VO2 thin film synthesized by a novel sputtering oxidation coupling (SOC) method has been successfully fabricated. The experimental results show that the optimum oxidation time is 285 s and the thin film exhibits a good metal-insulator transition (MIT) approximately at 340 K. The corresponding structures and surface compositions of the films have been characterized by X-ray diffractometer and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy separately. (C) 2009 Elsevier B. V. All rights reserved.