Monolayer colloidal crystals are formed using silica- and polystyrene beads and used as templates in nanosphere lithography for creating various hexagonal periodic structures intended for light harvesting in crystalline silicon solar cells. Specifically, arrays of silver islands for plasmonic scattering, dimples for use as seeds in electrochemical etching, and silicon cylinders diffraction gratings are fabricated and investigated. Where suitable, optical measurements are done to complement the structural characterisation.