In this paper, we report the preparation of nanocrystalline ZnO thin films on Si (100) substrates using a simple method, in which a resistive thermal evaporation of Zn and a two-step annealing process were employed. The aim of the first annealing step in an oxygen ambient at 300degreesC for 2 h is to form ZnO layers on the surface of the Zn films to prevent the diffusion of the metallic Zn from the films during the high-temperature annealing process, To obtain high-quality ZnO films, a high-temperature annealing step was performed at temperature in the range of 600-900degreesC. The effects of the annealing temperature on the photoluminescence (PL) and orientation of ZnO nanocrystalline thin films were studied. A very strong near-band-edge emission around 375 nm with a full-width at half-maximum of 105 meV and a relatively weak emission around 510 nm related to deep-level defects were observed, which indicated that high-quality ZnO films have been obtained. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.