Schottky contacts to n-type silicon nanowires were fabricated using Ni or nickel silicide contacts in a wraparound or end contact geometry, respectively. Series resistance in the test structures was reduced by heavily doping the opposite end of the silicon nanowire, facilitating Ohmic contact formation and reducing the resistance of the nanowire itself. The effective Schottky barrier height is reported as a function of nanowire doping, ambient, and applied back gate bias, highlighting some of the important variables affecting current transport in Schottky contacts to semiconductor nanowires. For the silicide contact to the most lightly doped silicon nanowire, measurements in N-2 showed that the effective barrier height without a back gate bias was 0.69 eV, and the ideality factor was 1.1. (C) 2008 American Vacuum Society.