Magnetic Random Access memory (MRAM) has experienced a rise in interest in recent years as an alternative to other non-volatile memory devices. As efforts continue to improve the electrical performance of these devices, parallel efforts are underway to meet the stringent requirements for the fabrication of MRAM device structures at high densities. In this report, recent efforts that have been undertaken to apply conventional etch practices to the unique requirements for the patterning of MRAM device structures in an inductively coupled plasma source are discussed. In particular, improvements in optical emission detection and the subsequent correlation of endpoint traces to films in the device structure will be presented. Correlation of the film structure to the optical emission trace is necessary, for example, as a means to identify the specific time in the etch process at which to stop on the thin insulating layer across which a magnetic tunneling junction might typically be formed. Post-etch corrosion control of the completed device structure using an integrated rinse module is also discussed.