By choosing a material that has an appropriate asymmetric lattice mismatch
to the host substrate, in this case ErSi2 on Si(001), it is possible to gro
w one-dimensional epitaxial crystals. ErSi2 nanowires are less than one nan
ometer high, a few nanometers wide, close to a micron long, crystallographi
cally aligned to [110](Si) directions, straight, and atomically regular. (C
) 2000 American Institute of Physics. [S0003-6951(00)04426-0].