ZnO nanorods were fabricated on Si (100) substrate by pulsed laser ablation of ZnO target with background O-2 gas. Nd:YAG laser with wavelength of 532 nm was used as laser source. Field emitted scanning electron microscopy, x-ray diffraction, and Raman spectra were applied to characterize the surface morphologies and crystalline structures of the as-deposited ZnO nanorods. Photoluminescence (PL) was carried out to attain the optical properties of the as-deposited ZnO nanorods. It was found that ZnO nanorods have good crystallinity and sound optical properties. Their PL spectra with the strong and sharp ultraviolet peak were observed at room and low temperatures.