Sn, Al and Cu not only possess electromagnetic interference (EMI) shield efficiency, but also have acceptable costs. In this study, sputtered Sn-Al thin films and Sn-Cu thin films were used to investigate the effect of the crystallization mechanism and film thickness on the electromagnetic interference (EMI) characteristics. The results show that Sn-xAl film increased the electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding after annealing. For as-sputtered Sn-xCu films with higher Cu atomic concentration, the low frequency EMI shielding could not be improved. After annealing, the Sn-Cu thin film with lower Cu content possessed excellent EMI shielding at lower frequencies, but had an inverse tendency at higher frequencies. For both the Sn-xAl and Sn-xCu thin films after crystallization treatment, the sputtered films had higher electrical conductivity, however the EMI shielding was not enhanced significantly. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.