GaAsN layers with good structural quality and surface morphology have been successfully grown on a GaAs substrate using atmospheric pressure metal organic vapor phase epitaxy. A new combination of precursors namely, dimethylhydrazine for nitrogen and tertiarybutylarsine instead of conventional arsine for arsenic, greatly facilitated growths at temperatures as low as 500 °C. Layers with N content as high as 3&percent; and corresponding to room temperature photoluminescence (PL) peak wavelength of 1.17 &mgr;m (1.064 eV) have been obtained. ©1997 American Institute of Physics.