Second-harmonic generation in CdSe nanocrystals doped in indium tin oxide ( ITO ) films has been examined. The thin film samples were prepared by r.f. magnetron sputtering with ITO target on which CdSe chips were placed. The X-ray diffraction patterns of as-deposited films indicate that CdSe crystallites are precipitated in an amorphous ITO matrix, and they are preferentially oriented in the direction of (111) plane of zinc blende structure or (002) plane of wurtzite structure. The mean diameter of CdSe crystallite was estimated to be 3-5 nm using Scherrer's equation. Moreover, the CdSe crystallites grew with keeping its initial orientation when a dc voltage of 50 V/cm was applied in the direction parallel to the film surface. The application of the electric field effectively enhanced the second-harmonic intensity by two orders of magnitude compared to that of the as-deposited films. The second-order nonlinear coefficient d(2) for the electrically-treated specimen calculated on a basis of a modified Maker fringe theory is d31 = 3.0 × 10 pm/V at the wavelength of 1064 nm, which is comparable to d values reported for CdSe single crystal, d 31 = 25 pm/V at 1054 nm and d 33 =76 pm/V at 1064 nm.