By decoupling the formation of a metal silicide in the gate electrode structure and the raised drain and source regions, superior flexibility in designing transistor elements and managing overall process flow may be achieved. To this end, the metal silicide in the gate electrode structures may be formed prior to actually patterning the gate electrode structures, while, also during this process sequence, a mask material may be applied for reliably covering any device regions in which a silicidation is not required. Consequently, superior gate conductivity may be accomplished, without increasing the risk of silicide penetration into the channel region of sophisticated fully depleted SOI transistors.