Surface superstructures are studied with scanning tunneling microscopy during the growth of In on In/Si(111). On the inhomogeneous substrate of Si(111) 4 x 1/root 3 x root 3-In coexisting surface, the deposition of 1.5 monolayer (ML) In at about 0 degrees C leads to root 7 x root 3 reconstruction on root 3 x root 3. surface and the formation of one-dimensional nanowires on 4 x 1 surface (1.0 ML= 7.8 x 10(14) atoms/cm(2)). Subsequent deposition of In at - 100 degrees C gives rise to the appearance of a hexagonal superstructure with root 37 x 4 root 3 periodicity on root 7 x root 3 reconstructed surface, while self-alignment of In dots along one-dimensional nanowires is observed on the initial 4 x 1 surface. On Si(111) x root 3 x root 3-In surface, the growth of 2.5 ML In at about - 100 degrees C yields 6 x 6 superstructure. The strain in the epitaxial In thin films provides a driving force for the formation of self-organized surface structures. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.