It was first observed by accident by Mike Marchywka while trying to find a selective means to etch non-diamond carbon and fabricate simple astronomical UV detection devices. These devices required a few specific features such as clean surfaces and patterned areas of non-diamond carbon but the approach has subsequently been explored as a more general means to terminate carbon surfaces and selectively clean and etch various other materials or structures. The term "Marchywka effect" is not used consistently and sometimes the term "bipolar surface treatment" is used as the substrate is induced to become a bipolar electrode. Various phrases such as "non-contacted electrochemical" process may also be used (see any references cited herein) or it may be mentioned as just an "electrochemical etch".
While this is easily confused with various common electrochemical cells, and may appear to be a trivial and obvious extension of well known methods, recent patents continue to reference prior work that cites non-contactedness as a feature. The use of a low conductivity medium as used in Marchywka et al.'s original paper is sometimes noted when it is used and may produce new effects.
The apparatus to create the effect is similar to the well-known electroporation system except that the biological specimen is replaced with an inorganic substrate, although, in some cases, organic films can be etched with this process using a surfactant solution as the electrolyte.