High-quality single crystalline SnO2 films have been prepared on alpha-Al2O3(0 0 0 1) substrates by the metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) method. Structural and optical properties of the SnO2 films prepared at different substrate temperatures (500-800 degrees C) were investigated in detail. The obtained films were pure SnO2 with the tetragonal rutile structure. The film prepared at 600 degrees C showed the best single crystalline structure with a single orientation along a-axis. The average transmittance for the SnO2 films in the visible range was over 90% with a minimum optical gap of 3.58 eV. (C) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.