We studied the growth conditions for controlling CdSeTe epilayer composition. Te atoms are readily incorporated into CdSeTe epilayers. However, we could not control the Te composition by the beam intensity ratio of Te to Cd. Therefore, Te atoms are not preferentially chemisorbed on Cd atoms. Both the difference in the desorption rate of the physisorbed atoms and the difference in the formation energies of CdSe and CdTe affect the composition. The epilayers composition could be well controlled in the entire range by the beam intensity ratio of J(Se)/(J(Se) + J(Te)) when the epilayers were grown on the U-stabilized surface. A simple growth model is presented and the sticking probabilities of Se and Te were determined from the growth rate to be 0.1 and 1, respectively. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.