Electron-beam lithography offers very high resolution patterns without the need for masks. Systems based on electron microscopes offer entry into electron-beam lithography at reasonable cost. Such systems are becoming popular in research environments due to their versatility and reasonable cost.

While these systems work well they do have problems writing on insulating substrates. The insulating substrate causes charge to build up from the incident electron-beam. As the charge builds up on the surface of the insulator, the incident beam is distorted and moved in x and y. The result is a lack of positioning accuracy on the patterns as well as pattern distortion.