SnO2 thin films have been deposited on (1 0 1 0) m-plane sapphire substrates by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) in the temperature range 500-750 degrees C. X-ray diffraction showed that the films were pure SnO2 with rutile structure and the film orientation was dependent on the growth temperature. Single crystalline SnO2 (0 0 1) film was fabricated at 700 degrees C, which was confirmed by cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy and electron diffraction. A clear in-plane relationship of [0 1 0]SnO2 parallel to[0 0 0 1]Al2O3 and [1 0 0]SnO2 parallel to[1 (2) over bar 1 0]Al2O3 was determined between the film and the substrate. The samples showed high transparency of similar to 80% in the visible range. Photoluminescence (PL) spectra measured at room temperature revealed that the film grown at 700 degrees C showed a weak PL band near 600 nm, while a strong PL band centered at about 480 nm was detected at 13 K. The PL mechanism is discussed in detail. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.