ZnO thin films have been grown on a-plane (1,1, - 2,0) sapphire substrates by metalorganic vapor phase epitaxy (MOVPE) at low substrate temperature of 350 degrees C. It is showed that the crystal and electrical quality of the thin films was improved by using a ZnO buffer layer. The photoluminescence (PL) measurements indicate that the ZnO thin films grown at such a low substrate temperature have a strong UV emission. (c) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.