we studied the epitaxial growth of CeO(2) thin films as a function of deposition temperature (200-800 degrees C), r.f. magnetron power (25-125 W) and anode-cathode distance (2-6 cm). The films were grown on Si(111) substrates by on-axis r.f. magnetron sputtering of a cerium oxide target in an At plasma. The crystalline quality of the films was investigated using X-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy. Our results show that the crystalline quality of the films can be improved by a post-growth rapid thermal annealing. (C) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.