For dye-sensitized solar cells application, in this study, we have synthesized TiO2 thin films at deposition temperature in the range of 300-750 degrees C by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) method. Titanium(IV) isopropoxide, {TIP, Ti((OPr)-Pr-i)(4)} and Bis(dimethylamido)titanium diisopropoxide, {BTDIP, (Me2N)(2)Ti((OPr)-Pr-i)(2)} were used as single source precursors that contain Ti and O atoms in the same molecule, respectively. Crack-free, highly oriented TiO2 polycrystalline thin films with anatase phase were deposited on Si(1 0 0) with TIP at temperature as low as 450 degrees C. XRD and TED data showed that below 500 degrees C, the TiO2 thin films were dominantly grown in the [2 1 1] direction on Si(1 0 0), whereas with increasing the deposition temperature to 700 degrees C, the main film growth direction was changed to [2 0 0]. Above 700 degrees C, however, rutile phase TiO2 thin films have only been obtained. In the case of BTDIP, on the other hand, only amorphous film was grown on Si(1 0 0) below 450 degrees C while a highly oriented anatase TiO2 film in the [2 0 0] direction was obtained at 500 degrees C. With further increasing deposition temperatures over 600 degrees C, the main film growth direction shows a sequential change from rutile [1 0 1] to rutile [4 0 0], indicating a possibility of getting single crystalline TiO2 film with rutile phase. This means that the precursor together with deposition temperature can be one of important parameters to influence film growth direction, crystallinity as well as crystal structure. To investigate the CVD mechanism of both precursors in detail, temperature dependence of growth rate was also carried out, and we then obtained different activation energy of deposition to be 77.9 and 55.4 kJ/mot for TIP and BTDIP, respectively. Also, we are tested some TiO2 film synthesized with BTDIP precursor to apply dye-sensitized solar cell. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.