Advances in the development of high Tc superconducting thick film components and devices for microwave, millimeterwave, and submillimeterwave applications have led to the optimization of laser patterning techniques. Plasma-sprayed superconducting thick films of YBaCuO materials on polycrystalline alumina were laser etched using an Nd: YAG laser (λ = 1.06 μm) in the Q-switched mode. Spatial uniformity of the surface elemental distribution of Y, Ba, Cu, and Al was observed in the underlying laser-etched area. An etch rate of 7.5 μm/scan was calculated at an optimized laser fluencc of 1.8 × 104 J/cm2 for a translation rate of 2.54 cm/s, having patterning widths ranging from 5–15 μm with a heat-affected zone of 3 μm. An absorption length of 18.3 μm for the Nd: YAG laser was determined to be suitable for patterning thick films (20–80 μm) for device fabrication. The results are further compared to CO2 (λ = 10.6 μm) laser etching for patterning (250 μm) thick films.