A point defect model for CdTe is presented based on a selection of potentially electrically active point defects which includes V-Cd, Cd-i, V-Te, Te-i and Te-Cd. The reaction energies and entropies of the defects were established. The effect of changing the Fermi energy with Cd partial pressure and temperature are then discussed in detail. The defect concentrations are given as functions of Cd partial pressure and the minimum attainable deviation in stoichiometry is derived. Through the analysis and the calculations, a specific detailed recipe for post-growth annealing is suggested. (C) 2003 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.