Nickel oxide thin films were deposited by RF magnetron sputtering process in a pure oxygen atmosphere at RE power 200 W with substrate unheated and heated for 400 degrees C, respectively. Different sputtering time produced different thickness of films. Sheet resistance and resistivity were measured using four probe and Hall effects for analyzing electrical properties. The results show the lowest sheet resistance, which was 16.87 k Omega/square, and resistivity, which was 0.69 Omega cm, could be obtained in the condition of substrate unheated with a film of 200 cm thickness. The transmittance of films will decrease as the thickness of films increasing. Crystalline properties of NiO films were investigated as a function of film thickness using X-ray diffraction. The preferred orientation of NiO film is (111) as substrate unheated. It will become (200) when the substrate temperature is at 400 degrees C. With same film thickness, substrate unheated has larger grain size than the substrate with temperature of 400 degrees C. (c) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.