The high dislocation density (2 x 10(7)/cm(2) for a thickness of 7 mu m) in CdTe(2 1 1)B on Ge(2 1 1) has become a roadblock for the technological exploitation of this material. We present a systematic study of in situ and post-growth annealing cycles aimed at reducing it. An etch pit density of 2 x 10(6)/cm(2) was achieved by optimizing the growth conditions and annealing the samples in situ. This finding was corroborated by high-resolution X-ray diffraction, atomic force microscopy, photoluminescence and ellipsometry measurements. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.