The present invention comprises a system and method for the control of the temperature of an article, particularly in a vacuum. The system is applicable to control of reticle temperature in a electron beam or ion beam lithography system. The system includes non-contacting radiation heat sources to selectively apply localized radiant heat to achieve and maintain temperature uniformity across the reticle. The method generally includes applying initial heat once after the reticle is initially loaded into the lithography system from an external environment, applying exposure heat when other reticles are being exposed and applying heat during the wafer load cycle when a new wafer is loaded and the electron or ion beam is blanked. The operating temperature of the reticle is uniformly maintained at a temperature slightly above the ambient temperature. The temperature uniformly of the reticle is important for fabricating defect-free wafers, resulting in high yields.