The low‐pressure activated reactive evaporation process was used successfully to grow superconducting thin films that were uniform in thickness, free of cracks, voids, spits, and other source‐related defects, and with mirror‐like surface smoothness. These are important considerations for the practical use of these materials in thin‐film form. No post‐deposition annealing was carried out.Tc(0) for films on yttria‐stabilized zirconia (YSZ) substrates is close to 80 K, and the (001) preferred orientation was observed with higher deposition temperatures in the range 550–650 °C. Films on silicon and sapphire substrates were adversely affected by interdiffusion, showing aTc(0) of 56 and 72 K, respectively.