In this work reactive pulsed laser deposition of molybdenum- and tungsten-nitride thin films is investigated. Metallic targets were ablated in low-pressure (1, 10 and 100 Pa) nitrogen atmosphere by KrF excimer laser pulses (fluence similar to6.5 J/cm(2)). Films were deposited on silicon wafers heated to similar to25, 250 and 500 degreesC. The characteristics of the films strongly depend on the N-2 pressure. By increasing N-2 pressure, the nitrogen content increases in the films, which leads to a monotonous increase of the electrical resistivity. Deposition rate decreases at 100 Pa as indicated by Rutherford backscattering spectrometry. At this pressure, hardness of the films significantly decreases also, as shown by microhardness measurements. X-ray diffractometry shows that films crystallinity is improved by increasing the substrate temperature. In addition, atomic force microscopy (AFM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were applied for visualising the film surface. (C) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.