The proton conductor Y-doped BaZrO3 (BZY) is a promising electrolyte material for solid oxide fuel cells operating in the low-temperature regime of 300-500 degrees C. We characterize BZY thin films with different thicknesses and oxygen pressures via a pulsed laser deposition method. The surface morphology is porous and coarse when an oxygen pressure of 13,300 Pa is applied during the deposition, but a dense BZY thin film is acquired when the oxygen pressure is 2600 Pa. As a result, a thin-film solid oxide fuel cell with fully dense BZY is fabricated, resulting in a peak power density of 44 mW/cm(2) at 450 degrees C. (C) 2013 Elsevier B. V. All rights reserved.