In this paper, "true" Silicon-On-Nothing (SON) MOSFETs fabricated by a new technique, consisting in Si layer transfer over a preetched cavity, are investigated. The process has no potential limitation with regards to the device dimensions as well as to the thicknesses of Si film and so-called "nothing" layers. Comparing to single-gate (SG) fully-depleted (FD) SOI MOSFETs fabricated on the same wafer, improved electrical characteristics of SON MOSFETs are demonstrated. Self-heating effect, which can be considered as the main drawback of SON devices, is experimentally addressed for the first time. Finally, the source-to-drain coupling through the substrate is demonstrated to be practically suppressed in such device architecture. (c) 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.