Single walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) are emerging as a material system for electronics and optoelectronics. Hot wall thermal chemical vapor deposition (CVD) has become a standard method of preparing SWNTs. We have been using a closely related synthesis process, cold wall CVD, to produce SWNTs. Grown materials are characterized by scanning electron microscopy and photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy. Nanotubes exceeding 150 mum in length are observed, with growth rates of at least 0.5 mum/s. PL was used to confirm the growth of SWNTs, and underscores the suitability of the material for optical and optoelectronic applications. Advantages and disadvantages of the cold wall CVD method will be described. This work shows that the cold wall CVD technique specifically is capable of producing SWNTs, and also demonstrates the use of PL as a characterization tool. (C) 2004 American Vacuum Society.