In recent years, we have developed a profile-coating technique to obtain functional thickness-profiled thin films and multilayers. This technique uses linear motion of the substrate in a dc magnetron sputter system and a contoured mask to obtain the desired profile perpendicular to the substrate-moving direction. The shape of the contour is determined according to the desired profile and knowledge of the film-thickness distribution at the substrate level. Applications of this technique include laterally graded multilayers; and elliptical x-ray Kirkpatrick-Baez (KB) mirrors. An elliptical shape is essential for aberration-free optics. The use of profile coating to make x-ray-quality elliptical KB mirrors overcomes the obstacle of polishing asymmetrical mirror surfaces and provides the x-ray community with a practical way to obtain monolithic KB mirrors for microfocusing. Previously, we have used gold as a coating material and cylindrical Si mirrors as substrates to obtain elliptical KB mirrors. More recently, we have used flat Si substrates to fabricate elliptical KB mirrors. Substantially thicker and steeper gradients of Au films are needed to obtain an elliptical profile from a flat substrate. The Au films may relax to droplets when the stress in the film is too large. The challenges and solutions for this problem will be discussed. 0 2004 American Vacuum Society.