The surface morphology and incorporation behavior of heavily Te-doped GaAs were studied for various growth parameters by chemical beam epitaxy (CBE). The Te precursor, DIPTe (diisopropyl telluride), acts as a volatile dopant in the growth temperature range of 475-595 degrees C. Electrical activation of Te is increased for lower growth temperatures. The Te surfactant effect was shown to lead to three-dimensional growth, which greatly affected the resulting surface morphology. We have shown that growth parameters can be tuned to reduce the Te surfactant effect through kinetic limitation, thus obtaining improved surface morphologies. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.