A short review of the current status of IPL stencil mask development is presented in this paper. Stencil masks based on 6' Si-wafer have been fabricated with a membrane diameter of 126 mm. With a typical membrane thickness of 3 micrometers , mechanical stability is a critical issue. The resulting placement errors have been measured using an LMS IPRO measurement tool and have been compared to Finite Element (FE) calculations simulating the fabrication process. Process-induced distortions can be predicted by FE calculations with an accuracy of up to 24 mm 3(sigma) . In addition to large circular membranes, an alternative geometry has been considered. Masks with a quadratic membrane area of 60 X 60 mm2 show IPDs of 3(sigma) equals 39 nm which are about 4 times smaller than those of large circular membranes. This result agrees well with predictions of FE calculations. In order to protect the Si-mask against ion bombardment, a protective carbon layer is deposited onto the membrane, thus preventing stress changes due to ion implantation. The current status of the carbon deposition process will also be addressed briefly.