In accordance with the present invention, apparatus for performing electron beam lithography on selected portions of a substrate having a resist covered surface comprises a plurality of nanoscale electron emitters for emitting directional beams of electrons and, for each emitter, a directional control element to direct the emitted beam toward the selected portions. In a preferred embodiment the emitters comprise carbon nanotubes, and the directional control elements comprise micro-electro-mechanical disks in a two-dimensional array. In an alternative embodiment the directional control elements are electrodes.