A simple and reliable method has been developed for synthesizing finely patterned tin dioxide (SnO2) nanostructure arrays on silicon substrates. A patterned Au catalyst film was prepared on the silicon wafer by radio frequency (RF) magnetron sputtering and photolithographic patterning processes. The patterned SnO2 nanostructures arrays, a. unit area is of similar to 500 mu m x 200 mu m, were synthesized via vapor phase transport method. The surface morphology and composition of the as-synthesized SnO2 nanostructures were characterized by means of scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The mechanism of formation of SnO2 nanostructures was also discussed. The measurement of field emission (FE) revealed that the as-synthesized SnO2 nanorods, nanowires and nanoparticles arrays have a lower turn-on field of 2.6, 3.2 and 3.9 V/mu m, respectively, at the current density of 0.1 mu A/cm(2). This approach must have a wide variety of applications such as fabrications of micro-optical components and micropatterned oxide thin films used in FE-based flat panel displays, sensor arrays and so on. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.