Etching of a chemical‐beam‐epitaxy‐grown InP/InGaAs multilayer structure with reactive ion etching (RIE) and laser‐assisted dry etching ablation (LADEA) is carried out in order to evaluate the extent of the damage induced by these two etching methods. Micro‐Raman spectroscopy indicates a systematic broadening of the phonon lines as a function of depth of a RIE fabricated crater. In contrast, LADEA which is based on the application of an excimer laser for the removal of the products of chemical reaction, shows no measurable changes in the phonon line widths when compared to as‐grown material. The results suggest that LADEA has potential for the photoresistless fabrication of damage free microstructures. ©1995 American Institute of Physics.