In this paper, we report on the controlling of the effect of growth parameters such as substrate temperature and the ratio of Cr and N atoms on phase formation, surface morphology and crystallization of CrN(001) thin films grown by plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy on the MgO(001) substrate. The reflection high energy electron diffraction, atomic force microscopy. X-ray diffraction and scanning tunneling microscopy are used to characterize the thin films grown under various conditions. High-quality CrN(001) thin films are achieved at a substrate temperature 430 degrees C with a low Cr deposition rate. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.