Surface Acoustic Waves on piezoelectric substrates can be used to investigate the dynamic conductivity of thin films in a non-contact and very sensitive way, especially at low conductivities. Here, we report on such surface acoustic wave studies to characterize thin manganite film like La0.67Ca0.33 MnO3, exhibiting a Jan Teller effect with a strong electron phonon interaction and a metal insulator transition at high temperatures. We report on the deposition of La0.67Ca0.33MnO3 on piezoelectric substrates LiNbO3 in different crystal cuts, employing a pulsed laser deposition technique. The structural quality of the thin films are examined by X-Ray Diffraction, Scanning Electron Microscope and Energy Dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. For the electrical characterization, we employ the surface acoustic wave technique, accompanied by conventional direct current resistance measurements for comparison. (c) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.