This paper presents a cost-efficient and flexible approach to the development of controllable-shape concave and convex microlens arrays by using femtosecond laser wet etch and replication techniques. Periodic concave rectangular-shaped microlens arrays with different length-width ratios were achieved by firstly introducing periodic microcraters on silica glass using an 800 nm femtosecond laser, and subsequently enlarging the craters into microlens with smooth curved surfaces in hydrofluoric (HF) acid solution. The concave microlens can serve as molds of replication to obtain convex microlenses on polymers. Over 10,000 rectangular-shaped concave and convex microlens with controllable aspect ratio, high fill factor and spherical morphology can be fabricated in 5 h. A simulation result and a projection experiment result verify the optical performance of these rectangular-shaped spherical microlens arrays (MLAs). Crown Copyright (C) 2013 Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.