Application of reactive ion etching (RIE) technique to Ta-Al alloy thin film with a thickness of $1000{AA}$ was studied. $CF_{4}$ gas could be used effectively to etch the Ta-Al alloy thin film. The etching rate in the thin film with Ta content of 50 mol% was about $67{AA}/min$. NO selectivity between the Ta-Al alloy film and $SiO_{2}$ film was observed during the etching using the $CF_{4}$ gas. The etching rate of the $SiO_{2}$ layer was 12 times faster than that of the Ta-Al alloy thin film. It was also observed that photoresist of AZ5214 was more useful than Shiepley 1400-27 in RIE with the $CF_{4}$ gas.