Cross-sectional Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) measurements in air combined with finite element (FE) calculations are used to study the (110) cleaved surface of compressive InGaAs/GaAs quantum wells (QWs) and V-groove quantum wires (QWRs). The elastic relaxation is clearly identified as the main cause of the AFM height contrast revealed on the cleaved edge. In particular, we show that the native oxidation due to the air exposure does not alter significantly the elastic deformation of the cleaved surface. This simple technique, which does nor require any sample preparation or chemical etching, is applied to the characterization of the growth front evolution during the organometallic chemical vapor deposition growth on V-grooved substrates. Making use of the AFM surface profile measurements evidences the segregation of indium in the InGaAs film.