Thin films of p-type transparent conducting CuAlO2 have been synthesized through reactive radio frequency magnetron sputtering on silicon and glass substrates at substrate temperature 300deg;C. Reactive sputtering of a target fabricated from Cu and Al powder (1:1.5) was performed in Ar+O 2 atmosphere. The deposition parameters were optimized to obtain phase pure, good quality CuAlO2 thin films. The films were characterized by studying their structural, morphological, optical and electrical properties. © 2010 IACS.