Gettering of Fe in silicon-on-insulator material has been investigated on both the bonded and separation by implantation of oxygen (SIMOX) platforms. Reduction of electrically active iron in intentionally contaminated and annealed wafers has been measured by deep level transient spectroscopy. These data, coupled with structural characterization techniques, such as transmission electron microscopy and preferential chemical etching, provide evidence that structural postimplantation damage below the buried oxide (BOX) in SIMOX wafers is an effective site for gettering of iron with the iron gettering efficiency varying with the SIMOX processing. Gettering was not observed in bonded wafers, and the lower BOX interface did not provide any iron gettering in either bonded or SIMOX wafers. ©1997 American Institute of Physics.