In this paper, effects of Fe doping on crystallinity, microstructure and photoluminescence (PL) properties of sol-gel derived SnO2 thin films are reported. It is shown that doping of Fe3+ ions leads to crystallite size reduction and higher strain in SnO2 thin films. The room temperature PL spectra show marked changes in intensity and blue-shift of the emission lines upon Fe doping. These observations have been correlated with structural changes and defect chemistry of Fe doped SnO2 thin films. © 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.