A mask to protect selective regions of a silicon substrate against adverse effects of environment during chemical and/or electrochemical and thermal treatments comprises a silicon nitride layer on a thin buffer layer of amorphous silicon. The thin amorphous silicon layer is deposited on the surface of the silicon substrate. The silicon nitride layer is then deposited over the amorphous silicon layer. The composite structure is patterned and etched to form openings in the coating. The following chemical and/or electrochemical treatments in solutions of hydrofluoric acid or the like and thermal treatments in oxidizing ambient or the like effect only the surface of the exposed regions, while the silicon nitride layer secures masked silicon regions against adverse effect of environment. The thin buffer amorphous silicon layer between the silicon substrate and the silicon nitride layer minimizes stress and dislocations that can be created in the underlying silicon region by the silicon nitride layer during a thermal treatment and prevents the silicon nitride from undercutting problem during chemical (electrochemical) treatments in the solutions of type of hydrofluoric acid that occures in widely used protective coating consisted of a silicon nitride layer on the thin layer of silicon oxide.

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