The growth and structural characterization of Cd1-xZnxTe epitaxial films on (1 0 0) GaAs substrates is reported. The samples were obtained by a novel isothermal closed space sublimation technique, which was previously used for the growth of ZnTe in atomic layer epitaxy regime. For growing the films, a GaAs substrate is exposed alternately to the elemental sources (Cd, Zn, Te) at isothermal condition employing a closed space geometry. Eleven different ZnTe: CdTe cycle combinations were done to obtain different Zn compositions. The Zn molar fractions were measured by X-ray and transmission electron diffraction patterns that also revealed the epitaxial quality of the films. Influence of the growth parameters on the composition and the thickness of the films is discussed. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.