A Sn-Ge oxide film was deposited on glass using a chemical method that was based on electroless reactions at low temperatures. The film was dark brown and demonstrated catalytic activity that meant that Ni could be deposited onto it in an electroless Ni bath without any catalyzing treatment being required. After annealing, the Sn-Ge oxide film became relatively transparent, and it approached the appearance of bare glass. The morphological and crystal structure of the film was examined using scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction measurements, and atomic force microscopy. We determined there was no change in the morphological structure of the films, and the films were amorphous even if the film was annealed. The composition of the film was characterized using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, which indicated that the film contained SnOx (x = 1, 2), and GeOx (x = 1, 2) as a mixture. We tried to apply the Sn-Ge oxide film as an adhesion layer between a plating film of Cu/Ni and a glass substrate, and we found that the peel strength of this layer was about 3-4 N cm(-1) after annealing was conducted at 450 degrees C. According to the X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy depth profile, the increase in the adhesion strength was due to atomic inter-diffusion between the Sn-Ge oxide film and the glass substrate. (c) 2017 The Electrochemical Society.