In this research, gold catalyzed silicon nanowires (SiNWs) were synthesized on a Si(111) substrate using very high frequency plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition method based on a vapor-liquid-solid growth mechanism at various growth durations. The results showed that the obtained SiNWs were needle-like shape, which differs from the standard cylindrical nanowire produced by similar techniques. In comparison to the other techniques. Si nanoneedles were synthesized under a lower growth temperature, a lower SiH(4) gas flow rate and a higher growth rate. In addition, it was shown that the average length of nanoneedles increased linearly with the growth time. High resolution transition electron microscopy revealed that the nanowires were composed of a crystalline Si core with an amorphous SiO(2) shell. Photoluminescence study discovered that the Si nanoneedles exhibit two broad emission bands, which can be attributed to the existence of the shell and the interface between the shell and the core. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.