Some important factors on heater design, which is used for the deposition of high-T-c superconducting thin films, have been discussed in this article. Compared to radiation heat transfer directly from the heater to the substrate, the conduction and convection due to the inlet gas (oxygen or/and argon) are negligible. A theoretical model based on radiation heat transfer has been proposed by which some heater configurations have been discussed in detail. The temperature distribution in a simultaneous deposition system with two sputtering sources is improved by either proper off-axis displacement accompanied with in-plane substrate rotation or increasing the distance of the two heating sheets. For a biaxial rotating substrate, a cylindrical heater is proposed. The temperature distribution in the heater can be modulated by varying the input power ratio of the two heating parts. And, the total radiation power imposed on the substrate in every out-of-plane revolution is excellently homogeneous. (C) 2004 American Vacuum Society.