Low energy electron‐enhanced etching of Si(100) has been achieved by placing the sample on the anode of a dc discharge in hydrogen/helium mixtures. Over a broad range of gas composition, gas pressure, and discharge current, nonpatterned samples gave etch yields of 0.01–0.02 atoms/electron, and average etch rates of 2000–3000 A˚/min. Postetch examination by atomic force microscopy revealed surface roughness of 2–3 nm. These results are related to incident flux of H atoms and electrons through a simple model of the anode sheath layer above the sample. ©1995 American Institute of Physics.