By recessing a semiconductor layer, preferably by locally oxidizing the semiconductor layer, a stress-inducing material and/or a dopant species may be introduced into the thinned semiconductor layer in the vicinity of a gate electrode structure by means of a subsequent epitaxial growth process. In particular, the stress-inducing material formed adjacent to the gate electrode structure exerts compressive or tensile stress, depending on the type of material deposited, thereby also enhancing the mobility of the charge carriers in a channel region of the transistor element.