The authors demonstrate ZnO based thin-film transistors (TFTs) fabricated using a metal-organic sol-gel solution process with zinc neodecanoate as precursor. The ZnO films were produced by spin coating the precursor solution onto a substrate and subsequently annealing the film in air for 1 h at 500 degrees C. Atomic force microscopy and scanning electron microscopy characterizations show that the films consist of particles which have an average size of 45 nm and are closely packed. X-ray diffraction measurement reveals that the particles have a hexagonal structure and are randomly orientated. TFT devices were fabricated by patterning 100 nm thick aluminum source and drain electrodes on top of the ZnO film using standard optical lithographic processes. The devices exhibit n-channel enhancement mode behavior, with a saturation mobility of 1.16 cm(2) V-1 s(-1), a drain-current on-to-off ratio of 8.1x10(7) and a threshold voltage of 16.1 V in ambient environment. Zinc neodecanoate may also be used as a negative resist, and electron beam patterning can be introduced after spin coating to directly "write" cross-linked nanowires into the film. Subsequent development removes the unpatterned areas prior to the annealing process at 500 degrees C. This process is capable of forming ZnO nanowires down to similar to 10 nm width. Field effect transistors based on these ZnO nanowires show similar behavior to the thin film devices, operating as n-channel devices in enhancement mode. The results imply that high-performance ZnO transistor devices can be produced by a simple and low-cost technique which may be applicable to integrated electronic systems.