Control of surface roughness of silicon carbide (SiC) is to maintain or improve the electrical stability of high-power devices. The bias power plays an important role in determining the surface roughness. The surface roughness of SiC films etched in a C 2F 6 inductively coupled plasma is investigated in two ways: a variation in the bias power at fixed plasma conditions; and a shift in process parameters including radio frequency (rf) source power, pressure, O 2 fraction, and gap between the wafer and plasma source. The surface roughness was measured by an atomic force microscopy (AFM). Parameter-induced DC bias was also correlated to the surface roughness. Under high pressure, the surface roughness was strongly correlated to the bias power-induced DC bias for the variation in the source power or the gap. Depending on the pressure, a significant discrepancy in the roughness behavior was observed at fixed or varying plasma conditions. Parameter interactions of practical importance were observed near the plasma source or in the presence of O 2 fraction at low pressure. For variations in only the source power, the DC bias was strongly correlated to the surface roughness without regard to the pressure.