In recent years, the scientific community has considered with interest the possibility to integrate YBCO-based devices with silicon-based electronics. In fact, the proved YBCO radiation hardness makes this integration appealing from the point of view of space and telecommunication applications. In this paper we report on the influence of buffered substrate properties on the superconducting performances of YBCO films. In this framework we here consider the Si/CeO2/YBCO multilayer. The non-satisfying quality of the YBCO film in this multilayer is attributed to an unavoidable interlayer of SiO2 between Si and CeO2. On the other hand, we prove, by means of quantitative magneto-optical analysis, the excellent properties of the bi-layer CeO2/YBCO on YSZ substrate. Thus, these measurements indicate YSZ as the best candidate to be deposited between Si and CeO2 for optimal YBCO performances on silicon. (C) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.