a b s t r a c t Indium oxide films are deposited by pulsed laser deposition in the presence of oxygen atmosphere, on different substrates, namely GaAs, Si, quartz, and glass. The structural, morphological, and interface characteristics are studied. Cubic In 2 O 3 phase is confirmed by high resolution X-ray diffraction measurements. While the films on Si, glass, and quartz substrates are polycrystalline, the films on GaAs exhibit a preferred orientation along (2 2 2) plane. The structure and crystalline nature of the films are also confirmed by Raman spectroscopy. Furthermore, Raman spectra show the appearance of gallium oxide modes arising due to Ga diffusion from the substrate. The morphology of the films deposited on different substrates is studied by atomic force microscopy and rms roughness values are obtained. A two-dimensional power spectral density analysis has been used to calculate the growth exponent (Λ). A value of Λ> 1 (Λ< 1) for films grown on GaAs/Si (quartz/glass) substrates suggests that the growth on crystalline substrates is governed by the linear diffusion model, whereas the growth on amorphous substrates follows the dynamic scaling behaviour. UV-visible study shows a high optical transmittance of >90% and a band gap value of 3.64 and 3.79 eV for the films deposited on quartz and glass substrates, respectively.