Influence of substrate bias voltage on temperature conditions, formation stages, structure formation processes and prevailing orientation of titanium nitride films in the course of electric-arc evaporation was investigated. Increase in substrate bias voltage was found to accelerate considerably the formation stages of poly-crystalline TiN films with prevailing crystallographic orientation (111). Degree of prevailing orientation and crystallinity increases with substrate bias voltage. Optimum temperature range of polycrystalline (111)TiN films is 645-725 K. [DOI: 10.1380/ejssnt.2011.34]