  We have fabricated Ce/Pd bilayers grown on the SiO$_2$ substrate by magnetron
sputtering under ultrahigh vacuum. Usage of palladium layer on top of the Ce
film appears to prevent effectively the sample oxidation. The thickness of the
cerium films is between 10 - 200 nm and 10 nm-thick palladium overlayers are
always used. We have performed $in - situ$ X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy on
the as-deposited films and $ex - situ$ electrical resistivity measurements and
XRD characterization. XPS confirms a very good quality of the samples. The
analysis of the Ce $3d$ spectrum suggests that the $f$ states of Ce are on the
border between the fluctuating valence and localization. The resistivity
measurements reveal a competition of the Kondo scattering, semiconducting and
metallic behaviors as well as the influence of the dimensional effect.
