Deposition system with vacuum pre-loaded deposition head

A thin film deposition system, comprising:

• a vacuum-preloaded gas bearing deposition head positioned in an external environment having an ambient pressure, the deposition head having an output face facing a first substrate surface of a substrate and being configured to expose the first substrate surface to a plurality of gaseous materials including one or more reactive gaseous materials, wherein the output face includes a plurality of source openings through which the gaseous materials are supplied and one or more exhaust openings;
• wherein an exhaust pressure at the exhaust openings is less than ambient pressure and a source pressure at the source openings is greater than the exhaust pressure at the exhaust openings, and wherein a source pressure at outermost source openings of the plurality of source openings is greater than ambient pressure;
• a substrate unit including the substrate, the substrate having a length in an in-track direction;
• a motion control system that moves the substrate unit over the output face of the deposition head in the in-track direction in accordance with a specified motion profile without constraining motion of the substrate unit in a direction normal to the output face of the deposition head, wherein the motion profile includes moving a center of gravity of the substrate unit beyond a first edge of the output face;
• wherein an integrated pressure across the output face provides a net force on the first substrate surface in a direction normal to the output face, wherein a sum of the forces on the substrate unit in a direction normal to the output face and a sum of moments on the substrate unit are zero at all positions in the motion profile and wherein a gap exists between the first substrate surface and the output face at all positions in the motion profile;
• wherein the substrate unit includes a backer device rigidly attached to a second substrate surface of the substrate, the second substrate surface being opposite to the first substrate surface;
• and
• wherein the thin film deposition system further includes a counter moment inducing system that applies a counter moment to the substrate unit which is a function of an in-track position of the substrate unit at a specified in-track position of the substrate unit, said counter moment inducing system comprising a first component attached to the backer device and at least one second component located at a fixed position and at an offset distance from said first component, said first component not contacting said second component through a full range of said specified motion profile and contacting said second component at the specified in-track position of the substrate unit to apply said counter moment.