Glancing angle ion beam milling has been used to successively thinc‐axis oriented Ba2YCu3O7films fabricated using anin situpulsed laser deposition process. The systematics of the thinning process are characterized by scanning electron microscopy, ion channeling by Rutherford back‐scattering spectrometry, and measurements of the resistance transitions. Comparisons are made with the results of previously published work in whichex situannealed films, fabricated in a three‐source evaporator and having a significantly different surface morphology, were subjected to a similar thinning treatment.