We have made high quality c-axis NdBa 2 Cu 3 O 7 thin films on [001] SrTiO 3 by pulsed laser deposition, with much better crystalline properties than YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7 : smooth surface and low outgrowth density. TEM and 4-circle X-ray diffraction experiments reveal only a single orientation of the twins [110], as opposed to YBCO where both [110] and [110] twin orientations are observed. This anisotropy is consistently observed by critical current measurements and magneto-optical microscopy in the superconducting state. Anisotropy in magnetic field penetration is attributed to the anisotropic twinning rate along the [110] and [110] directions which is 0/1 in NdBa 2 Cu 3 O 7 films, whereas it is close to 0.5/0.5 for YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7 deposited on [001] SrTiO 3 . We present devices requiring such features as vortex mobility or periodic pinning of the vortices.