A combination of atomic force nanolithography and optical lithography, using amorphous arsenic sulfide as photoresist and a protective metallic layer mask, was used to fabricate metallic nanowires. It is shown that the scratch of the metallic mask can be performed without damage on the photoresist layer by a careful combination of the force applied by the microscope tip and a proper choice of the diamond tip scratching direction. The dimensions of the nanowires can be controlled by the depth and width of the scratched lines and the thickness of the deposited material used to grow the nanowires. The process has led to the deposition of continuous metallic nanowires with 200 nm width and 25 mu m length. (C) 2009 American Vacuum Society. [DOI: 10.1116/1.3058722]