Silicon nano-wires were fabricated using thin Silicon on Insulator (SOI) wafers and a combination of anisotropic wet etching by Tetra-Methyl Ammonium Hydroxide (TMAH) and Local Oxidation of Silicon (LOCOS). These nano-wires were submitted to laser exposure using gas immersion laser doping (GILD). The result was the formation of either periodic nano-structures or silicon balls. Since the process uses very short laser pulses, it involves rapid melting and solidification of silicon. Hence, the observed periodicity is ascribed to Rayleigh instability, which involves surface tension effects in melted silicon. (c) 2005 Else,vier Ltd. All rights reserved.