This invention relates to a process for manufacturing nanowire structures, the process comprising the following steps: manufacture of a thin semiconductor film (1) extending between a first terminal (4) and a second terminal (5), and passage of a current between the first and the second terminals so as to form at least one continuous overthickness (R1, R2, R3) in the thin semiconductor film by migration of a fraction of the semiconductor material, under the action of the current, the continuous overthickness being formed along the direction of the current that passes through the film.