Scanning probe microscopy (SPM) equipped in high temperature nanoindentation instrument is adopted to in situ characterize the oxide film growth on Ni-base single crystal at nanoscale. SPM images reveal a transition of oxide film configuration that the originally flat surface roughens during oxidation. Based on the stress-diffusion coupling effect during oxidation, the stress evolution in the oxide film and the evolution of surface configuration are analyzed. A new method to infer the critical stress in the oxide film at the transition point is proposed by measuring the undulated surface wavelength based on the surface morphology obtained by SPM. (C) 2016 Published by Elsevier B.V.