Highly oriented AlN film was prepared on a c-plane sapphire substrate by laser chemical vapor deposition using a newly proposed aluminum acetylacetonate precursor and ammonia gas as source reactants. The c-axis oriented AlN films were obtained on the c-plane sapphire substrate at deposition temperatures from 900 to 1230K. AlN film prepared at 1047K showed an epitaxial relation as (0001)(AlN)//(0001)(Al2O3,) [11-20](AlN)//[10-10](Al2O3). The full width at half maximum (FWHM) of the X-ray rocking curve for AlN (0002) plane increased with increasing deposition temperature. The c-axis lattice parameter decreased with increasing deposition temperature. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.