In this work, the etching characteristics of ZnO thin films were investigated using an inductively coupled plasma(ICP) of HBr/Ar/$CHF_3$ gas mixtures. The plasma characteristics were analyzed by a quadrupole mass spectrometer (QMS) and double langmuir probe (DLP). The surface reaction of the ZnO thin films was investigated using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The etch rate of ZnO was measured as a function of the $CHF_3$ mixing ratio in the range of 0-15% in an HBr:Ar=5:2 plasma at a fixed gas pressure (6mTorr), input power (700 W), bias power (200 W) and total gas flow rate(50sccm). The etch rate of the ZnO films decreased with increasing $CHF_3$ fraction due to the etch-blocking polymer layer formation.