained, pseudomorphic InGaN layers on GaN templates by RF-MBE. Structural properties characterized by HR-XRD exhibit good crystalline quality and homogeneity of the grown layers. The incorporation efficiency of In into the InGaN layer was estimated and compared to the literature. Characterization by AFM and in situ RHEED observation showed differences in surface morphology between nitrogen rich and metal rich growth conditions. Further investigations of the optical properties were carried out by PL and spectroscopic ellipsometry measurements. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.