A comprehensive study of the transport properties of bulk and SOI strained-Si MOSFETs has been performed. The influence of the strain in the silicon layer is studied in detail, including the quantization of the inversion layer. The conductivity-effective electron mass, the inversion charge centroid and the mobility, including the most important scattering mechanisms for these devices, are simulated and modelled. Non-steady-state high-longitudinal-field transport is also dealt with from the modelling and simulation viewpoint. The main features for the performance enhancement of these devices are highlighted and design guidelines are given to take advantage of the improvements that can be achieved making use of them. (C) 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.