ZnO micro/nanowires were synthesized by chemical vapor deposition method. The morphology and structure of the products have been characterized by using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), photoluminescence (PL) and micro-Raman scattering spectrometer, etc. Results show that the surface of the highly uniform ZnO wire is smooth and the as-synthesized ZnO wires show high crystal quality. Three types of UV detector are constructed using a single ZnO nanowire with different contact characteristics, and their corresponding performances are investigated systematically by using Keithley 4200-SCS and other equipments. All of the three different devices exhibit good rectifying characters and significant responsivity to ultraviolet light. The devices show self-driven features at zero bias. Compared with the devices made from Schottky contact and ZnO/PEDOT:PSS film, the present single ZnO nanowire/p-Si film devices with heterojunctions have the best self-powered function, which can be attributed to the stronger built-in electric field as well as the smaller dark current due to the insulating layer on the p-Si film. At zero bias, the fabricated ZnO nanowire/p-Si film device can deliver a dark current of 1.210-3 nA and a high photosensitivity of about 4.5103 under UV illumination. The response of the devices made from ZnO nanowire/p-Si film to UV illumination in air is pretty fast with the rise time of about 0.7 s and the fall time of about 1 s, which could be attributed to the fact that the photo-generated electron-hole pairs in the depletion layer is quickly separated by the built-in electric field, leading to a rapid response speed and a larger photocurrent. Comparison among the three kinds of devices indicates that the devices made from ZnO nanowire/p-Si film are the best candidate for UV detectors.