Semiconductor components, such as, for example, micromechanical heat transfer sensors, may be manufactured by bulk or surface micromechanical methods. Manufacturing bulk micromechanical components may be relatively complex and therefore may be expensive. With surface micromechanical components, it may be complicated to manufacture a cavern. A process sequence for manufacturing a cavern by surface micromechanics may involve, for example, depositing a sacrificial layer, depositing of a membrane layer (such as, for example, polysilicon), creating openings in the membrane layer and/or opening a lateral etching channel, etching out the sacrificial layer and sealing the openings, with the inside pressure of the cavern being defined during sealing.