La0.67Sr0.33MnO3 (LSMO) thin films with a significant increased onset temperature of ferromagnetic transition were prepared using an on-axis dc magnetron sputtering from a stoichiometric ceramic target onto one-side polished MgO (0 0 1). The highest temperature of insulator-metal transition was observed at T-P = 416 K. Magnetization hysteresis curves taken at T = 398 K indicate the beginning of the ferromagnetic transition above 400 K. The negative magnetoresistance reaches 15% at a temperature of 400 K. We show that the LSMO thin films with increased temperature values of resistance peak T-P and Curie temperature T-C are characteristic by a proper microstructure with distorted orthorhombic unit cells. This microstructure is developed during the layer growth, it is not caused by the underlying substrate and it is linked with an appropriate pseudocubic out-of-plane lattice parameter a(c)(perpendicular to), splitted Bragg reflections in rocking curves and as well as in reciprocal space maps. (C) 2012 Elsevier B. V. All rights reserved.