Systems and methods discussed herein are directed towards processing of substrates, including forming a plurality of features in a target layer on a substrate. The formation of the plurality of features includes a main etch operation that forms the plurality of features to a first depth in the target layer. The main etch operation is followed by a phase shift sync pulsing (PSSP) operation, and these two operations are repeated iteratively to form the features to a predetermined depth. The PSSP operation includes one or more cycles of RF source power and RF bias power, this cycle deposits a protective coating in and on the features and then etches a portion of the protective coating to expose portions of the feature.