ZnO deposits were obtained on electroless copper coated Si substrates using a conventional RF magnetron sputter deposition technique at room temperature. The deposition pressure was varied from 6.67 Pa to 0.667 Pa. The RF powers were from 100 to 200 W and the electrode distance was fixed at 5 cm. The ZnO deposition time was varied from I to 30 min. The deposits consist of ZnO nanorods and a ZnO film with the, roots of the nanorods embedded in the film. The growth of the nanorods far exceeds the growth of the film in the beginning of the deposition process. The nanorod lengthening rate then slows down and becomes lower than the film growth rate. Effects of sputter deposition parameters on the growth of ZnO nanorods/film structures were also investigated. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.