The dynamics of negative surface discharges in c-C4F8/CF3I/CO2 gas mixture is investigated here with a 2D fluid model. The distributions of ion concentration, electric field strength and photon flux during the propagation of the streamer are obtained by solving the drift-diffusion equations of particles and Poisson’s equation, and the photon flux variation function during the propagation is also fitted. It is found that the streamer branches occur when the streamer transitions from the upper surface of the insulator to the side surface, and then when the streamer approaches the plane electrode, the photon flux will increase significantly. On this basis, the positive and negative surface discharge models are compared in terms of streamer characteristics, particle characteristics and streamer branches. It is found that the streamer has a higher electron concentration and electric field in the
positive model. The streamer develops “floating” in the positive surface discharge, while it is close to the surface of the insulator in the negative model. In addition, the negative streamer branch has a wider width and develops further.