We have investigated as-grown sputtered films ofLa0.7Ca0.3MnO3in a thickness range between 5 and 200 nm onSrTiO3substrates. The films are epitaxial, strained, and smooth. All films order magnetically around 175 K. Very thin films show full magnetization at low temperatures, but the temperature of the metal–insulator transition is appreciably lower than the magnetic ordering temperature. In thick films, the magnetization is much lower than expected. Both effects are probably related to structural disorder as found by transmission electron microscopy. ©1998 American Institute of Physics.