p-Type ZnO:As films with hole concentration of 10(16)-10(17)cm(-3) were deposited on glass substrates by cosputtering method with ZnO and Zn3As2 targets. Proper annealing may change the conduction type of ZnO:As film. Ohmic contacts were established between Ti electrodes and ZnO films. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) showed that the bonding state of As in ZnO:As film was in its oxidization state. The optical band gap of the ZnO films blueshifted from 3.22 to 3.34 eV in our experiment. Our results not only demonstrated a new approach to obtain p-type ZnO films but also helped to understand the microscopic structure of As in As-doped ZnO. (C) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.