  The semiconducting half Heusler compound YPtSb was predicted theoretically to
be capable of changing into topological insulator under proper strain. In this
work, p type semiconducting half-Heusler YPtSb thin films were prepared by
magnetron co-sputtering method from a specially designed target for the first
time. Textured structure with (111) plane paralleling with (001) of MgO
substrate was observed when YPtSb thin films were grown on MgO (100) substrate
at 600{\deg}C.Electrical measurements show that the resistivity of YPtSb films
decreases with increasing temperature, indicating a semiconductor-like
behavior. The carrier density is as high as 1.15 X 10^21 cm-3 at 300 K. The
band gap of YPtSb thin films obtained by infrared spectroscopy is around 0.1 -
0.15 eV, which is well in agreement with the theoretical prediction and the
value measured in bulk YPtSb.
