Abstract: A method of patterning a film of PZT material comprises the steps of providing a mask over a selected surface portion of the PZT material; and, plasma etching unmasked portions of the thin film material. The method includes the steps of: introducing a gas mixture of halogenated gases into a chamber; ionizing the gas mixture into a plasma in the chamber by imposition of an electric field across the introduced gaseous mixture, chemically reacting the ionized gaseous mixture, chemically reacting the unmasked portions of the lead zirconate titanate thin film material to selectively remove such exposed portion of the thin film material. The gas mixture is a mixture of a chloride and a compound of fluorine. Preferably the compound of fluorine is a halocarbon or fluorocarbon. In particular, the fluorocarbon is a trifluoromethane, CHF.sub.3, and the chloride is boron trichloride BCl.sub.3.