Cerium (IV) oxide films were deposited on silicon substrates by nebulization of a 0.01 M solution of cerium acetylacetonate in a 50% ethanol-water mixture followed by pyrolysis in flowing air. The films were characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy. On the basis of the experimental evidence, the technical conditions were selected. Appropriate control of the ratio of pulse time to interval time was found to be necessary for obtaining high quality and greater crystallite size cerium (IV) oxide thin films.