Titanium and silicon nitride films were deposited on silicon wafers by XeCl (308 nm) excimer laser ablation of titanium and silicon, respectively, in low pressure (10(-3)-5 mbar) nitrogen-containing atmospheres. Series of 10 000 pulses at a repetition rate of 10 Hz were directed to the target surface. The fluence was set at about 5 J/cm2. Pulse duration was about 30 ns. The deposited films were characterized by different techniques (X-ray diffraction, scanning and transmission electron microscopy, etc.). Good quality films with a thickness exceeding 1 mum were obtained under specific experimental conditions.