Epitaxial layers of (111) Cd1−xMnxTe (x=0.05) were grown on (111) GaAs substrates by pulsed laser evaporation and epitaxy. A XeCl excimer laser beam was directed at a Cd0.95Mn0.05Te target to produce the vapors necessary for deposition. A simultaneously operating pulse Nd:YAG laser was used to create the overpressure of Cd needed in the growth of stoichiometric films.Insitureflection high‐energy electron diffraction, as well as scanning electron microscopy, energy‐dispersive x‐ray analysis, and photoluminescence study showed that the films had characteristics comparable to the best CdMnTe epilayers grown so far by molecular beam epitaxy or metalorganic chemical vapor deposition.