Substituted Ce1-xNdxO2-delta cerium dioxide thin films are obtained by pulsed laser deposition technique. The films are deposited for various deposition times and at.% Nd, on [100] Si substrates, covered by a thin native SiO2 layer. The evolution of the cell parameters with Nd content shows that a solid solution is formed, up to x=0.27. The thin films are homogenous in composition at a nanometer scale. The morphology of the grains does not change significantly with Nd content. The microstructure is columnar, with a preferential [100] growth direction. The width of the grains varies from 20 to 30 nm. The conductivities of the thin films are determined from impedance spectroscopy analyses, in the temperature range 200 degrees C to 600 degrees C. The experimental data are explained in the frame of the space charge layer model. (c) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.