Plasma-induced damage produced during oxide etching has been characterized using physical (thermawave), chemical (total reflectance x-ray fluorescence, TXRF), and electrical (MOS capacitors) techniques. The system used in this study is a planar inductively coupled plasma reactor. In addition, results from a capacitively coupled parallel plate etch reactor are included for comparison. Plasma-induced damage is examined with respect to the inductive power, bias power, and gas chemistry. The planar inductive plasma reactor is shown to create significantly less damage compared to the parallel plate reactive ion etch reactor.