Silicon carbonitride (SiCxNy) films were grown on silicon substrates using the pulsed laser deposition (PLD) technique. A silicon carbide (SiC) target was ablated by the beam of a KrF excimer laser in a nitrogen (N-2) background gas. The morphology, structure, composition, as well as the optical and mechanical properties of the coatings were investigated as functions of the N-2 pressure (1-30 mtorr) and substrate temperature (250-650 degreesC). Smooth, amorphous films were obtained for all the processing parameters. The concentration of nitrogen in the deposits was found to increase when increasing the N-2 pressure, while the silicon and carbon concentrations decreased concurrently. At a N-2 gas pressure of 30 mtorr, a nitrogen content in the range of 28-34 at.% was obtained. Two growth regimes were identified as a function of the N-2 pressure. For a pressure up to 10 mtorr, highly dense and homogeneous films were observed, while textured deposits were obtained at higher pressures. The latter regime was characterized by an oxygen contamination of the coatings, whose severity increased when increasing the N-2 pressure or when reducing the deposition temperature. The hardness of the films was found to be a function of the growth regime; the highest values of the hardness were obtained in the low-pressure regime, in the range of 27-42 GPa.