Multilayered niobium oxynitride films were deposited onto (100) Si using DC magnetron sputtering with a reactive gas pulsing process. The argon and nitrogen flows were kept constant during sputtering of a pure niobium target and the oxygen flow was pulsed during deposition. Pulse durations of T = 10, 40 and 100 s and duty cycles α = t ON / T of 0.3, 0.6 and 0.9 were chosen ( t ON = injection time of high oxygen flow). A mounting triangle was used as the pulse shape for the oxygen injection. During thin film deposition the cathode voltage, U cath, the O 2 and N 2 partial pressures, p(O 2) and p(N 2), were recorded. A delay of both parameters ( U cath, p(O 2)) was observed after each pulse, for the return to the values during t OFF = T − t ON (off-time of oxygen injection with high flow). High resolution scanning electron microscopy revealed a multilayered structure for coatings deposited with T = 40 and 100 s. Transmission electron microscopy was used to verify that also the coatings with T = 10 s possess a multilayered structure with a period of λ = 10 nm. Despite this low period small crystallites (< 7 nm) were present in these layers. The indentation hardness and the Youngs modulus were in the range of 8.3–16.5 GPa and 154–180 GPa, respectively.