Carbon nitride films have been deposited on Si(100) substrate by a high voltage discharge plasma combined with laser ablation in a nitrogen atmosphere. The films were grown both with the without the presence of an assisting focused Nd:YAG laser ablation. The laser ablation of the graphite target leads to vapor plume plasma expending into th ambient nitrogen arc discharge area. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and Auger electron spectroscopy were used to identify the binding structure and the content of the nitrogen species in the deposited films. The nitrogen content of the films was found to increase drastically with an increase of nitrogen pressure. The surface morphology of the films was studied using a scanning electron microscopy. Data of infrared spectroscopy and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy indicate the existence of carbon-nitrogen bonds in the films. The x-ray diffraction measurements have also been taken to characterize the crystal properties of the obtained films.