Epitaxial cuprite (Cu2O) and tenorite (CuO) films are grown on (0 0 1)-oriented MgO single crystal by reactive cross-beam pulsed-laser deposition assisted by radio-frequency plasma discharge in oxygen atmosphere. X-ray diffraction (XRD) shows that the films are single phased and well crystallized. The CU2O films grow according to two directions with their (2 0 0) and (1 1 0) planes parallel to the (0 0 1) MgO basal plane, while the CuO films show a single main axis growth along the [1 1 1] direction. The precise in-plane orientations on the (0 0 1) MgO plane are determined by XRD measurements in asymmetric mode. As the cuprite phase is cubic, the (2 0 0) Cu2O crystallites grow according to a simple cube-on-cube growth mode. i.e. [1 1 0]Cu2O parallel to [1 1 0](MgO) relationships, while the (1 1 0) crystallites display the [1 0 0](Cu2O) parallel to [1 1 0](MgO) in-plane orientation. Despite its large differences in structure and crystallographic symmetry with the cubic MgO substrate, the monoclinic CuO phase grows with the (1 1 1) planes parallel to the (0 0 1) MgO planes and the [(1) over bar 1 0](CuO) parallel to [1 1 0] Mgo in-plane orientations are observed. This last feature is explained by the low lattice misfit between the film and the substrate in this orientation, the large atomic density of the (1 1 1) CuO plane, and the minimizing of interface energy by electrostatic interactions between the (0 0 1) MgO and (111) CuO planes. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.