In semiconductor manufacturing, specifically in photomask manufacturing e-beam-lithography has a long-standing history. It has been optimized and adapted to the specific requirements defined by the design of the semiconductor devices and the respective technology nodes. In the recent years new application fields for optical and integrated photonic systems has become more prominent. They present two challenges to the e-beam lithography. The quality parameters which are typically used in semiconductor manufacturing do not map optical quality parameters in a straightforward manner. In consequence, the chosen process conditions often do not fit well to the specific optical application. Further the dimensions of the optical or photonic structures correspond to mature technology nodes while at the same time requiring an accuracy for position and edge quality of most advanced technology nodes.We will present examples how Vistec's electron beam lithography system and data preparation solutions can bridge the gap in the requirements and how this translates into optical performance.