In this study, we present novel methods to texture the surface of GaAs substrates using the nanosphere lithography (NSL) technique that is based on arrays of SiO(2) nanospheres. Closed-packed arrays of SiO(2) nanospheres were formed on a benzocyclobutene (BCB) layer, followed by embedding SiO(2) nanospheres into the BCB layer. To texture the GaAs surface, three patterns were fabricated by nanosphere lithography. First, a convex pattern from the shape of the nanospheres was produced on the surface of GaAs. Second, a concave shape was produced on the surface of GaAs by additional wet etching to remove SiO(2) nanospheres. These two methods were found to be effective in reducing the reflectance to a range of 400-800 nm. Finally, the arrays of SiO(2) nanospheres were transferred onto the GaAs by dry-etching using a mixture of Cl(2) and BCl(3) gases, resulting in arrays of GaAs nanorods. The dry-etched surface structure showed the lowest reflectance. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.