The anodized aluminum oxide (AAO) template with tunable pore sizes from 4 to 400 nm has been proposed as a reverse image mask to produce Si wires. Instead of electrochemically forming the semiconducting material, a Si substrate was used as the base material and a RIE etch mask with the proper dimensions was produced through a two-stage anodization of a metal bi-layer (Ta/Al and Ti/Al). The anodization was monitored using chronoamperometry, and the resulting structures were characterized using FESEM images before and after RIE etching. The TaOx rods were an inverse image of the AAO template. However, the RIE parameters chosen collapsed the rods into teepee formations which transferred that pattern into the Si. On-going work is focused on reducing the thickness of underlying Ta, improving the quality of rods and changing to a two-step RIE process, in order to avoid this phenomenon.