Epitaxial TiCxOy thin films were grown on MgO (0 0 1) substrates by using pulsed laser deposition method. High-resolution X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy were used to examine crystallinity and microstructure of epitaxial TiCxOy film on MgO. The chemical composition of the film is determined to be x similar to 0.47 and y similar to 0.69 by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Atomic force microscopy revealed that the surface of TiCxOy film is very smooth with roughness of 0.18 nm. The resistivity of the TiCxOy film measured by four-point-probe method was about 137 mu Omega cm. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.