The article discusses the future of plasma etching in microelectronics, highlighting challenges and opportunities. Plasma etching is essential for semiconductor manufacturing, enabling the shrinking of device dimensions and increasing performance. As the industry moves toward 3D device architectures and smaller critical dimensions, plasma etching faces new challenges, including maintaining pattern fidelity, improving material selectivity, and avoiding plasma-induced damage. The article also addresses the need for sustainable practices, such as green chemistry and reduced emissions, and explores new materials and processes for etching complex structures. It emphasizes the importance of integrating experiments with computational approaches like machine learning and artificial intelligence to overcome past limitations. The article reviews various etching techniques, including atomic layer etching, cryogenic etching, and advanced plasma etching methods, and discusses their potential for future microelectronics manufacturing. It also highlights the role of industry experts in shaping the future of plasma etching and the need for collaboration between industry and academia to achieve the precision required for next-generation devices. The article concludes that continued innovation and optimization of plasma etching processes will be crucial for the continued advancement of microelectronics technology.The article discusses the future of plasma etching in microelectronics, highlighting challenges and opportunities. Plasma etching is essential for semiconductor manufacturing, enabling the shrinking of device dimensions and increasing performance. As the industry moves toward 3D device architectures and smaller critical dimensions, plasma etching faces new challenges, including maintaining pattern fidelity, improving material selectivity, and avoiding plasma-induced damage. The article also addresses the need for sustainable practices, such as green chemistry and reduced emissions, and explores new materials and processes for etching complex structures. It emphasizes the importance of integrating experiments with computational approaches like machine learning and artificial intelligence to overcome past limitations. The article reviews various etching techniques, including atomic layer etching, cryogenic etching, and advanced plasma etching methods, and discusses their potential for future microelectronics manufacturing. It also highlights the role of industry experts in shaping the future of plasma etching and the need for collaboration between industry and academia to achieve the precision required for next-generation devices. The article concludes that continued innovation and optimization of plasma etching processes will be crucial for the continued advancement of microelectronics technology.