Epitaxial Mn-stabilized zirconia layers on yttria-stabilized ZrO2 (YSZ) single crystals were prepared by sputtering a Mn0.32Zr0.68O2 target. Substrates with (001), (110) and (111) orientation were used. Transmission electron microscopy cross sections showed a homogeneous thickness of the layers. Layers prepared at a substrate temperature of 600 degrees C grew epitaxially. X-ray diffraction showed that these layers are not exactly cubic. We found a slightly larger out-of-plane lattice parameter compared to the in-plane lattice parameter. This means the out-of-plane lattice misfit is lower than the in-plane lattice misfit, contrary to behaviour expected for epitaxially grown layers. This effect was largest for layers on YSZ(111) and small for layers on YSZ(001). (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.