We report on the deposition of thin Yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) films and TiN/YSZ bilayers on Si substrates at room temperature by pulsed KrF excimer laser ablation deposition (PLD). YSZ films were deposited onto (1 0 0) Si substrates by ablating an YSZ target in vacuum and in low-pressure oxygen atmosphere. TiN/YSZ/Si bilayers were deposited in two steps without exposure to the air using a multitarget system: first, an YSZ film was deposited onto a Si substrate by ablating an YSZ target in oxygen ambient gas, then a Ti target was ablated in nitrogen ambient gas. Morphological and structural characteristics were investigated by Rutherford backscattering spectrometry (RBS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and X-ray reflectivity (XRR) techniques. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.