Silicon nanowires some 200 to 500nm in diameter, with a branch morphology, were fabricated in one step by oxygenous chemical vapour deposition. The catalyst Au particles on branches came from the migration of Au on the tip of trunk. It was proposed that the migration of gold was due to the large diameter of the gold particles.

The Migration of Gold on Large Diameter Silicon Nanowires in Oxygenous System. Y.Wan, Y.Wang, B.Chen, Y.Fang, J.Sha: Physica Status Solidi C, 2009, 6[3], 687-9