High-quality epitaxial YBa2Cu3O7-delta (YBCO) superconducting films with thicknesses between 0.2 and 2 mu m were fabricated on (0 0 l)LaAlO3 with direct-current sputtering method. The influence of film thickness on the structure and texture was investigated by X-ray diffraction conventional theta-2 theta scan and high-resolution reciprocal space mapping (HR-RSM). The films grew with strictly c-axis epitaxial, and no a-axis-oriented growth was observed up to a thickness of 2 ltm. Lattice parameters of the YBCO films with different thicknesses were extracted from symmetry and asymmetry HR-RSMs. The X-ray lattice parameter method was used to determine the residual stress in YBCO films by measuring the a-, b-, c-axis strains, respectively. The results showed that YBCO films within thinner than 1 mu m were under compressive stress, which was relieved increasing of film thickness. However, beyond 1 mu m in thickness, YBCO films exhibited a tensile stress. Based on the experimental analysis, the variety of residual stresses in the films is mainly attributed to oxygen vacancies with thickness of YBCO film increasing. (c) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.