Stannic oxide (SnO2) is of great technological interest as a member of the important family of oxide materials that combine low electrical resistance with high optical transparency in the visible range of the electromagnetic spectrum. Tin oxide thin films are grown on sapphire substrates by ion beam sputtering method with varying heater temperature from 100 to 750 degrees C at constant gas flux. Enhancement of crystallinity of thin films with temperature is observed from X-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy studies. Morphological studies by atomic force microscopy reveal changes in grain size with variation in substrate temperature. (C) 2013 Elsevier B. V. All rights reserved.