The effects of gas composition, pressure, temperature and time on the case thickness, hardness and nitride formation in the surface of tool steels(STD11 and STD61) have been studied by micro-pulse plasma nitriding. External compound layer and internal diffusion layer and the diffusion layer were observed in the nitrided case of tool steels. The relative amounts and kind of phases formed in the nitrided case changed with the change of nitriding conditions. Generally, only nitride phases such as γ(Fe₄N), ε(Fe_(2-3)N), or Cr_(1.75)V_(0.25)N₂phases were detected in the compound layer, while nitride and carbide phases such as ε-nitride(Fe_(2-3)N), (Cr,Fe)_7C₃or Fe₃C were detected in the diffusion layer by XRD analysis. The thickness of compound layer increased with the increase of nitrogen content in the gas composition. Maximum case depth was obtained at gas pressure of 200Pa.