Magneli phases derived from the rutile structure of the TiO2 are of high tribological interest. However, for most industrial applications, this compound should be available in a coating form. Therefore, an innovative process, combining soft processing route and laser treatment has been investigated. A sol-gel method has been used to obtain a titanium-based thin film on various metallic substrates. The influence of various experimental parameters is highlighted. Oxygen vacancies have been then created under laser irradiation. The microstructure of the resulting films has been determined using XRD and Raman Spectroscopy. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.