This paper reports the growth of zinc blende (ZB) MgS on GaAs (2 1 1)B substrates by molecular beam epitaxy. Initial growths of (2 1 1)B ZnSe were performed at 240 degrees C and showed to be of comparable quality to (1 0 0) ZnSe grown at the same temperature. Samples of MgS deposited on ZnSe buffers showed good quality 2D growth. Subsequently, multilayer structures of ZnSe and ZnCdSe were deposited on (2 1 1)B MgS layers for structural and optical examination before and after epitaxial lift off (ELO). Photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy showed strong emission before and after ELO and X-ray spectra demonstrated the presence of a single continuous zinc blende phase. (C) 2018 Published by Elsevier B.V.