The angular dependence of the etch rate in reactive ion etching (RIE) and inductively coupled plasma (ICP) systems for polysilicon etching with SF6 and Cl2 is determined using a recently developed direct measurement method. The latter utilizes specially patterned silicon groove structures consisting of 7–10 μm wide planar surfaces which form various angles with respect to the wafer normal. The structures are produced by highly anisotropic wet chemical etching of Si through a gratinglike mask pattern aligned along specific crystallographic orientations of the wafer which results in the development of planar surfaces of various orientations. These surfaces are then coated with the materials to be studied—polysilicon in this case. The deposited polysilicon is then etched under a variety of conditions in a RIE and an ICP reactor and the etch rates determined by interferometric measurements. Since only standard Si wafers are used and the size of the pattern is only a few μm the method is fully IC production co...