The authors have developed an anisotropic, high aspect ratio (18:1) etch for perfluorocyclobutyl (PFCB) polymers with trenches as narrow as 800 nm using a CO/O-2 etch chemistry in an inductively coupled plasma reactive ion etcher. Anisotropy is achieved by carbon sidewall passivation. The motivation for this etch development is to use the air trenches as very compact waveguide splitters [S. Kim et al., Opt. Eng. 45, 054602 (2006)]. The authors report a new trench widening mechanism due to tensile stress of the PFCB films and a method of avoiding this widening through the use of additional stress relief trenches on both sides of the desired trench. (c) 2006 American Vacuum Society.