The microloading effect in the contact-hole etching below the size of 0,8 mum2 is examined and a multistep etching method that can suppress the effect is proposed. In the initial stages of contact-hole etching, etched SiO2 depth is proportional to etching time and independent of hole size. This is because the polymer layer which prevents etching from proceeding is initially thin. Therefore, the microloading effect can be suppressed by removing the polymer layer before it thickens. We propose a multistep etching method that combines SiO2 reactive ion etching and a polymer layer removal process. Using this method, it is possible to etch small contact holes with little microloading effect, where the difference in the etch depth between 0.2 and 0.8 mum2 holes is within 5%.