A semiconductor device includes a junction field effect transistor (JFET) on a silicon-on-insulator (SOI) substrate. The JFET includes a gate with a first gate segment contacting the channel on a first lateral side of the channel, and a second gate segment contacting the channel on a second, opposite, lateral side of the channel. The first gate segment and the second gate segment extend deeper in the semiconductor layer than the channel. The JFET further includes a drift region contacting the channel, and may include a buried layer having the same conductivity type as the channel, extending at least partway under the drift region.