It is known that structured thin films (STF) grown using oblique angle deposition exhibit permanent structural deformation when exposed to liquids. This is a major limitation because these films cannot be patterned using conventional wet lithographic processes. In this work, CO2 critical point drying (CPD) is demonstrated as a viable technique to maintain the film structure even after prolonged liquid exposure. Evaporative room temperature drying and CPD of SiO2 STF samples for two commonly used solvents in lithographic processing viz. acetone and ethanol have been compared. We find that the physical structure of the unexposed STF is similar to STF samples after liquid exposure and CPD technique. (C) 2012 Elsevier B. V. All rights reserved.