c-axis-oriented gallium nitride (wurtzite GaN) thin films were fabricated by nitridation of acetate derived precursor films deposited on fused silica substrates without any buffer layer on the top of the substrate. The acetate derived precursors were obtained by (i) preparing a gallium-acetate sol by reacting Ga metal with acetic acid, (ii) coating cleared fused silica substrate with the sol and (iii) after drying the coated films at 100 degrees C annealing them in air at 300 degrees, 500 degrees and 900 degrees C. Only films showing crystallization of alpha-GaO(OH) (300 degrees C and (alpha+beta)-Ga2O3 (500 degrees C) were selected for nitridation. In spite of the amorphous nature of the substrate, the GaN films showed a strong preferred orientation for the basal plane (002) under selected conditions of precursor annealing (300 degrees, 500 degrees C) and subsequent nitridation (under flowing NH3) temperature and time. In other cases formation of an additional plane, i.e. (101) was indicated as a weaker peak in X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns. The precursors and nitride films were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, UV-Visible spectroscopy, XRD, high resolution transmission electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy analyses. (C) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.