Tin oxide thin films were deposited by pulsed laser ablation at different oxygen partial pressures and substrate temperatures. Information on the structural and morphological properties of the deposited thin films has been obtained by means of X-ray photoelectron, Fourier transform infrared absorption spectroscopies and scanning electron microscopy. The expansion of the laser generated plasma has been studied by means of time resolved fast photography. Different expansion regimes were observed: in vacuum the plasma follows a free expansion one while the raise of the background oxygen pressure leads to the development of a shock wave. It was found that only at 13.3 Pa of oxygen gas, in the presence of a shock wave, the deposition of stoichiometric films, at relatively low substrates temperature, is attainable. The correlation between the observed dynamics of the plasma expansion and the structural properties of the deposited films is presented and discussed. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.