Optical quality rare-earth (RE) (Nd3+, Eu3+, Gd3+ and Yb3+) doped Sr0.5Ba0.5Nb2O6 (SBN) epitaxial films of similar to 170 nm thick have been successfully grown on MgO (100) single crystal substrates using pulsed laser deposition technique. Strong residual stress in these films has been revealed by Raman spectroscopic studies. Two kinds of in-plane orientations with respect to the MgO substrate co-exist. All the film samples show high transparency in the visible wavelength. Their band-gap energies appear to be independent of the types of dopant. Photoluminescence (PL) spectra of RE-doped SBN ceramics show a strong and broad emission band at around 600 nm (2.07 eV). The peak position of this emission band changes slightly with different RE-dopants. Thin film samples, however, yield a broad PL band at around 385 nm (3.22 eV). This UV emission shows no observable shift in the peak position for different dopants. Apart from these broad emission bands, conspicuous emission lines from Eu3+ and Nd3+ ions are also noted. The origins of these PL spectra are discussed. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.