Cadmium sulfide thin films were grown on transparent conductive oxide coated glass substrates by radio frequency magnetron sputtering with a substrate temperature ranging from 30℃ to 200℃. X-ray diffraction measurements reveal that cadmium sulfide films were polycrystalline with the hexagonal wurtzite structure. The scanning electron microscope images show a good crystalline quality of the films which can also be confirmed by the Raman spectra, ultraviolet-visible absorption spectra and the photoluminescence spectroscopy. The Raman spectra measurements indicate that the compressive stress in the CdS films increases with increasing growth temperature.