Aluminum nitride (AlN) thin films were deposited by reactive radio frequency magnetron sputtering from pure aluminum target, onto Si (100), ultra dense flat carbon, and quartz. Series of samples were obtained varying the Ar and N2 gaseous mixture. The characterizations performed were Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), X-ray diffraction, high resolution transmission electron microscopy, visible optical absorption, Rutherford backscattering spectrometry, and residual stress measurements by Stoney's equation. In this paper we report on the Ar/N2 ratio needed to produce preferential (002) AlN growth. Correlations between X-ray diffraction and FTIR are made for highly oriented (002) AlN films. © 2013 Published by NRC Research Press.