Amorphous carbon nitride (CNx) films were prepared by KrF excimer laser ablation of a graphite target in a nitrogen atmosphere in the inverse PLD geometry. From the ellipsometric point of view, the challenging properties of these films were their exponentially decaying thickness as a function of distance from the ablation source, accompanied by a laterally varying chemical composition and structure. Optical models were developed to accurately describe the dependence of film properties on distance from the ablation, layer thickness, and nitrogen pressure. Multilayer models were used to characterize the surface roughness as well as lateral inhomogeneities. Multiple angles of incidence and multiple wavelengths were applied in the ranges of 66-72 degrees and 250-1000 nm, respectively. A microspot capability of the spectroscopic ellipsometer (with a spot size of about 100 mu m) was exploited to decrease the error caused by the lateral inhomogeneity within the measurement spot. Material properties were derived using the empirical Cauchy dispersion model as well as the Tauc-Lorentz parametric dielectric function model. These models allowed the quantitative determination of the band gap and the oscillator parameters in addition to the layer thicknesses and dielectric functions. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.