A new sputter-deposition technique has been developed to obtain high-quality oxide, nitride and oxi-nitride thin films. In the standard S-Gun magnetron, which consists of two conical type concentric targets with a central anode, the magnetron discharge is generated by DC or MF (40 kHz) power supplies. In the DC–RF and MF–RF coupled S-Guns, additional RF (13.56 MHz) power supplies were connected to the targets. Also, special electrical circuits were installed to enable better control of film uniformity and lower substrate temperature during deposition. Superimposed RF discharge in the magnetrons eliminated arcing on the metal targets and decreased an intrinsic compressive stress inherent to reactively sputtered compound films. Thickness, stress, optical and structure characteristics of reactively sputtered Si3N4, AlN, SiO2, and TaOxNy thin films were investigated in order to determine basic technological advantages of this novel sputtering apparatus.