NOVELTY - Growing semiconductor nanowires comprises: (a) providing a patterned oxide layer on a semiconductor substrate; (b) forming an oxygen reactive element-containing layer on an upper surface of the patterned oxide layer and on the exposed upper surface of the semiconductor substrate; (c) performing an anneal process which forms a compound oxide layer in areas in which the oxygen reactive element-containing layer is in direct contact with the upper surface of the patterned oxide; and (d) growing semiconductor nanowires from the non-oxidized seed material.    USE - The method is used for fabricating semiconductor nanowires, it can be used for manufacturing semiconductor device, optoelectronic device, and solar cell device.    ADVANTAGE - The spatial placement of the semiconductor nanowires is controlled by using a patterned or self organized oxide layer and non-oxidized oxygen reactive seed material is provided.    DETAILED DESCRIPTION - Growing semiconductor nanowires comprises: (a) providing a patterned oxide layer on a semiconductor substrate, where the patterned oxide has an opening that exposes an upper surface of the semiconductor substrate; (b) forming an oxygen reactive element-containing layer on an upper surface of the patterned oxide layer and on the exposed upper surface of the semiconductor substrate; (c) performing an anneal process which forms a compound oxide layer in areas in which the oxygen reactive element-containing layer is in direct contact with the upper surface of the patterned oxide, where the anneal process further forms a non-oxidized seed material in areas in which the element-containing layer is in direct contact with the exposed upper surface of the semiconductor substrate; and (d) growing semiconductor nanowires from the non-oxidized seed material. INDEPENDENT CLAIMS are included for:    (1) a semiconductor structure comprising a semiconductor substrate having an area in which semiconductor nanowires extend upward from a surface and other area that includes an oxygen reactive element-containing compound oxide material, where the other area including the oxygen reactive element-containing compound oxide material is abutting the area including the semiconductor nanowires; and    (2) a semiconductor substrate comprising a semiconductor substrate having an area including an island of oxygen reactive element-containing compound semiconductor alloy, and other area including an oxygen reactive element-containing compound oxide layer, where the other area including the oxygen reactive element-containing compound oxide layer is laterally abutting the area including the island of oxygen reactive element-containing semiconductor alloy.    DESCRIPTION OF DRAWING(S) - The drawing shows a cross-sectional view of the nanowire growth.    Semiconductor substrate (12)    Patterned oxide layer (14')    Patterned compound oxide layer (20)    Non-oxidized seed material (22)    Semiconductor nanowires (24)