Micro-arc ignition on the oily surface of capacitively-coupled plasma

•Images of micro-arcs on the oily surface of CCP are captured in very short time.•Micro-arcs are observed only on the oil-soiled region.•Low maintenance of minimum plasma potential is good method for micro-arcs-avoiding.

Micro-arc ignition on the oily surface is investigated in a capacitively-coupled plasma (CCP) system. In this system, micro-arc generation is enhanced by increased level of plasma potential, which is induced by a DC-grounded coil between blocking capacitor and the powered electrode. The images of micro-arcs are captured with very short exposure time of 20 μs using intensified charge-coupled device triggered by a high speed comparator and the focused ground electrode is partially soiled with oil. The micro-arcs are observed only on the oily surface of the electrode. This observation provides that the oily surface of CCP is very weak for micro-arc ignition and micro-arc ignition is supposed to be enhanced by the oil evaporation and the thin oil layer, considering the RF Paschen breakdown of the oil vapor within the sheath and the dielectric breakdown of thin oil layer.