The structural, electrical and magnetic properties of ultra-thin La0.83Sr0.17MnO3 (LSMO) films, deposited on NdGaO3 substrate by using the MOCVD technique, were studied. The film thickness d varied in the range from 4 to 140 nm. X-ray and RHEED measurements demonstrated that the films had a two-phase structure. One phase had an orthorhombic face centred structure (a = 0.406 nm and c = 0.46 nm), while the other one had a cubic perovskite-like structure with a = 0.388 nm. Low field de resistance and magnetization vs. temperature dependences were investigated in the temperature range from 5 to 300 K using a conventional four-probe method and a SQUID magnetometer. It was found that the temperature of the resistivity maximum, T-m, increases with increasing film thickness and that the value of the Curie temperature T-C estimated from the temperature dependence of magnetization is very close to T-m. Modelling of the remanent magnetization vs. temperature dependence based on a two-phase model was in agreement with experimental results. This model also explains the T-m shift to lower temperatures with decreasing film thickness. (c) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.