The total ion current generated by a vacuum arc plasma source was measured. The discharge system investigated allowed ion collection from the arc plasma streaming through a hemispherical mesh anode with geometric transparency of 72 percent. A range of different cathode materials was investigated, and the arc current was varied over the range 50-500 A. We find that the normalized ion current (Iion/Iarc) depends on the cathode material, with values in the range from 5 percent to 19 percent and generally greater for elements of low cohesive energy. The application of a strong axial magnetic field in the cathode and arc region leads to increased normalized ion current, but only by virtue of enhanced ion charge states formed in a strong magnetic field.

A vacuum arc ion source was modified allowing us to collect ions from arc plasma streaming through an anode mesh. The mesh had a geometric transmittance of 60 percent, which was taken into account as a correction factor. The ion current from twenty-two cathode materials was measured at an arc current of 100 A. The ion current normalized by the arc current was found to depend on the cathode material, with valuesin the range from 5 percent to 11 percent. The normalized ion current is generally greater for light elements than for heavy elements. The ion erosion rates were determined from values of ion currentand ion charge states, which were previously measured in the same experimental system. The ion erosion rates range from 12-94 mu g/C.