A process for the growth of CdTe/GaAs heteroepitaxial films using metal–organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) has been developed. The initial results of the determination of the deposition mechanism are reported. A pilot production demonstration using experimentally determined operating conditions has been completed. This is the first reported pilot production of CdTe/GaAs using 2 in. diam GaAs substrates in a multiple slice, commercially manufactured MOCVD system. The results reported therein demonstrate that MOCVD is a reliable, reproducible, production worthy process for preparation of CdTe/GaAs heterostructures. These results are applicable to a wide variety of CdTe based device technologies including IR detection, fiber optics, solar cells, and others.