The viability of fluid management in immersion lithography for laser mask writing is demonstrated. The so-called "drag-a-drop" method is proposed, where a droplet of fluid is held between the moving lens and the mask due to surface tension forces without the need of a fluid circulation system. Theoretical calculations and experimental measurements show that a stable droplet can be held onto a 6 mm diameter lens, typical in size for laser mask writing, translating at velocities up to 600 mm/s. Experiments also show that the stability of the droplet is greatly enhanced by the addition of a hydrophobic topcoat on the surface of the mask. Receding edge instabilities with the deposition of droplets similar to those seen in 193 nm immersion lithography and a new advancing edge instability with complete drop breakup were seen at sufficiently high velocities. A stability map is presented that predicts the onset of these two instabilities as a function of the dimensionless capillary number, a ratio of the viscous forces to surface tensions forces, and Weber number, a ratio of inertial forces to surface tension forces. Moving the lens and attached droplet off and on the edge of the mask during the scanning process can be done repeatedly with no fluid loss. The constancy of the index of refraction of the droplet is an important consideration for immersion lithography. The index can change due to changes in temperature and composition. Calculations and experiment with 193 nm immersion indicate that maintaining a constant index of refraction in laser mask writing with the drag-a-drop system is feasible. The application of immersion lithography appears to be a viable means of increasing the resolution of laser mask writing. (c) 2006 American Vacuum Society.