Deposition of yttria-stabilized zirconia films on surface oxidized Ni wire substrate by chemical vapor infiltration (CVI) using ZrCl4 and YCl3 as metal sources and NiO as oxygen source were studied. The resultant films were cubic crystals of YSZ with a Y2O3 content of 1.0-3.7 mol%. The growth rate is larger than that obtained by conventional method of chemical vapor deposition (CVD), increased with the flow rate and decreased with diameter of NiO fiber. The growth rate above its thickness of 4 pm decreased with an increase in the oxidation temperature since the porosity of NiO wire might decrease with an increase in the oxidation temperature. Growth of YSZ films with the CVI method simultaneously involved CVD and electrochemical vapor deposition (EVD). (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.