Beryllium nitride thin films, which are candidates for optoelectronic applications, have been grown by pulsed laser deposition on silicon substrates. The films were prepared by ablating a beryllium foil in N-2 environment at several pressures and substrate temperatures. Real-time ellipsometric monitoring for the period of deposition were carried out by a multiwavelength ellipsometer in the 1.625less than or equal tohpless than or equal to4.405 eV photon-energy range. After its completion, the films were characterized in situ by electron spectroscopies and ex situ by atomic force and scanning electron microcopies. A model for the growth of beryllium nitride was applied to reproduce the optical measurement and concurrently, the refractive index from the visible to the near ultraviolet spectral region was calculated. The estimated optical bandgap correlates closely with previously published theoretical results. (C) 2003 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.