Deposition tool for combinatorial thin film material libraries

A system for combinatorial depositing of a thin film having a varying composition and/or a varying thickness on at least one substrate, the system comprising

• at least two deposition material source holders arranged so that the system comprises at least two deposition material sources, each of the at least two deposition material source holders being capable of holding one or more deposition material sources,
• a substrate holder adapted for carrying at least one substrate,
• a rotatable positioning system having a rotation axis for relatively moving the substrate holder and the one or more deposition material source holders with respect to each other for subsequently positioning the at least one substrate in a parallel configuration in front of at least one of the at least two deposition material sources and in a non-parallel configuration non parallel with the at least one of the at least two deposition material sources during the combinatorial deposition, and
• at least two mask holders each arranged for positioning a mask between the at least two deposition material sources positioned in the at least two deposition material source holders and the substrate holder, for allowing variation of the material flux across the at least one substrate when the combinatorial deposition is performed, and the at least two mask holders being in a fixed arrangement with respect to the deposition material sources in the at least two deposition material source holders during the combinatorial depositing,
• wherein the substrate holder furthermore is rotatable for rotating a substrate around a substrate rotation axis orthogonal to the plane of the substrate when it is positioned in the substrate holder, and
• wherein the substrate holder comprises a substrate rotation means arranged for rotating the substrate around a substrate rotation axis, the substrate rotation means including at least a ball bearing, whereby the system further comprises a movement transfer means for inducing a rotation around the substrate rotation axis upon rotation of the positioning system around the rotation axis of the rotatable positioning system, the movement transfer means including at least a rod extending from the substrate holder and a plate fixed on the positioning system, such that during rotation of the positioning system around the axis of the rotatable positioning system the plate is brought into contact with the rod, the contact between the plate and the rod causing the rotating of the substrate around the substrate rotation axis.