This article presents the first experimental evidence that plasmonic excitation in metal films perforated with regular arrays of subwavelength apertures can produce high resolution far-field radiation patterns of sufficient intensity to expose photoresist when propagated through the optical system of a conventional stepper. The pattern fill factor (i.e., the total clear aperture area divided by the total mask area) is more than an order of magnitude smaller than the ratio of the mask clear area divided by the total mask area of a conventional mask. This could lead to a significant increase in mask making throughput. Contact window arrays were exposed with critical dimensions down to 260 nm using 248 nm incident radiation. While the exposure times are longer (somewhat less than three times more energy is required on the mask), the image pattern appears to be a cooperative effect of scattering from multiple apertures. If the array is defective, meaning that it contains a small number of unopened apertures, the pattern still prints as a coherent, cleared feature. (C) 2007 American Vacuum Society.