High yield sub-micron gate FETs

Yields of FETs such as HEMTs are significantly improved by establishing an elongate gate contact opening in a patterning material with the patterning material overhanging the opening along both its elongate sides and its ends. A contact metal is next evaporated both into the opening and onto the adjacent patterning material, with the overhang producing a continuous gap around the periphery of the upper section of the gate contact between it and the metal on the adjacent patterning material. The adjacent metal is then lifted-off without disturbing the gate contact. The inward tapered profile in the elongate direction of the contact opening is achieved with multiple parallel e-beam scans, while a similar profile is achieved at the ends of the elongate scans by increasing the electron beam dose in the vicinity of the scan ends, preferably by scanning the beam at a substantial angle to the elongate direction near the ends of the opening.