ZrV2 thin films were prepared using a direct current (dc)-magnetron-sputtering method. The composition and the phase structure after annealing and hydrogenation were investigated by Rutherford backscattering and x-ray-diffraction technologies. The composition of the films deposited at different substrate temperatures are uniformly distributed along the depth of films. The amorphous phase consisting of Zr and V atoms was achieved when the substrate temperature was less than 400 degrees C. But at high temperatures, e.g., 600 degrees C, the multiphase mixture consisted of C14 (MgZn2) and C15 (MgCu2) Laves phases, Zr3V3O, alpha-Zr, and V forms. The annealing caused the segregation of Zr and V in the film by strain-driven diffusion and leads to nonhomogeneity, which is the main reason why the multiphase coexists there. With increasing annealing temperature, the amount of the stable C15 phase increases, while the amount of the other C14, alpha-Zr, and V phases decreases. Hydrogenation could spur phase transformation from the multiphase structure to a stable Laves structure at relatively low temperature. (c) 2006 American Vacuum Society.