The structural properties of r.f.-sputtered AIN films grown on Si, Ru/Si, and ZnO/Si substrates were investigated. From the X-ray diffraction analysis, the crystallite size, biaxial stress and standard deviation (S.D.) of the rocking curve for the ALN films are calculated. For AIN films prepared on Si substrates, a crystallite size of 205.7 Angstrom, a biaxial stress of -3.27 X 10(9) Pa and a S.D. of 5.96 degrees were obtained. For the AIN films prepared on the Ru/Si substrates, a crystallite size of 213.4 Angstrom, a biaxial stress of -9.80 X 10(9) Pa and a S.D. of 4.05 degrees were obtained. Likewise, a crystallite size of 293.4 Angstrom, a biaxial stress of +1.62 X 10(9) Pa and a S.D. of 1.19 degrees were obtained for the AIN films prepared on the ZnO/Si substrates. It is concluded that the ZnO/Si substrates are the most suitable for growing AIN films, compared with the other substrates. In addition, the strong c-axis orientation of the AIN films on the ZnO/Si substrates is found to have a direct relationship with the density of the films. It is shown that the growth behavior and quality of the AlN films can be successfully controlled by lattice matching with their substrates.