Films of yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) were deposited on substrates of various surface types by pulsed laser deposition (PLD). We have investigated formation of YSZ films by X-ray diffraction, focused ion beam and scanning electron microscopy. The deposited material grows with different morphologies such as columns or grains depending on the substrate used. We observed growth of grains only on the polycrystalline substrates, while on the single crystal columnar crystallites were seen. The YSZ coatings were porous, and nanochannels throughout film layers were observed in all YSZ deposits. Regardless of the type of substrate, all films exhibit a cubic phase of YSZ with the (1 1 1) crystallographic planes parallel to the surface as the major peak. (c) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.