A TEA-CO2 laser was used to evaporate solid targets of ZrO2 at power densities of 0.25 to 1.5×109 W/cm2. The laser-generated plasma contained ions with velocities in the 2–6×106 cm/s range. This ion flux normal to and 7.5 cm away from the solid source was in the range of 0.25 to 2.5×1014/cm2/laser pulse for the above power density range. ZrO2 thin films deposited by this technique were characterized for their optical and structural properties. Under a broad range of laser power densities, these films had bulklike refractive index values, low absorption, and oriented polycrystalline microstructure.