Fully strained AlxGa1-xN/GaN-Bragg-reflectors (DBR) with x> 0.4 have been grown on (0 0 0 1) sapphire by metalorganic vapour phase epitaxy. We report on the fabrication of strain compensated DBR structures With a stop band in the blue green spectral region by using an underlying Al-0.21 Ga0.79N buffer layer. For a reactor pressure of 50Torr and a N/III ratio of less than 800 we were able to find a growth regime where parasitic prereactions of the precursors were neglected. Although a change in atmospheric composition from H-2 to N-2 has a significant influence on the growth rates of GaN and AlGaN. we see no impact on the optical properties of the grown structures. (C) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.