Gd2O3-doped CeO2 (Gd0.1Ce0.9O1.95, GDC) thin films were synthesized on (1 0 0) Si single crystal substrates by a reactive radio frequency magnetron sputtering technique. Structures and surface morphologies were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) and one-dimensional power spectral density (1DPSD) analysis. The XRD patterns indicated that, in the temperature range of 200-700 degrees C, f.c.c. structured GDC thin films were formed with growth orientations varying with temperature-random growth at 200 degrees C, (2 2 0) textures at 300-600 degrees C and (1 1 1) texture at 700 degrees C. GDC film synthesized at 200 degrees C had the smoothest surface with roughness of R-rms=0.973 nm. Its 1DPSD plot was characterized with a constant part at the low frequencies and a part at the high frequencies that could be fitted by the f(-2.4) power law decay. Such surface feature and scaling behavior were probably caused by the high deposition rate and random growth in the GDC film at this temperature. At higher temperatures (300-700 degrees C), however, an intermediate frequency slope (-gamma(2) approximate to -2) appeared in the 1DPSD plots between the low frequency constant part and the high frequency part fitted by f(-4) power law decay, which indicated a roughing mechanism dominated by crystallographic orientation growth that caused much rougher surfaces in GDC films (R-rms > 4 nm). (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.