Electron transport properties in double-gate-silicon-on-insulator (DGSOI) transistors are comprehensively studied. Quantum effects are analyzed by self-consistently solving the 1D Poisson and Schroedinger equations. Once the electron distribution is known, the Bolztmann transport equation is solved by the Monte Carlo method, and the role of volume inversion is analyzed both at room and at lower temperatures. A comparison between symmetrical-gate and asymmetrical-gate configurations is also provided, showing the superior performance of symmetric devices. Finally, velocity overshoot is also studied. Monte Carlo simulations were performed to clarify the dependence of velocity overshoot effects on the low-field mobility, channel inversion charge and silicon layer thickness. We show that electron mobility is mainly determined by the increase in the phonon scattering rate as the silicon thickness is reduced, i.e., the lower the silicon thickness the lower the electron mobility, while velocity overshoot effects for ultrathin DGSOI inversion layers are dominated by the reduction of the average conduction effective mass, i.e., the lower the silicon thickness the higher the velocity overshoot peak. (C) 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.