A two‐dimensional microtopography etch simulation using Monte Carlo methods is presented. This simulation investigates the topography of an arbitrary profile, periodic semiconductor surface after (ion assisted) plasma etching. The dependence of the topography on the etch chemistry, the ion energy, and the physical bombardment mechanism is discussed. For sputter etching, the degree of anisotropy is shown to be related to both the ion directionality and the sputter yield function. The potential for using this simulation to analyze microscopic properties of plasma etching is discussed.