Optical activation of patterned Si nanowires grown from sol-gel prepared gold/Er-doped aluminous film is investigated. The growth of patterned Si nanowires (SiNWs), the doping of Er ions and the sintered process are completed by one step. Si nanowires were grown from a sol-gel solution containing both Au catalysts and Er ions by the vapor-liquid-solid method. Such Er-activated Si nanowires achieve both high carrier-mediated excitation efficiency and high Er luminescence efficiency while at the same time providing high areal density of Er and easy current injection, indicating the possibility of activated patterned Si nanowires grown from sol-gel film as a material platform for Si-based photonics. (c) 2007 Published by Elsevier B.V.