Zinc oxide (ZnO) with 2D hexagonal structure was successfully prepared using electrochemical deposition (ECD) method on a quartz substrate pre-coated with indium-doped ZnO layer. The X-ray diffraction of the prepared sample confirmed that the hexagonal structure had a dominant c-axis orientation. The scanning electron microscopy revealed the 2D hexagonal structure of the prepared ZnO. An ultraviolet (UV) photodetector based on the prepared ZnO was fabricated using two parallel palladium thin films as electrodes. The maximum response of the UV photodetector was in the range of 300-350 nm wavelength. The internal gain of the ZnO photodetector was 2.7 at low UV intensity. The response and the recovery times were estimated to be 26 and 11 s, respectively. (c) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.