Epitaxial YBa2Cu3O7/La0.7Ca0.3MnO3 (YBCO/LCMO) bi-layers and La0.7Ca0.3MnO3/YBa2Cu3O7 (LCMO/YBCO) bi-layers were grown on (001)LaAlO3 by pulsed laser deposition, and their microstructures were compared by transmission electron microscopy investigation. In the YBCO(100 nm)/LCMO(150 nm) bi-layers, the LCMO layer consists of columnar grains of similar to 17 nm in diameter and contains mixed orientation domains of 11001,, [010]c and [001](c). The YBCO layer is totally c-axis oriented and the YBCO lattices are tilted -2.5 degrees to +2.5 degrees as they grew on the rough surfaces of LCMO columnar grains. For the LCMO(140 nm)/YBCO(140 nm) bi-layers, the LCMO/YBCO interface is sharp and flat. The initial 12-nm thickness of the YBCO layer is composed of c-axis oriented domains, and the upper part of YBCO layer is [100] oriented. The LCMO layer was predominantly [001](c) oriented while [100](c)-oriented domains were occasionally observed. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.