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thography is determined primarily by the irradiance distribution. Optimization of lithographic methods that operate in the near field can therefore be accel-erated by a quantitative sity profiles of light computational efforts h analysis of the irradian field.5–8 In practice, it variables that contribute intensity profiles are p pletely modeled theoreti necessarily been approx In this paper we illus imaging the irradiance experimentally in terms a photoresist. Different photosensitive materials have been used previously to characterize the optical probe in near-field microscopy9 and to act as record-ing media for holograms.10–11 The resist used in our est where the intensity of light is greatest.12 The topology of the developed resist is thus related to the irradiance profile qualitatively, although the detailed certain advantages of conformable-contact photoli-thography by using amplitude masks1,2,8 and phase-shift lithography.13–17 We show that the new imaging method provides a reliable near-field image that can be reconciled with theory. On the basis of these calculations, we propose that the ma-ic mask is as a the relief of the the photoresist as well. Imag-jor mode of action of the elastomer phase mask but that distortions in mask in contact with the surface of may produce amplitude modulatio