ZnO films were prepared by a nearby vaporizing chemical vapor deposition (CVD) method where the substrate locates over the surface of source material, bis(2,4-pentanedionato)zinc, with the separation distance of 2.5 mm. Crystalline ZnO was easily prepared by this CVD method at low substrate temperatures ranging from 100degreesC to 300degreesC. The highest preferred orientation to the c-axis was obtained at the substrate temperature of 225degreesC. (C) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.