High density Sb-doped SnO2 nanobelts and beak-like nanorods were synthesized on alumina substrates using thermal evaporation. X-ray diffraction (XRD) pattern shows that both the nanobelts and beak-like nanorods are single crystals with the tetragonal rutile structure. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) images show that the nanobelts grow along the [110] direction, but the nanorods grow with an abrupt change from the [101] direction to the [301] direction. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis shows that the Sb 3d 3/2 peak of not fully oxidized beak-like nanorods shifts from 540.5 eV to 535.4 eV, and the Sn 3d 3/2 peak also shifts from 496.3 eV to 492.8 eV. Room temperature cathodoluminescence (CL) measurements show that both the nanobelts and beak-like nanorods exhibit blue and orange emissions that are related to the interstitial defects and oxygen deficiencies. The comparative study of CL measurements between nanobelts and beak-like nanorods demonstrate that the optical properties can be modified by altering the oxygen deficiencies.