We report on low-frequency noise characteristics of visible-blind GaN
p-n junction photodetectors. Carrier hopping through defect states in
the space charge region, believed to be associated with dislocations,
is identified as the main mechanism responsible for the dark conductiv
ity of the photodiodes. Under reverse bias, the dark current noise has
the 1/f character and obeys the Hooge relation with alpha approximate
to 3. Under forward bias, we observe generation-recombination noise r
elated to a trap level with the activation energy of 0.49 eV. Under il
lumination, detectivity is found to be shot noise limited. The noise e
quivalent power of a 200x200 mu m(2) photodetector is estimated at 6.6
x 10(-15) W/Hz(1/2) at a bias of - 3 V. (C) 1998 American Institute o
f Physics.