This invention provides a thin film device with minimized spatial variation of local mean height. More specifically, the thin film device has a substrate and at least one first structure having a first spatially varying weighted local mean height determined by a layer weighting function. The first structure has a first maximum height, a first minimum height and a first variation for a given averaging area. A compensation structure is also provided upon the substrate, the compensation structure having a second spatially varying weighted local mean height determined by the layer weighting function. The compensation structure also has a second maximum height, a second minimum height and a second variation for the given averaging area. The first structure and compensation structure combine to provide a combined structure upon the substrate with minimized spatial variation of a combined weighted local mean.