Elliptical silicon arrays with anisotropic optical and wetting properties

We demonstrate a facile etching method to fabricate silicon elliptical pillar arrays (Si-EPAs) with unique anisotropic optical and wetting characters using polystyrene elliptical hemisphere arrays (EHAs) as mask. The EHAs were fabricated via a modified micromolding method. By varying the experimental conditions in the fabrication process, the morphology of the resulting microstructures can be controlled exactly. Because of the anisotropic morphology of the elliptical pillar, the Si-EPA shows unique anisotropic properties, such as anisotropic surface reflection and anisotropic wetting property. Additionally, through oblique evaporation deposition of Au and selective chemical modification to turn the elliptical pillars into "Janus" elliptical pillars, the "Janus" Si-EPA shows more peculiar anisotropic properties owing to the further increased asymmetry. We believe that the Si-EPAs will have potential applications in anisotropic optical and electronic devices.