In a process for the deposition of a film of an inorganic substance such as silicon carbide on the surface of a substrate such as a silicon wafer by the method of sputtering, as in the process for the preparation of a membrane to serve as an X-ray lithographic mask, using a target disc and a substrate disc held in parallel to each other, uniformity in the internal stress of the deposited film can be improved by displacing the target or the substrate relative to each other during the sputtering procedure in the direction parallel to the surface of the target or substrate in a distance of at least 1 mm.