Aluminum oxide (Al2O3) films were deposited by atmospheric pressure chemical vapor deposition (APCVD) method from aluminum trichloride (AlCl3), argon, and oxygen gas mixtures at temperatures ranging from 800 to 1000 degrees C. Alumina films with crystalline phases of gamma-or theta-, and alpha-alumina were obtained starting at 800 degrees C. Increase in the relative amount of the a-phase as well as improvement in crystallinity is observed as temperature is increased to 1000 degrees C. The films have low chlorine content, which continued to decrease with increasing temperature. Analysis of the film growth rate on tubular substrates of varying diameters revealed a diffusion-limited growth from 800 to 950 degrees C and gas-phase reaction-limited growth at 1000 degrees C. The growth species is a cluster with size 1.2nm at 800 degrees C and 0.9mn at 950 degrees C. The gas-phase reaction constant at 1000 degrees C is 1.1/s. (c) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.