Raman scattering spectroscopy is used to probe the surface electrical properties (surface depletion width) of GaAs after dry etching in either a reactive ion etching (RIE) system or a remote plasma system. A variety of etch gases (argon, helium, Freon 12, HCl) and biases (−80 to −350 V) are used to examine physically and chemically induced damage. Through the use of wet etches, the dry etch induced damage was observed to be within ∼300 Å of the surface. In the RIE system, etching with argon and helium causes the depletion width to widen, with helium inducing a greater effect. A remote plasma does not cause a change in the depletion width, indicating an absence of energetically damaging species. In contrast to inert gases, etching with reactive gases in both systems reduces the effective surface charge.