Abstract: A process and apparatus for etching semiconductor surfaces, in particular, ilicon, with a mixture containing nitrogen-oxygen based compounds as oxidizing compounds, hydrofluoric acid as the component which dissolves the oxidation product, and sulfuric acid, optionally with phosphoric acid added, as a carrier medium. This mixture makes it possible to design the process as a cyclic process in which oxygen supplied to the system ultimately effects an oxidation of the material to be etched, and the product of its oxidation is removed from the circuit. The process is noteworthy for its low usage of reagents and because it is not harmful to the environment.