Verfahren zum anisotropen Aetzen monokristalliner Materialien

The invention relates to a process for the anisotropic etching of monocrystalline materials. While additional process steps are required for known etching processes in order to determine the exact position of the crystal axes for aligning the etching mask, the process according to the invention no longer requires the precise determination of the crystal axes. Instead, a mask is generated, its aperture area being smaller than the basic area of the removal to be produced on the mask side. The mask is provided at its edges with notches which are aligned externally away from the mask aperture. The depths of the notches are selected so that the crystal planes, which form the side walls for later recessing or limit areas of intermediate structures, are only determined by their end points. The process is applied in particular to the manufacture of micromechanical components with small tolerances.