Zinc-blende(zb) MnTe layers were grown by compositional conversion of ZnTe to MnTe, and structural property of the layers was examined. The growth rate and the thickness of the MnTe layers are much influenced by growth temperature and substrate orientation. The interdiffusion between ZnTe and MnTe shows strong anisotropic reaction rate. The resultant zb-MnTe layer, however, is found to be structurally and morphologically homogeneous. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.