Anatase titania (TiO(2)) nanoparticle films were prepared on fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) and tin-doped indium oxide (ITO) substrates. The films were characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, profilometry, Raman spectroscopy, and optical microscopy. The results show that defects are initiated during the sintering step and continue to propagate once the film is cooled. The sintering and annealing steps were controlled by reducing the pressure and the rate of temperature change. These steps reduced the stresses generated during film preparation, allowing thick titania films on both FTO and ITO substrates to be prepared with minimal defects. Using the optimized conditions for film preparation, 20 mu m thick films of titania on FTO and ITO substrates were obtained with calculated defect densities of 2.5 and 7.8%. Films as thick as 25 mu m were prepared on FTO substrates with a defect density of only 6.0%. Dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) were fabricated using the titania films prepared by both standard and vacuum sintering methods. DSSCs made with 20 pm titania films sintered at intermediate pressures show improvements to short-circuit current, open-circuit voltage, and device efficiency. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.