We describe growth by molecular‐beam epitaxy of InGaAlAs multilayers using a versatile and agile technique that allows a wide range of band gaps and strains for the individual layers. In our approach, the layers are most generally pseudoalloys produced by growing short‐period superlattices containing ternary or quaternary layers, in various combinations, without changing the temperatures of the single In, Ga, Al, and As effusion cells. To illustrate the method, we have designed, grown, and characterized a separate‐confinement, strained layer light‐emitting diode operating at 1.5 &mgr;m. ©1995 American Institute of Physics.