Nickel-phosphorus (Ni-P) alloy thin films with high-resolution features were created on patterned palladium (Pd) catalytic surfaces by electroless plating. Pd catalyst underlayers were patterned by incorporating Pd nanoparticles with site selectivity into poly(methyl methacrylate) thin films by combining electron beam lithography and the reduction of palladium(II) bis(acetylacetonato) used as a precursor. The quality of the metallic surface patterns was evaluated in terms of the attainable pattern sizes and the deviation from the pre-designed patterns. Dense Ni-P lines with the width of about 150 nm could be obtained with good site selectivity. (C) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.