Gold-coated silicon wafers were annealed at temperatures in the range from 800-1100°C in a N 2 ambient containing a low ͑3-10 ppm͒ residual O 2 concentration. A dense network of amorphous silica nanowires was only observed on samples annealed at temperatures above 1000°C and was correlated with the development of faceted etch-pits in the Si surface. Comparison with known thermodynamic data for the oxidation of Si and vapor-pressures of reactants shows that nanowire growth is mediated by a vapor-liquid-solid mechanism in which the dominant vapor-phase source of reactants is SiO produced by the active oxidation of Si.
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