Growth of M-plane GaN on (100) LiGa0(2) was achieved using plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy Thermal annealing of the LiGa0(2) wafer was found to lead to a substrate surface suitable for growth Structural and morphological analysis was performed using x-ray and reflective high energy electron diffraction, scanning electron and atomic force microscopy. X-ray diffraction results show very high phase purity and a relaxation state of the GaN film close to 80%. The surface morphology, showing characteristic M-plane streaks, is flat and smooth. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.