The integrated use of(1 1 (2) over bar 0) a-plane sapphire substrates and high temperature growth with low temperature buffer layers have led to high quality undoped ZnO epitaxial films with mobilities as high as 120 cm(2)V(-1) s(-1) and residual carrier concentrations as low as 7.6 x 10(16) cm(-3). Pole figure measurements reveal that a-plane sapphire substrates are effective for the elimination of 30 degrees rotation domains, which usually appear using c-plane sapphire substrates. In particular, when using c-plane sapphire substrates annealing at 1000 degreesC in O-2 with c/2-height surface steps, the X-ray diffraction pole figure peak intensity related to these relation domains increased. The use of low temperature buffer layers allow high temperature Zn0 growth on sapphire, as initial ZnO growth does not occur at high initial growth temperature.