An electrochemical procedure is described for the anodic deposition of CuO thin films from solution precursors at 25-30 degreesC in an alkaline medium (pH > 13). The deposition bath was similar to Fehling's solution using tartrate ions as a complexing agent for Cu(II). Cupric oxide deposited onto a platinum substrate at an anodic current density of 5 mA cm(-2) has a preferred orientation of [010]. Rietveld refinement of the powder diffraction pattern reveals pure Cu(II) oxide with no trace of other copper oxides. The suggested mechanism involves the irreversible electrochemical oxidation of the tartrate ligand of the Cu(II) complex leading to the CuO precipitation. The same bath can also be used to deposit Cu2O films using a cathodic electrodeposition process. In this case, cuprous oxide deposited onto a platinum electrode has a [111] preferred orientation. (C) 2002 The Electrochemical Society.