The initial stages of Cu electrode position onto fluor-tin-oxide (FTO) coated glass and n-Si(1 0 0) substrates from sulfate solutions containing respectively 5 x 10(-3) M CuSO4, 1 M Na2SO4 and 0.5 M H-3 BO3 are studied using cyclic voltammetry and chronoamperometry and the Scharifker-Hills model is used to analyse the current transients. For electrodeposited Cu on both FTO and n-Si(l 0 0) electrodes, the nucleation is in a good agreement with the instantaneous nucleation and three-dimensional (3D) diffusion-limited growth. The values of kinetic parameters, number density of active sites N-o, and diffusion coefficient D for Cu2+ ions are also calculated. (C) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.