Controlled etching of copper electrodes in Gas Electron Multiplier foils allows a reduction of the material budget by more than a factor of two for a triple-GEM detector. Detectors making use of thinned foils provide performances similar to those obtained with standard devices-a gain above 10(4) for a double-GEM, with energy resolution of 27% fwhm for 5.9 keV X-rays. (c) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.