One-dimensional ZnO nanorods are synthesized by ox idating thin metal zinc films deposited on Si(111) substrates with radio frequen cy magnetron sputtering.The crystal structure,surface morphology,and optical pro perties of nanorods are investigated.X-ray diffraction(XRD) pattern,scanning el ectron microscopy(SEM),and transmission electron microscopy(TEM) analyses show t hat the synthesized single-crystal ZnO nanorods develop like hairpins along dif ferent radials,with a hexagonal wurtzite structure.The diameters of nanorods ran ge between 30 and 60nm and lengths up to micrometers.Photoluminescence(PL) analy sis shows that,under 280nm light excitation,a strong and sharp near band-edge U V light emission band at 372nm and a relatively weak green deep-level light emi ssion band at 516nm are observed from the ZnO nanorods,which indicates excellent crystallization and optical quality of the fabricated ZnO nanorods.