In this study we investigate how the sputtering of zinc from a zinc target is influenced by the properties of O-2/Ar plasma when the discharge parameters such as gas pressure ratio and target bias voltage are changed. We also investigate plasma conditions for the formation of ZnO nanowires that are created and deposited on the substrate. We found that a plasma condition with strong optical emission from Zn neutrals is an important factor for the deposition of ZnO nanowires. Both the growth of nanowires and the emission intensity from Zn strongly depend on the partial pressure of oxygen. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.