Metal-semiconductor field-effect-transistors (MESFETs) have been manufactured using a highly scaled 45 nm silicon-on-insulator (SOI) CMOS technology. The MESFETs display a reversible, soft breakdown at voltages greatly exceeding that of the standard CMOS devices. The breakdown voltage increases with the length of the access region between the MESFET channel and drain contact. The measured breakdown voltage is well described by a simple model based on avalanche multiplication. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.