In an ever increasing need for higher current drive and better short-channel characteristics, silicon-on-insulator MOS transistors are evolving from classical, planar, single-gate devices into three-dimensional devices with multiple gates (double-, triple- or quadruple-gate devices). The evolution and the properties of such devices are described and the emergence of a new class of MOSFETs, called triple-plus (3(+))-gate devices offer a practical solution to the problem of the ultimate, yet manufacturable, silicon MOSFET. (C) 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.