Cobalt doped SnO2 thin films were prepared by sal-gel spin coating technique and influence of dopant concentration on structural, morphological and optical properties of thin films were investigated by XRD, XPS, FTIR, SEM, AFM, PL, UV-vis, and Hall effect measurement. All samples have a tetragonal rutile structure and the grain size decreases with increasing the doping concentration. XPS results clearly showed the presence of Co2+ ions into the SnO2. The SEM and AFM images reveal that the morphology of samples was affected by dopant. Conductivity type of the films changes from n-type to p-type with increasing Co-dopant above 3 mol% and electrical resistivity increases with increasing Co content. The optical band gap gradually decreases with improved cobalt concentration from 3.91 eV to 3.70 eV. The PL measurements revealed the decrease in intensity of blue emission lines and increase in green emission when content of Co is enhanced in the thin films. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.