A spherelike granular structure has been observed to appear on the surface of single crystal silicon as a result of a two step reactive ion etching (RIE). Fluorocarbon plasma in RIE mode has been found to create a micromasking of bare silicon. Subsequent application of silicon etch recipe produces a texture with submicron spherical granules. Energy dispersion of x ray and Auger spectra analysis reveal that the suspected deposition or adsorption of etchant and effluent species onto the final surface is insignificant. The technique has a potential for controlling the reflectivity of silicon in specific regions of the spectrum and providing a large throughput.