FePt nanoparticles, in the forms of nanoparticle agglomerates and. occules-like nanoparticle networks, can be synthesized by pulsed laser deposition (PLD) at different ambient gas pressures. Backward plume deposition (BPD), as special target - substrate geometry, can achieve higher uniformity in terms of agglomerate size and size distribution, compared to conventional PLD. Both as-deposited FePt nanoparticles exhibit low K-u fcc phase and post-annealing at 600 degrees C is required for the phase transition to high K-u fct phase. FePt nanoparticle agglomerates deposited by BPD were found to have better fct phase crystallinity after annealing, which may be caused by the higher kinetic energy of backward moving ablated species due to shorter travel distance. (C) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.