We report on the preparation of thin YIG films (300 - 4000 Angstrom) on quartz substrates by the pulsed laser deposition (PLD) technique. Well-formed polycrystalline and slightly textured films have been deposited after optimization of partial oxygen pressure and substrate temperature. It has been found that the size of the unit cell of YIG depends on the pressure of oxygen during a film preparation. The Faraday rotation angle of the films and their saturation magnetization were slightly inferior to the bulk values whereas the Curie temperature was the same as for bulk YIG crystals.