High density plasma etching of (Ba, Sr)TiO3 (BST) and LaNiO3 (LNO) thin films was performed in two different plasma chemistries, Cl-2/Ar and CH4/H-2/Ar. While the latter chemistry produced extremely low etch rates (less than or equal to 100 Angstrom min(-1)) under all con ditions, the Cl-2/Ar produced smooth anisotropic pattern transfer. The etching was still strongly ion-assisted, but maximum removal rates of similar to 900 Angstrom min(-1) for both materials were achieved with selectivities of similar to 16 for BST and similar to 7 for LNO over Si. A single layer of thick (similar to 7 mu m) photoresist is an effective mask under these conditions.