For the next-generation optical disc, electron beam mastering has been considered as a high-potential technique to fabricate a high-density optical disc. However, for electron beam mastering, the proximity effect caused by electron backscattering is an important problem. In this study, the influence of the proximity effect on the linewidth (full width at half magnitude, FWHM) and thickness of the residual resist is discussed. Some methods are presented to solve the proximity effect for optical disc mastering, i.e., by raising the electron beam voltage and depositing thin film material with low atomic number on a silicon substrate. In the study, thin film materials such as Al, Ni, SiO₂, and Si₃N₄ are deposited on a silicon wafer to explore the proximity effect. The preliminary experimental results show that raising the electron beam voltage and depositing SiO₂ or Si₃N₄ thin film on a silicon substrate can efficiently solve this problem. Later, the resist with a nano-pattern is transferred into a metal Ni–Co (nickel–cobalt) mould by electroplating. The technique of the Ni–Co electroplating process with hardness at least Vicker hardness (Hv) 650 and residual stress below 1.5 kg mm⁻² is developed. Then, with the Ni–Co mould, a modified LIGA process is applied to produce a high-density optical disc. The Ni–Co mould serves as the master for the hot embossing process to replicate the nano-pattern onto the PMMA sheet. Since the feature size is down to the nanometre range, the study presents an innovative demoulding mechanism to demould the master from the PMMA sheet without damaging the nanometre patterns.