Epitaxial YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7 (YBCO) films were prepared on cerium oxide-buffered sapphire (r-cut a-Al 2 O 3 ) substrates by an excimer-laserassisted metalorganic deposition (ELAMOD) using a scanning substrate mode. The substrate surface was scanned under homogenized KrF excimer laser beam irradiation after application of a fluorine-free ingredient solution. The ELAMOD process has brought about the advantages of shorter heating time as well as higher critical current density (J c ) of the YBCO films. The J c values over 6 MA/cm 2 were measured by an inductive method at 77.3 K for the laser-irradiated areas. The scanning laser irradiation is considered to produce a desirable precursor for crack free films with high-J c and to shorten the total time of heat treatment, in which three metal components are welldispersed in short time. Such a precursor has contributed to prevent the occurrence of impurity phases, resulting in the high-J c YBCO films. The X-ray diffraction measurement of the irradiated area clearly showed a complete c-axis-oriented YBCO and no impurity phases, whereas a-axis-oriented YBCO was dominant in the area without irradiation. The ELAMOD process using the scanning substrate mode has a potential ability to apply to continuous production of the large-area films or long tapes of YBCO.