In this work, the growth of nanoscale Si nuclei on SiO2 by means of a rapid thermal chemical vapor deposition reactor is demon demonstrated. This has applications as an alternative to traditional lithographic methods to patterning of surfaces at the nanometer-length scale. We have obtained appropriate process conditions to grow Si islands on SiO2 from the analysis of the growth rate, incubation time, and morphology of very thin Si films. Atomic force microscopy characterization of runs carried out under these conditions reveals that the properties of the resulting nuclei fit the requirements for the fabrication of quantum dot based devices.