The erbium-doped ZnO films were deposited on SiO2 glass and MgO crystal substrates by RE-magnetron sputtering and were characterized by the use of photoluminescence, X-ray diffraction, Rutherford backscattering spectrometry and field emission scanning electron microscopy. The results show that the films fabricated on SiO2 glass substrate are highly c-axis oriented. The Er-doped films emit photoluminescence spectra centered at 1.54 mu m, and the emission intensity is strongly related with substrate temperature. The waveguiding properties of the Er-doped ZnO film on SiO2 glass substrate are demonstrated by prism coupling. Both TE and TM modes are measured at 633 nm. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.