By combining nanoimprint lithography with the emerging high-rate deposition technique electron-beam evaporation of amorphous Si, we developed a low-cost fabrication process for the design of periodic arrays of Si crystals on large areas of 50 cm2 in a solid phase crystallization and subsequent selective etch process. The method allows for precise control over the feature size of the crystals. The promising absorption properties of the features and the versatility and simplicity of the preparation process inspire the development of three-dimensional solar cell architectures and tailored large-area photonic crystals. © 2011 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.