Ca2MgSi2O7:Eu3+ films were deposited on Al2O3 (0 0 0 1) substrates by pulsed laser deposition. The films were grown at various oxygen pressures ranging from 100 to 400 mTorr. The crystallinity and surface morphology of the films were examined by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and atomic force microscopy (AFM), respectively. XRD and AFM respectively showed that the Ca2MgSi2O7:Eu3+ films had a zircon structure and consisted of homogeneous grains ranging from 100 to 400 nm depending on the deposition conditions. The radiation emitted was dominated by a red emission peak at 620 nm. The maximum PL intensity of the Ca2MgSi2O7:Eu3+ films grown at 300 mTorr was increased by a factor of 1.3 compared to that of Ca2MgSi2O7:Eu3+ films grown at 100 mTorr. The crystallinity, surface roughness and photoluminescence of the thin-film phosphors were strongly dependent on the deposition conditions, in particular, the oxygen partial pressure. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.