It was proven by powder x‐ray diffractometry and by energy dispersive x‐ray analysis (EDX) that after ablation of the ceramic YBa2Cu3O7−xtarget by the excimer laser pulses the original composition of the target remained unchanged. The depth of ablation was measured as a function of the energy density of the laser beam. The absorption coefficient for ablation, in case of ceramic material with a density of 5.4 g/cm3, was &agr;=4.45×104cm−1and the minimum energy density was 2.5 J/cm2. The temperature that the ablated material was subjected to, in the energy range of 2.5–3.4 J/cm2, did not exceed 970 °C.<l >