The efficacy of residual photoresist removal on the top surface of the InGaAs QWW grating and the effects of surface oxides on the optical property of quantum well wires (QWWs) were examined through atomic force microscopy (AFM) and photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy. Different resist removal treatments, including acetone, ozone and diluted HC1 were evaluated. Both AFM and PL measurements reveal that with the surface cleaning processing we have developed, high luminescence efficiency from the QWWs is conserved after removal of the residual photoresist.