Local deposition of SiO(x) was studied using an atmospheric pressure very-high-frequency (VHF) inductive coupling microplasma jet (AP-MPJ) from a tetraethoxysilane ((Si(OC(2)H(5))(4)),TEOS) and oxygen mixture. The SiO(x) obtained showed the dielectric constant of 3.8 with a low leakage current of the order of similar to 10(-6) A.cm(-2) up to 8 MV.cm(-1). Bottom-gated sputtered-ZnO thin-film transistors with a AP-MPJ SiO(x) as a gated dielectric layer exhibited a relatively high field-effect mobility of 24 cm(2)V(-1) s(-1), a threshold voltage of 14 V and an on/off current ratio of similar to 10(4), a performance comparable to that of thermal silicon dioxide. The TFT performance was also obtained for the top-gated ZnO-TFTs with a field-effect mobility of 1.4 cm(2).V(-1) s(-1), a threshold voltage of - 1.9 V. and an on/off current ratio of similar to 10(3). (C) 2009 Published by Elsevier B.V.