The behavior of particles ejected in a pulsed-laser deposition (PLD) o
f a high-temperature superconducting (high-T(c)) YBa2Cu3O7-delta (YBCO
) thin film was investigated by one-dimensional laser-induced fluoresc
ence spectroscopy. It is shown that particles stopped at a finite dist
ance from a target and afterwards they are transported by diffusion. T
he behavior of ejected particles near the substrate was also examined
in-situ during the deposition of high-T(c) films. Based on these resul
ts, a model for the pulse laser deposition of thin films in an ambient
gas is presented.