Ohmic contacts to semiconductor nanowires are essential components of many new nanoscale electronic devices. Equations for extracting specific contact resistance (or contact resistivity) from several different test structures have been developed by modeling the metal/semiconductor contact as a transmission line, leading to the development of equations analogous to those used for planar contacts. The advantages and disadvantages of various test structures are discussed. To fabricate test structures using a convenient four-point approach, silicon nanowires have been aligned using field-assisted assembly and contacts fabricated. Finally, specific contact resistances near 5 x 10(-4) Omegacm(2) have been measured for Ti/Au contacts to p-type Si nanowires with diameters of 78 and 104 nm. (C) 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.