X‐ray lithography was studied, using laser‐produced plasma as a source. A single target shot of a frequency‐tripled Nd:glass laser (&lgr;=0.35 &mgr;m, 35 J in 1 ns) was found to be sufficient for submicron x‐ray lithography in poly(butene‐1‐sulfone) (PBS) or poly(glycidyl‐methacrylate‐ethyl acrylate) (COP) resists. The incident x‐ray flux is about an order of a magnitude smaller than that normally required. This behavior could be the result of the transient character of the exposure and an abrupt rise in the resist temperature.