  This book chapter reviews the current status of Pulsed Laser Deposition (PLD)
for coated conductor applications of YBCO on metallic tapes. Clearly, PLD is
one of the most promising techniques - particularly for thick films - and has
led to some of the highest critical currents Jc.
  The reputation of PLD as being an expensive technique for manufacturing is
carefully addressed by calculating the laser operation cost per length of tape.
It is shown that the expenses related to the ownership and operation of an
industrial excimer laser (including, most importantly, laser tubes and window
sets) contribute $10/kA m - $30/kA m to the cost of a superconducting tape.
Significant lowering of this number would require "quantum-leap" changes in
laser technology, PLD configuration, or an increase in the achieved Jc.
