Epitaxial TiC films were deposited on MgO (001) by DC magnetron sputtering in a reactive atmosphere of Ar and CH4 at 800 degrees C. The films elemental composition and chemical bonding was investigated by Auger electron spectroscopy (AE5), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and micro-Raman spectroscopy. The crystallographic structure, investigated by X-ray diffraction, exhibited an increased degree of (001) orientation with the film thickness, with a cube-on-cube epitaxial relationship with the substrate. The films morphology and electrical properties were determined by atomic force microscopy (AFM) and Hall measurements in Van der Pauw geometry. The influences of the film thickness (57-545 nm) on the morphological and electrical properties were investigated. The thinnest film presented the lowest resistivity, 160 [152, cm, showing an atomically flat surface, while higher values were obtained for the thicker films, explained by their different morphology dominated by low aspect ratio nanoislands/ nanocolumns. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved