The gas phase analysis of carbon and carbon nitride ion clusters produced during pulsed laser deposition (PLD) of graphite under nitrogen molecular beam was studied. In this paper, we present the time of flight mass analysis of the ions produced within the plasma/gas interaction as a function of the ablating laser wavelength (1064, 532, 308 and 248 nm). The mass analysis shows the presence of C-n(+) (n less than or equal to 31), CnN2+ (n less than or equal to 8) and C2n+1N4+ (n = 0, 1, 2) clusters. Out of all laser wavelengths used C3N4+ cluster ions were most effectively formed using 532 nm laser light. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.