The p-type carrier concentration of MOVPE grown carbon doped InGaAs/InP and GaAs is investigated using H-2 and N-2 as carrier gas. Employing N-2 instead of H-2 halves the growth rate and diminishes the TMGa decomposition in the kinetically limited growth regime. The p-type carrier concentration of GaAs can be doubled by shifting to N-2. In N-2 ambient the maximal p-carrier concentration in InGaAs can be more than doubled compared to the maximal p-doping levels in H-2 Using N-2 as carrier gas it is possible to achieve p-type carrier concentrations in InGaAs/InP up to 1 x 10(19) cm(-3) at temperatures as high as 550 degrees C. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.