This work studies the effects of the deposition parameters on the microstructure and the related residual stress in a rare earth oxide thin film. This study is focused on the yttrium sesquioxide (Y2O3) thin films deposited on Si (100) substrates using the ion beam sputtering technique. This technique allows the control of the microstructure and the related residual stress in the thin films by monitoring the energy of the argon beam used in the deposition process. Measurements of the stresses within the oxide layer were performed by the X-ray diffraction-sin(2)Psi method. The results show that the classic model of a pure biaxial in-plane model of stress, generally proposed in thin films, is not satisfying. A model that includes a hydrostatic stress due to the crystalline defects generated during the deposition process and a biaxial stress called a fixation stress, gives a good agreement with the experimental results. This modeling of the residual stress, based on nanometer-scale inclusions (point, extended defects) inducing a hydrostatic stress field, leads to a quantitative analysis of the nature and the concentration of the defects. This work shows results that establish a relationship between residual stress, defects and non-equilibrium phase stabilization during growth. (C) 2013 Elsevier B. V. All rights reserved.