A UV-enhanced atomic layer deposition (UV-ALD) process was developed to deposit ZrO2 thin films on poly (ethylene terephthalate) (PET) polymer substrates using zirconium tetra-tert-butoxide (ZTB) and H2O as precursors with UV light. In the UV-ALD process, the surface reactions were found to be self-limiting and complementary enough to yield uniform, conformal, and pure ZrO2 thin films on polymer substrates at room temperature. The UV light was very effective to obtain the high-quality ZrO2 thin films with good adhesive strength on polymer substrates. The ZrO2 thin films exhibit large-scale uniformity, sharp interfaces, and unique electrical properties. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.