Preparation of AlN thin film has been examined by halide chemical vapor deposition technique using AlI3 and NH3 as starting materials under atmospheric pressure (AP-HCVD). The structural analysis of the deposited AlN films prepared on a Si(100) substrate by the AP-HCVD technique were carried out by the X-ray pole figure analysis. They consist of the hexagonal AlN nano-pillar crystals. It was found that the nano-pillar crystals, which have random rotation around the <100> axis, were grown at an angle of 80-90degrees to the substrate. (C) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.