The deposition of rutile phase TiO2 films on unheated substrates by radio frequency magnetron sputtering is elaborated. The effect of total pressure and O-2/Ar flow ratio on the growth of rutile film on different substrates has been studied thoroughly. The development of crystalline phase along with film deposition rate, surface morphology, optical transmission and band gap were also investigated for various growth conditions. It was found that the rutile phase crystallinity increased with decrease in total pressure and increase in O-2 flow. In addition, the grown rutile films have interesting optical characteristics such as high transmittance (similar to 85%) and high refractive index (similar to 2.7) with a band gap about 32 eV. (c) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.