An innovative approach is proposed to texture a pyramid structure on a silicon surface via Cu-catalyzed chemical etching in the HF/FeCl3 system. The surface and cross-section morphologies of the formed pyramid structure were examined by scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy. The results revealed that numerous silicon pyramid-like structures with hemlines of 0.1 similar to 3 pin and height of 0.1 2 pin are close together, and the top angle of the pyramid structure is 90 degrees. Additionally, the systematic study of the effects of the etching time and the concentration of FeCl3 on the pyramid-like structures by the atom configuration model of silicon crystal faces demonstrated that the etching proceeds preferentially along the < 100 > directions of silicon. A formation mechanism of the pyramid-like structure is proposed. The results imply that the synergetic effect of Cu nanoparticles and Fe(III) could conveniently generate a pyramid-like architecture on the surface of silicon in hydrofluoric acid solution. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.