Two variants Of CuPtB-type orderings in strained CdxZn1-xTe epilayers were investigated by using transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and selected area diffraction pattern (SADP) measurements. The TEM images on the Cd0.15Zn0.85Te epilayers depicted strong contrast modulations along the [I 10] direction, and the SADP images showed superstructure reflection spots corresponding to a CUPtB-type ordering. Possible crystal structures for the two variants of CuPtB-type ordering in the CdxZn1-xTe epilayers, which were determined from the SADP images, are presented. (C) 2003 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.