Step flow growth patterns have been observed on single‐crystal (La,Ca)MnO&dgr;(LCMO) thin films by atomic force microscopy. These films were grown on (110) NdGaO3substrates by a simple facing‐target sputtering method. The steps, of monolayer height (0.2 nm), are surprisingly straight and evenly spaced. The best sample has an average step width of about 400 nm which is comparable to that found on the molecular beam epitaxially grown GaAs. The step edges are parallel to the LCMO [001] direction indicating that the growth rates are anisotropic. ©1995 American Institute of Physics.