Influence of the microstructure on the oxidation of Ni thin films

► The oxidation at 500 °C of 100 nm Ni films deposited on TiN is reported. ► The influence of Ni grain size and crystallinity on the NiO growth is presented. ► The parabolic-time oxide growth behavior was independent of the Ni features. ► Ni characteristics strongly influenced the formation of nanosized oxide. ► The differences in oxide crystallinity were evidenced in its electrical resistance.