Method for the simultaneous grinding of a plurality of semiconductor wafers

Simultaneous double-side grinding of a plurality of semiconductor wafers involves positioning each wafer freely in a cutout of one of plural carriers which rotate on a cycloidal trajectory, wherein the wafers are machined between two rotating ring-shaped working disks, each disk having a working layer of bonded abrasive, wherein the form of the working gap between working layers is determined during grinding and the form of the working area of at least one disk is altered such that the gap has a predetermined form. The wafers, during machining, may temporarily overhang the gap. The carrier is optionally composed only of a first material, or is completely or partly coated with the first material such that during machining only the first material contacts the working layer, and the first material does not reduce the machining ability of the working layer.