One-dimensional (1-D) ZnO (zinc oxide) nanostructures have received a lot of attention due to their superior properties. Various techniques have been developed to synthesize ZnO nanorods at high-temperature process using vapor-liquid-solid (VLS) mechanism. In this paper, we report a novel process to synthesize integrated ZnO nanorods/thin film structures using an RF magnetron sputter deposition under different deposition parameters and substrate conditions. The substrate used was glass plated with electroless Cu prepared using various conditions. The resulting specimens are analyzed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The effect of the copper surface roughness was found to be significant. ZnO nanorods were found only when the copper layer is rough enough. The roughness of the copper in general increases with the plating time and/or the ratio of V-HCHO/V-Cu used in the plating bath. Post-plating annealing of the copper was also found to increase the surface roughness of the copper. (c) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.