Low-frequency noise (LFN) measurements are largely used for interface quality characterization in MOSFETs. In this work, a detailed investigation of LFN technique applied to pseudo-MOSFETs in bare silicon-on-insulator (SOI) substrates is provided. A physical model capable to describe the experimental results is proposed and validated using different die areas and inter-probe distances. The effective silicon area contributing to the noise signal, the impact of defects induced by probes and the possibility to extract interface trap density are addressed. (C) 2016 Published by Elsevier Ltd.