The interfacial chemistry of InP/GaAs direct bonding with either 5% HF in water or HF:ethanol (1:9) chemical pretreatments was investigated. Multiple internal transmission-Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (MIT-FTIR) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) were used to probe the bonding interface. The bond strength was measured as a function of annealing conditions and prebonding chemical treatment. The HF-based pretreatments remove the initial native oxide, leaving an interfacial layer of either water or ethanol. The initial room-temperature bond strength is primarily determined by the strength of hydrogen bonding, which, in turn, is a function of the prebonding treatment. The removal of interfacial water and ethanol, and with the subsequent formation of the oxide layer, leads to an increased bond strength. For ethanol-based HF treatments, ethanol appears to react with the underlying interfacial oxide layer through a complex interaction with the absorbed water. After annealing, the bond strength for all prebonding preparations can reach a high value, comparable to the fracture strength of the InP. The oxide composition after thermal annealing shifts from In 2 O 3 to the eventual thermodynamic equilibrium product, InPO 4 .