A method for producing hollow contact areas on a semiconductor component comprising a stack of one or more metallization layers on a semiconductor substrate, the method comprising the steps of: - Depositing a dielectric layer on and in contact with one or more metal areas of the upper metallization layer of said stack, the dielectric layer having a flat upper surface, - Depositing a resist layer on and in contact with said dielectric layer, - Producing one or more openings in said resist layer, said openings being located above said one or more metal areas, thereby exposing areas of said dielectric layer, - removing said dielectric layer in said areas of the dielectric layer, thereby forming openings in said dielectric layer and exposing at the bottom of said openings at least portions of said metal areas, - stripping said resist layer, - depositing a metal layer conformally on said dielectric layer and in said openings in the dielectric layer, - removing said metal layer from at least a portion of the flat upper surface of said dielectric layer, a metal layer remaining on the bottom and side walls of said openings in the dielectric layer, so that the remaining metal on the bottom and side walls of the openings form said hollow contact areas which are electrically isolated from each other, wherein the openings in said resist layer have essentially vertical sidewalls, characterised in that: - the openings in said dielectric layer are produced by plasma etching, - the resist layer and the plasma etching are configured so that: • essentially no outgassing occurs during the formation of said openings in the dielectric layer, • a polymer layer is continuously formed on the sidewalls of the resist openings and on the sidewalls of the openings in the dielectric layer, as said openings are being etched, so that said openings in the dielectric layer have sloped sidewalls, the slope of said walls being essentially pre-defined, the polymer layer being removed during the resist stripping step. - Depositing a dielectric layer on and in contact with one or more metal areas of the upper metallization layer of said stack, the dielectric layer having a flat upper surface, - Depositing a resist layer on and in contact with said dielectric layer, - Producing one or more openings in said resist layer, said openings being located above said one or more metal areas, thereby exposing areas of said dielectric layer, - removing said dielectric layer in said areas of the dielectric layer, thereby forming openings in said dielectric layer and exposing at the bottom of said openings at least portions of said metal areas, - stripping said resist layer, - depositing a metal layer conformally on said dielectric layer and in said openings in the dielectric layer, - removing said metal layer from at least a portion of the flat upper surface of said dielectric layer, a metal layer remaining on the bottom and side walls of said openings in the dielectric layer, so that the remaining metal on the bottom and side walls of the openings form said hollow contact areas which are electrically isolated from each other, - the openings in said dielectric layer are produced by plasma etching, - the resist layer and the plasma etching are configured so that: • essentially no outgassing occurs during the formation of said openings in the dielectric layer, • a polymer layer is continuously formed on the sidewalls of the resist openings and on the sidewalls of the openings in the dielectric layer, as said openings are being etched, so that said openings in the dielectric layer have sloped sidewalls, the slope of said walls being essentially pre-defined, the polymer layer being removed during the resist stripping step. • essentially no outgassing occurs during the formation of said openings in the dielectric layer, • a polymer layer is continuously formed on the sidewalls of the resist openings and on the sidewalls of the openings in the dielectric layer, as said openings are being etched, so that said openings in the dielectric layer have sloped sidewalls, the slope of said walls being essentially pre-defined, the polymer layer being removed during the resist stripping step.