Spinel gamma-Al2O3 and NiAl2O4 thin films were grown on (001) SrTiO3 substrates by pulsed laser deposition. The high quality of epitaxial growth and cube-on-cube orientation of the films were confirmed by X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy. The growth of NiAl2O4 thin films is related to the reaction between sequentially deposited gamma-Al2O3 and NiO layers. These films were grown using a unique "multi-target" approach. (C) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.