Electrical photoelectrical, and microcathodoluminescence properties were measured on doped p-GaN superlattices prepared by molecular beam epitaxy on c-plane sapphire substrates. The photosensitivity of such superlattices is at least two orders of magnitude higher and the microcathodoluminescence intensity is about five times lower than for similarly grown uniformly doped p-GaN films. The difference is explained by the spatial separation of the photoexcited electrons and holes by the superlattice potential. The sheet carrier concentration in the superlattice is shown to be several times (6.6 X 10(12) cm(-2) vs 2 X 10(13) cm(-2)) lower and the effective hole mobility almost two times higher (20 cm(2)/V s VS 12 cm(2)/V s) than for bulk p-GaN samples with similar doping. (c) 2007 American Vacuum Society.