A semiconductor-on-insulator (SOI) substrate is provided that includes a silicon or germanium handle substrate that is miscut from 2 degrees to 8 degrees towards the crystallographic direction or the crystallographic direction. The topmost semiconductor layer is removed from a portion of the SOI substrate, and then a trench having a high aspect ratio is formed within the insulator layer of the SOI substrate and along the crystallographic direction or the crystallographic direction. An III-V compound semiconductor pillar, which includes a lower portion that has a first defect density and an upper portion that has a second defect density that is less than the first defect density, is then formed in the trench.