  The combination of large thickness ($>3$ $\mu$m), large--area uniformity (75
mm diameter), high growth rate (up to 0.4 $\mu$m/min) in assemblies of
complex--shaped nanowires on lithographically defined patterns has been
achieved for the first time. The nanoscale and the microscale have thus been
blended together in sculptured thin films with transverse architectures.
SiO$_x$ ($x\approx 2$) nanowires were grown by electron--beam evaporation onto
silicon substrates both with and without photoresist lines (1--D arrays) and
checkerboard (2--D arrays) patterns. Atomic self--shadowing due to
oblique--angle deposition enables the nanowires to grow continuously, to change
direction abruptly, and to maintain constant cross--sectional diameter. The
selective growth of nanowire assemblies on the top surfaces of both 1--D and
2--D arrays can be understood and predicted using simple geometrical shadowing
equations.
