$SnO_2$ thin films were prepared on the Si substrate by radio frequency (RF) magnetron sputtering and then surface of the films were irradiated with intense Ar ion beam to investigate the effect of Ar ion irradiation on the properties and hydrogen gas sensitivity of the films. From atomic force microscope observation, it is supposed that intense Ar bombardments promote rough surface and increase gas sensitivity of $SnO_2$ films for hydrogen gas. The films that Ar ion beam irradiated at 6 keV show the higher sensitivity than the films were irradiated at 3 keV and 9 keV. These results suggest that the $SnO_2$ thin films irradiated with optimized Ar ion beam are promising for practical high-performance hydrogen gas sensors.