Thin films of CdS were grown on different substrates by remote plasma-enhanced chemical vapour deposition from the novel precursor, volatile (o-phen)bis(diethyldithiocarbamate) cadmium (Cd[S2CN(C2H5)(2)](2) . C12H8N2) Temperature dependence and thermodynamic parameters of its saturated vapour pressure were obtained by the tensimetric flow method. Grown CdS films were transparent for visible light with 90-95% transmittance and had a high resistivity (10(12)-10(13) Omega cm). II was established by conventional X-ray analysis and synchrotron radiation in the X-ray range that grown films have different structures dependent on the kind and orientation of the substrate. The mixture of polycrystalline grains of hexagonal and cubic phases was observed in films on fused silica substrates. The polycrystalline hexagonal CdS was synthesized on (100) silicon substrates and the single cubic structure was grown on (100) InP.