This paper reports the structural and luminescent properties of CaTiO3:Pr3+ and Li-doped CaTiO3:Pr3+ (0.0-5.0 wt.% Li) thin film phosphors deposited on an Al2O3 (0001) substrate using a pulsed laser deposition technique. The structural properties of these films were examined by X-ray diffraction, atomic force microscopy and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The Li+ concentration affected the crystallinity and surface morphology of the CaTiO3:Pr3+ thin films. The crystallinity and emission intensity increased with increasing Li+ content from 0.0 wt.% to 1.0 wt.%. The dominant emission was from the D-1(2)-> H-3(4) transition at 613 nm. D-1(2) emission quenching was also observed in the highly doped sample, which was related to the cross-relaxation process between Pr3+ ions. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.