Erbium doped Ge-Ga-Se thin films were fabricated by the pulsed laser deposition (PLD) technique in vacuum using a KrF pulse laser with lambda = 248 nm, and a pulse duration of 15 ns. The films were fabricated at room temperature onto glass substrates. The morphological, optical and thermal properties of the films showed good optical and thermal stability. The mechanical properties including film adhesion are relatively poor for thicker films and the microstructure reveals the presence of droplets. Annealing in vacuum improved the film adhesion and substantially enhanced the efficiency of photoluminescence. (c) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.