Thin MgO films with a nominal thickness ranging between 1 and 60 ML have been grown on a Mo(001) surface. The film morphology was studied by LEED and STM, revealing the presence of a coincidence pattern with the Mo support in the low coverage regime, a dislocation network at medium thickness and a rather flat and defect-poor MgO surface for thicker layers. The MgO optical properties were investigated as a function of film thickness by analyzing electro-luminescence spectra obtained via electron injection from the STM tip into well-defined surface areas. The spectra are characterized by two distinct emission bands at 3.1 and 4.4 eV. Their origin is discussed in the light of earlier photo-luminescence measurements on MgO nanocubes and smokes. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.