The radiofrequency sputtering technique has been used to deposit LiNbO3 thin films onto (I 1 1) Si, In2O3:Sn-coated (11 1) Si and amorphous SiO2 substrates. In essence, such as-grown composite structures are polycrystal line and exhibit columnar morphologies. To extend the classical macroscopic characterizations, we report on high-resolution inspection methods at the nanometric scale, involving atomic force microscopy in both non-contact and contact modes, that confirm the ferroelectric behavior of such as-deposited films. (C) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.