Abstract: Known electron beam lithography used for manufacturing male molds is cost-intensive and very time consuming. As a result, conventional highly sensitive electron beam resists have an insufficient plasma etching resistance and galvanic molding makes special demands on the structural profile and the thermal stability and solubility of the resist structures. The novel production and use of lithographically produced resist structures as male mold material for use in imprint lithography for producing microstructures and nanostructures should thus overcome the drawbacks associated with the conventional procedure for producing male molds. To this end, a negative resist system is used whose lithographically produced structures correspond to the demands made on a male mold for molding thin polymer layers. Lithographically produced structures comprised of curable materials are thus used for molding, preferably those based on photo-reactive epoxy resins.