The sputtering pressures maintained during the deposition of Cu2O films, by dc reactive magnetron sputtering, influence the structural, electrical and optical properties. The crystalline orientation mainly depends on the sputtering pressure. The films deposited at a sputtering pressure of 4 Pa showed single-phase Cu2O films along (1 1 1) direction. The electrical resistivity of the films increased from 1.1 x 10(1) Omega cm to 3.2 x 10(3) Omega cm. The transmittance of the films increased from 69% to 88% with the increase of sputtering pressure from 2.5 Pa to 8 Pa. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.