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In this study, near-equiatomic NiTi thin films were deposited on silicon (1 0 0) substrates through direct current magnetron sputtering using Ni and Ti elemental targets without intentionally heating the substrate. Thin films were annealed at 600 °C for 1 h and then aged at 500 °C for 2, 4, and 6 h. X-ray diffraction studies revealed that the degree of crystallinity increased, and the dominant phase identified at room temperature was the R-phase. The surface roughness values were obtained through atomic force microscopy. As the aging time increased from 2 to 6 h, the hardness and elastic modulus values of the films increased for different load values. The high-resolution X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy results indicated that a TiO2 (metal oxide) layer was formed on the surface of the films aged for various durations. The layer was formed because of the enhanced thermodynamic nature caused by the Ni-rich residues and Si-C precipitates in the matrix occurring immediately adjacent to the metal oxide surface layer.