The undoped and Ce-doped SnO2 thin films synthesized by a simple sol-gel-dip-coating method on glass substrates were investigated by means of X-ray diffractometer, visible spectrophotometer and photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy. The samples were polycrystalline thin films with rutile structure of undoped SnO2. A violet PL peak was observed in undoped SnO2 at room temperatures, while a blue PL peak appeared only after introducing Ce3+ ions into the SnO2 host. The effects of Ce doping concentration and heat-treatment temperature on PL of the films were further studied, and the luminescence mechanism was also discussed. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.