Abstract: This disclosure describes systems, methods, and apparatuses for extinguishing electrical arcs in a plasma processing chamber. Once an arc is detected, the steady state voltage provided to the plasma processing chamber can be reduced, and the current being provided to the chamber decays below a steady state value as the arc is extinguished. When the current falls to or below a current threshold, the voltage can be ramped back up bringing the voltage and current back to steady state values. This technique enables power to return to a steady state level faster than traditional arc mitigation techniques.

Abstract: This disclosure describes systems, methods, and apparatuses for extinguishing electrical arcs in a plasma processing chamber. Once an arc is detected, the steady state voltage provided to the plasma processing chamber can be reduced, and the current being provided to the chamber decays below a steady state value as the arc is extinguished. When the current falls to or below a current threshold, the voltage can be ramped back up bringing the voltage and current back to steady state values. This technique enables power to return to a steady state level faster than traditional arc mitigation techniques.

Abstract: Proactive arc management systems and methods are disclosed. In many implementations, proactive arc management is accomplished by executing an arc handling routine in response to an actual arc occurring in the plasma load and in response to proactive arc handling requests in a sampling interval. The number of proactive arc handling requests in a sampling interval is a function of a proactive arc management count that in turn is a function of actual number of arcs in a preceding sampling interval. Accordingly during a present sampling interval proactive arc management executes arc handling for actual arcs in the present sampling interval and for each count in a proactive arc management count updated as a function of the number of arcs in the immediately preceding sampling interval.