Etching characteristics of p-type (BiSb)(2)Te-3 films were studied with CH4/H-2/Ar gas mixture using an inductively coupled plasma (ICP)-reactive ion etching (RIE) system. The effects of gas mixing ratio, working pressure and gas flow rate on the etch rate and the surface morphology were investigated. The vertical etched profile with the etch rate of 600 nm/min was achieved at the optimized processing parameters. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis revealed the non-uniform etching of (BiSb)(2)Te-3 films due to disparate volatility of the etching products. Micro-masking effects caused by polymer deposition and Bi-rich residues resulted in roughly etched surfaces. Smooth surfaces can be obtained by optimizing the CH4/H2/Ar mixing ratio. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.