To produce x‐ray masks useable for 0.25 μm lithography and beyond, all sources of mask distortion must be minimized. In order to facilitate the fabrication of high‐quality masks, the phenomenon of changes in resist stress during e‐beam exposure has been studied. Finite element modeling was employed to determine the effects of various geometric and material properties on final image quality. Additionally, writing patterns and multipass exposure were also studied. The results indicate that the stress relief phenomenon can be controlled in a well‐designed system.