Li ions were electrochemically intercalated into sputtered Ti oxyfluoride films. The process was found to be thermally activated with an activation energy depending on the amount of intercalated Li and decreasing with increasing Li content. The chemical diffusion coefficient was thermally activated as well with an activation energy of ∼0.5 eV independent of the amount of intercalated Li. The origin of the activation energy was discussed in terms of the Anderson–Stuart model. It was found likely that strain energy is needed to open up ‘‘doorways’’ in the Ti oxyfluoride structure to allow Li ion transport. The jump length for the Li ions inside the Ti oxyfluoride was estimated to lie in the 4–8 A˚ interval. ©1996 American Institute of Physics.