Nanocrystalline anatase TiO2 films were deposited on glass and silicon substrates by using radio frequency reactive magnetron sputtering. Microstructural and optical properties were characterized by using X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoemission spectroscopy (XPS), Raman spectra, optical absorption and photoluminescence (PL). XRD and Raman spectroscopy detected a nanocrystalline anatase titania films for input power at 250 W, for argon/oxygen ratio at 50 sccm/5.0 sccm and for substrate temperature at 500 degreesC. Visible broad widened photoluminescence peak is interpreted as the emission of self-trapped excitons localized on TiO6 octahedra. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.