This invention describes an apparatus, Scanning Localized Evaporation Methodology (SLEM) for the close proximity deposition of thin films with high feature definition, high deposition rates, and significantly improved material economy. An array of fixed thin film heating elements, each capable of being individually energized, is mounted on a transport mechanism inside a vacuum chamber. The evaporable material is deposited on a heating element. The SLEM system loads the surface of heating elements, made of foils, with evaporable material. The loaded thin film heating element is transported to the substrate site for re-evaporation. The re-evaporation onto a substrate, which is maintained at the desired temperature, takes place through a mask. The mask, having patterned openings dictated by the structural requirements of the fabrication, may be heated to prevent clogging of the openings. The translation of the substrate past the evaporation site permits replication of the pattern over its entire surface. A multiplicity of fixed thin film heating element arrays is provided that can operate simultaneously or in sequence. Multi-layered structures of evaporable materials with high in-plane spatial pattern resolution can be deposited using this apparatus. In one version of the invention, the transport of the evaporant-loaded thin film heating elements is accomplished by the use of cylindrical rotors on whose circumference the heating elements are mounted.