A novel method for microstructuring of metal/zirconia (ZrO2) bilayered thin film system based on a combination of pulsed laser irradiation and electroless metal plating is presented. Electron beam and conventional thermal evaporation techniques are applied for consecutive deposition of ZrO2 and Bi, Sb or Ag on clean glass substrates. The samples are subjected to excimer or Nd:YAG laser radiation through suitable metal masks in order to evaporate or ablate the top metal film and the remaining non-irradiated areas are further processed in copper electroless chemical bath. All processing stages are studied by secondary electron imaging and various analytical techniques. Possibilities for microstructuring of Me/ZrO2 system and selective deposition of bright electroconductive Cu coating in non-irradiated areas are shown. (C) 2003 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.