Highly oriented NiFe thin films have been produced via sputter deposition on HF etched Si substrates. Cu and Ag are used as underlayers to induce the epitaxial growth of NiFe films. The orientation relationships between NiFe, Cu, Ag, and Si have been determined by x-ray diffraction measurements and transmission electron microscopy. Magnetic properties have also been characterized. (C) 1999 American Institute of Physics. [S0021-8979(99)45808-6].