ZnSe films have been deposited by pulsed laser ablation technique on Al2O3(0 0 0 1)-oriented substrates at different temperatures and pulsed laser fluence. The films grow highly oriented according to the (1 1 1) direction of the ZnSe cubic lattice. The best structural quality is obtained for film deposited at 400-450 degreesC and relatively high laser fluence. The good optical quality of the films is revealed by the presence of several features well resolved in the reflection spectra. The energy gap E-g values, obtained as fitting parameters of the optical spectra, indicate the presence of a residual bidimensional compressive stress in the ZnSe layers. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.