The Cu-doped ZnO films were prepared by direct current reactive magnetron sputtering using a zinc target with various Cu-chips attached. The influences of Cu-doping on the microstructure, photoluminescence, and Raman scattering of ZnO films were systematically investigated. The results indicate that ZnO films doped with moderate Cu dopant (2.0-4.4 at.%) can obtain wurtzite structure with strong c-axis orientation. The near band edge (NBE) emission of ZnO film can be enhanced by Cu dopant with a concentration of 2.0 at.% and quench quickly with further increase of doping concentration. Two additional modes at about 230 and 575 cm(-1), which could be induced by Cu dopant, can be observed in Raman spectra of the Cu-doped ZnO films. (C) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.