Single-crystal films of TiC (111) have been synthesized at room temperature on Al2O3 (0001) substrates by radio frequency magnetron sputtering using a compound Ti-C target. The substrate temperature and bias were varied to explore the influence of deposition parameters on the crystal structure. Both Al2O3 (0001) and Si (100) substrates were used for epitaxial growth of TiC films. A series of characterizations of TiC films were carried out, including Rutherford backscattering spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, Raman and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Single-crystal films of TiC (111) on the Al2O3 (0001) were demonstrated. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.