ZrO2 films have been prepared by electron beam evaporation at different deposition temperature. The films have been characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and atom force microscopy (AFM). At room temperatures, the structure of ZrO2 films is amorphous. With the increase of deposition temperature, the films begin to crystallize. Both tetragonal and monoclinic phases have been found. All films show random orientation. The crystallite size increases as deposition temperature increases. The residual stress of ZrO2 films varies from tensile to compressive which was mainly caused by intrinsic stress. The influence of deposition temperature on the optical properties of ZrO2 films has been also discussed.