A model containing the effects of multicomponent diffusion, thermal diffusion and decomposition kinetics of diethyl telluride has been established to simulate the experimental growth rates of the CdTe epilayer by MOCVD. Calculated results clearly show that the growth process changes from a kinetics‐controlled regime at low temperatures to a mass transfer‐controlled regime at intermediate temperatures and finally to a thermodynamics‐controlled regime at high temperatures. Reasonable fitting was obtained between calculations and experimental data.