Ho3+/Yb3+ co-doped CaNb206 thin films were deposited on Si(100) substrates by pulsed laser deposition and annealed at different temperature in air atmosphere. The structure and properties of the film samples were characterized by using X-ray diffraction, atomic force microscope, Raman spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and photoluminescence spectra. It is found that the annealing temperature has a strong effect on the film's structure, morphology, grain size and the up-conversion luminescence properties. Upconversion luminescence intensity of Ho3+/Yb3+ co-doped CaNb206 films is enhanced by increasing the annealing temperature. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.