The Gd doped ceria (CGO) in thin layers is of great interest for low temperature operation. In the present investigation, we report on the use of spray pyrolysis technique for the synthesis of CGO thin films. The process parameters were optimized for synthesizing Gd0.1Ce0.9O1.95 films. Films were characterized by XRD, EDS, SEM, and AFM and are observed to be phase pure and dense with surface roughness of the order of similar to 5 nm. The d.c. conductivity was also measured and is observed to be similar to 0.5 S/cm at 623 K. (C) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.