A silicon-on-insulator (SOI) chip. The SOI chip has a substrate; a buried oxide (BOX) layer disposed on the substrate; and an active layer disposed on the BOX layer, the active layer divided into a first and a second tile, the first tile having a first thickness and the second tile having a second thickness, the second thickness being smaller than the first thickness. Also disclosed is a method of fabricating a silicon-on-insulator (SOI) chip having an active layer with a non-uniform thickness. The method includes the steps of providing a substrate; providing a buried oxide layer (BOX) on the substrate; providing an active layer on the BOX layer, the active layer having an initially uniform thickness; dividing the active layer into at least a first and a second tile; and altering the thickness of the active layer in the area of the second tile.