Stoichiometric Sb2Se3 films were prepared by thermal evaporation under a vacuum of 1.3 X 10(-3) Pa onto well-cleaned glass substrates. Structural and compositional analysis of the deposited films were carried out using X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray analysis and Rutherford back scattering spectroscopy techniques. Using a beam-probe technique, in which a CW-Ar+ laser was used as the write beam and a low-power He-Ne laser as the read beam, the optical recording characteristics of Sb2Se3 films were systematically studied based on the amorphous-crystalline phase transformations. The effects of power, power density and time of laser irradiation, scanning speed and thickness of the films on percentage change in transmittance have also been investigated and the results are discussed.