The Zn0.9Cd0.10 films have been prepared using the direct current (dc) reactive magnetron sputtering technique under the different ratios of Ar/O-2. We have studied the effects of the different gas concentrations (Ar/O-2) and the deposition powers on a crystal structure, a surface morphology, and optical properties of the Zn0.9Cd0.10 films. The surface and the structure investigations have shown a strong influence of the growth conditions on the film microstructure. The structural analysis revealed that all grown films are polycrystalline and single-phase. It was found that increasing the argon concentration leads to an improvement of the structural quality of the Zn0.9Cd0.10 films. The features of controlling the band gap and the surface morphology of the Zn0.9Cd0.10 ternary alloys by changing the growth parameters have been discussed. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.