We report on the growth of NiSi(2)-catalyzed amorphous SiO(2) nanowires by rapid-thermal-annealing of Ni (40 nm)/poly-Si(60 nm)/SiO(2)(110 nm)/undoped Si substrate structures at 900 degrees C in N(2) ambient. The diameter of the nanowires is dependent on the diameter of the NiSi(2) catalyst particles; the former is about 16-45% smaller than the later. Considering the presence of the nanoparticles located at the tip of the nanowires, the growth behavior of the a-SiO(2) nanowires is described in terms of the generation of SiO vapor and the VLS mechanism. (C) 2010 Elsevier B. V. All rights reserved.