It is reported that CuInO2 single phase is hardly obtainable by using the general mixed oxide synthesis route [M. Shimode, M. Sasaki, K Mukaida, J. Solid State Chem. 151(1) (2000) 16.; L Liu, K. Bai, H. Gong, P. Wu, Phys. Rev. B 72(12) (2005) 1252041.; H. Hahnn, C. Lorent, Z. Anorg. Allg. Chem. 279 (1955) 281.]. Therefore, the manufacturing of highly dense single phase targets for CuInO2 thin film growing is still challenging. In this study, a Cu2O-In2O3 composite target instead of a CuInO2 single phase target was fabricated by using the general mixed oxide synthesis route. Thin films of CuInO2 were grown on sapphire substrates by a pulsed laser deposition (PLD) process under various conditions, and c-axis oriented single phase CuInO2 thin films were grown successfully when oxygen partial pressure was controlled. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.