The use of Ti as a biocompatible implant material has been under investigation for several years. It seems that the Ti surface has some unique properties, in this respect not fully understood. Some questions are the role and importance of the Ti–O interface layer that develops with time between the Ti implant and the bone structure and the importance of the surface structure of the Ti implant. To approach these problems we have used electron beam evaporation to prepare Ti thin films with various structural and chemical characteristics. Our goal at this step was to study only the growth of thin films of Ti deposited on stainless-steel substrates held at temperatures between 100° and 550 °C, in high vacuum, and in the presence of oxygen. AES and SEM have been used to study the film characteristics. Low temperature deposits, less than 350 °C, prepared at 1.5×10−4 Pa (1×10−6 Torr) background pressure are dense and smooth, however, with poor adhesion. Above 350 °C, the film structure is first porous but transforms at still higher temperatures again to a dense columnar structure. At these temperatures, diffusion of Fe and Cr into the Ti film is observed. Above 500 °C, a well-defined intermediate layer is formed between the substrate and the Ti film. The incorporation of oxygen into the films is dependent on substrate temperature with high amounts at low temperatures. However, the effect of oxygen incorporation on the growth morphology is most pronounced at high temperatures.