We report patterned horizontal growth of ZnO nanowires on SiO2 surface for the study of electrical and luminescent characteristics of individual nanowires and for device applications. Patterns of gold catalytic seed islands with barrier layers which suppress vertical growth were employed to facilitate horizontal growth on SiO2 surface. After the growth, ZnO nanowire devices are fabricated by patterning electrodes aligned over the seed islands and their device characteristics are investigated. We could also investigate history of synthesis conditions by obtaining local luminescence characteristics along individual nanowires. (c) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.