In this letter is decribed a spectrally selective tungsten light‐emitting surface, employing submicron surface texturing produced by reactive ion etching. The average emissivity of this surface throughout the visible wavelength range of 0.3–0.7 &mgr;m is greater than 0.9 compared to ∼0.4 for ordinary tungsten. At longer infrared wavelengths, however, the emissivity of the etched surface approaches that of a smooth tungsten surface. This results in enhanced efficiency in the production of visible light.