La 0.6 Sr 0.4 Co 0.2 Fe 0.8 O 3 (LSCF) based thin film cathodes were fabricated by spray pyrolysis and their performance was evaluated with area specific resistance (ASR). With a maximum processing temperature of 650 °C, these cathodes are suitable for application in micro-solid oxide fuel cells (μ-SOFC). The ∼500 nm thick cathodes showed performance similar to traditional thick film LSCF cathodes (10–100 μm). However, by using a new material composition Ba 0.25 La 0.25 Sr 0.5 Co 0.8 Fe 0.2 O 3−δ (BLSCF) or by modifying the microstructure, a significant improvement in performance was achieved. Reducing the grain size or introducing a thin dense cathode layer between the porous cathode and the electrolyte were beneficial modifications of the microstructure.