We have successfully prepared dense and uniform ZnS nanowires with hexagonal wurzite structure on Au-coated Si substrate. The growth of the single crystalline ZnS nanowire follows the well-known vapor liquid solid (VLS) mechanism. The initial stages of the nucleation and growth processes of ZnS nano-particles on gold particles have been studied by atomic force microscopy (AFM) to derive insights into the critical nuclei size that promoted the growth of the nanowire. AFM images clearly show the three stages of the VLS growth process. Micro-Raman scattering detects various peaks related to the nanosize effects of the ZnS nanowires. (C) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.