Superior control of short-channel effects for an ultra-thin semiconductor-on-insulator field effect transistor (UTSOI-FET) is obtained by performing a halo implantation immediately after a gate reoxidation step. An offset is then formed and thereafter an extension implantation process is performed. This sequence of processing steps ensures that the halo implant is laterally separated from the extension implant by the width of the offset spacer. This construction produces equivalent or far superior short channel performance compared to conventional UTSOI-FETs. Additionally, the above processing steps permit the use of lower halo doses as compared to conventional processes.