The effect of pulsed laser intensity on the synthesis of rare earth oxide on target was investigated. Mixture of CeO2 and Tb4O7 were irradiated with focused nanosecond laser pulses using deionized water as the medium. By X-ray diffraction (XRD) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), CeTbO3+delta with fluorite structure was synthesized on the target surface. The yield of the prepared products depends mainly on the laser intensity. In the present experimental conditions, the increase of the laser intensity (from similar to 0.3 to 1.8 x 10(12) W/cm(2)) contributed to the increase of CeTbO3+delta yield. Finally, the laser intensity effect is interpreted in terms of recoil high pressure induced by laser irradiation on the target surface. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.