A parametric study of etch rates, selectivity, surface morphology and etch anisotropy has been performed for Cl-2 and CH4/H-2 inductively coupled plasma (ICP) patterning of GaN, AlN, InN, InAlN, and InGaN at low de self-biases (typically less than or equal to -100 V). Controlled etch rates in the range 500-1500 Angstrom min(-1) are obtained for all materials. Surface morphology is a strong function of ion energy and plasma composition in both chemistries, while vertical sidewalls are obtained over a wide range of conditions because of the ion-driven nature of the etch mechanism.