We report the growth of thin films of the half-Heusler alloy NiMnSb by molecular beam epitaxy on InP (0 0 1) substrates using an (In,Ga)As buffer. Reflection high-energy electron diffraction and high-resolution X-ray diffraction confirm the high quality growth. Magnetic properties of the samples were investigated using a superconducting quantum interference device. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.