We have experimentally observed liquid-solid phase-change oscillations in various silicon micro/nanowires when biased through a load resistor and in parallel with a capacitor. The capacitor charges while the wire is in solid state and discharges through the wire once it melts, allowing the wire to cool and the cycle to repeat. A finite element model for this phenomenon is presented and discussed in this work, predicting the effects of scaling the physical dimensions into the nanometer scale. Electrical breakdown of silicon is expected to be an important factor at the nanometer scale, allowing for faster melting of the nanowire and oscillation frequencies >1 GHz. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.