A method of reducing the nickel content of a silicon on insulator structure, the silicon on insulator structure comprising a handle wafer, a silicon device layer having a front surface and a dielectric layer between the handle wafer and the silicon device layer, the dielectric layer and silicon device layer forming an interface between the dielectric layer and silicon device layer, the method comprising: forming a sacrificial oxide layer on the front surface of the silicon device layer, the sacrificial oxide layer and the silicon device layer forming an interface between the sacrificial oxide layer and the silicon device layer; heating the silicon on insulator structure having a sacrificial oxide layer thereon to a temperature T 1 sufficient to dissolve all nickel precipitates present in the device layer for a time t 1 sufficient to allow nickel atoms to evenly disperse throughout the device layer, wherein the temperature T 1 is less than a temperature at which the nickel atoms cross the sacrificial oxide layer-silicon device layer interface and enter the sacrificial oxide layer; cooling the silicon on insulator structure from T 1 to a temperature T 2 at which the nickel atoms are substantially immobile in silicon at an average cooling rate R to cause nickel atoms to dissolve to the sacrificial oxide layer-silicon device layer interface and the silicon device layer-dielectric layer interface, the cooling rate being sufficiently high enough to cause substantially no nickel precipitation to occur in the silicon device layer during cooling, the temperature at the sacrificial oxide layer-silicon device layer interface exceeding the temperature at the silicon device layer-dielectric layer interface during cooling such that more nickel atoms are positioned at the sacrificial oxide layer-silicon device layer interface than the silicon device layer-dielectric layer interface; and removing the sacrificial oxide layer and a portion of the nickel atoms at the sacrificial oxide layer-silicon device layer interface from the silicon-in-insulator structure. forming a sacrificial oxide layer on the front surface of the silicon device layer, the sacrificial oxide layer and the silicon device layer forming an interface between the sacrificial oxide layer and the silicon device layer; heating the silicon on insulator structure having a sacrificial oxide layer thereon to a temperature T 1 sufficient to dissolve all nickel precipitates present in the device layer for a time t 1 sufficient to allow nickel atoms to evenly disperse throughout the device layer, wherein the temperature T 1 is less than a temperature at which the nickel atoms cross the sacrificial oxide layer-silicon device layer interface and enter the sacrificial oxide layer; cooling the silicon on insulator structure from T 1 to a temperature T 2 at which the nickel atoms are substantially immobile in silicon at an average cooling rate R to cause nickel atoms to dissolve to the sacrificial oxide layer-silicon device layer interface and the silicon device layer-dielectric layer interface, the cooling rate being sufficiently high enough to cause substantially no nickel precipitation to occur in the silicon device layer during cooling, the temperature at the sacrificial oxide layer-silicon device layer interface exceeding the temperature at the silicon device layer-dielectric layer interface during cooling such that more nickel atoms are positioned at the sacrificial oxide layer-silicon device layer interface than the silicon device layer-dielectric layer interface; and