Zinc oxide/zinc germanium oxide (ZnO/Zn2GeO4) porous-like thin film and wires has been fabricated by simple thermal evaporation method at temperature about 1120 degrees C for 2.5h. The structural and optical properties of the porous-like-thin film and wires have been investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy. Metal semiconductor metal (MSM) photodetector structure was used to evaluate the electrical characteristics by using current-voltage (I-V) measurements. Room temperature photoluminescence spectrum of the sample shows one prominent ultraviolet peak at 378 nm and a shoulder at 370 nm. In addition, broad visible blue emission peak at wavelength 480 nm and green emission peak at 500 nm are also observed. Strong photoelectric properties of the MSM in the UV demonstrated that the porous-like-thin film and wires contribute to its photosensitivity and therefore making ZnO/Zn2GeO4 wires potential photodetector in the shorter wavelength applications. (c) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.