MIS structures on GaN consisting of Au‐NaI‐GaN or Au‐Al2O3‐GaN with insulator thickness <100 A˚ have been fabricated with the aim of producing light‐emitting diodes with emission in the uv and blue spectral region at low bias.I‐Vcharacteristics are consistent with a tunneling carrier transport mechanism, and light emission typically occurs for voltages 2–3 V. The spectral behavior of electroluminescence (EL) is in good agreement with photoluminescence (PL) data in the uv and blue spectral region. Suggestions for further work to improve radiant power output from such devices are presented.