We investigated the effects of additives on the preferred orientation of the Mn–Zn ferrite thin films deposited on SiO2(1000 A˚)/Si(100) at 350 °C by ion beam sputtering. A mosaic target, consisting of a single crystal (100) Mn–Zn ferrite with a metal strip on it, was employed as the target. The preferred orientation of the ferrite films was (hhh) for the target with or without Fe and Zn additives, and (h00) for Ti addition. In the case of Cu addition, a weak (311) orientation appeared with a strong (hhh) preferred orientation. The origin of the changes in the preferred orientation with different additives was discussed. The easy axis of magnetization, however, lay in the direction parallel to the film plane due to large shape anisotropy, irrespective of the preferred orientation. ©1995 American Institute of Physics.