A family of high-resolution, photo-thermal resists based on low ceiling temperature copolymers has been developed and used in a nanometer scale, direct-write thermal patterning tool. The polymer resists are composed of cyclic, low ceiling temperature (Tc) poly(aldehydes). Tc is the thermodynamic temperature which separates polymer from monomer. The Tc of the polymers is below room temperature making the polymer meta-stable at room temperature. The resists very rapidly and cleanly decompose into monomer only when triggered during patterning because the mechanism of depolymerization is suppressed. Cleaving a single bond in the polymer chain initiates the spontaneous and complete depolymerization of the polymer. The use of these low Tc polymers in thermal scanning probe lithography to resolve nanometer size features will be described. Laser ablation of the same polymers has been demonstrated in thermal scanning probe tools allowing for the rapid removal of large areas of the resist adding speed to the hot-tip thermal patterning capability. A particular advantage of the laser assisted thermal scanning probe patterning tools is the ability to form three-dimensional features both by hot-tip patterning and laser ablation.