According to the general formula Pb1-x/2(Zr0.65Ti0.35)(1-x) Nb-x O-3 + 4 mol% PbO excess (X = 1 and 4%) lead niobium zirconate titanate (PZTN) ferroelectric films were deposited by ablation technique on Pt coated Si, and MgO(1 0 0) substrates using either a Nd:YAG (355 nm) or a XeCl (308 nm) excimer laser. X-ray diffraction was used to determine the crystallographic structure as well as to identify the presence of secondary phases, i.e. non-perovskite phases. The frequency dependent effective dielectric function of PZTN samples produced using different lasers was measured experimentally and modeled. Also, the ferroelectric behaviour of the as-deposited films was studied using a modified Sawyer-Tower bridge. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.