Boron nitride thin films have been deposited on Si(1 0 0) substrates by reactive pulsed laser ablation of a pure boron target in presence of a 13.56 MHz radio frequency (RF) plasma, 10 Pa static atmosphere of N-2, and using a doubled frequency Nd:YAG laser ( lambda = 532 nm). The gaseous species have been deposited at several substrate temperatures, up to 1000 K, using the on-axis configuration. Thin films have been characterized by scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction and IR spectroscopy. A comparison between the thin films produced by conventional ns pulsed laser deposition (PLD) and reactive RF plasma-assisted PLD is also reported. Besides, optical emission spectroscopy of the two experimental procedures, has been performed in order to highlight the role played by the ionized and neutral species during both deposition methods. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V All rights reserved.