We describe an indirectly heated cathode ion source which has several times the lifetime of commercial Bernas sources which incorporate a bare filament cathode. In addition, much higher multiply charged beam currents are attainable using this source due to its ability to operate safely at higher arc discharge power. In addition to an overall system description, we present typical lifetimes and ion species fractions, and the latter’s dependence on source operating parameters such as arc voltage and source magnetic field. Data are presented for boron, arsenic, and phosphorus beams. Cathode lifetime ranges from 70 h at the highest discharge power levels to over 500 h for moderate operation. At high discharge power levels (≈1 kW), the ions are predominantly atomic, rather than molecular, species. Multiply charged beam production also increases with discharge power and plasma density. Doubly charged fractions of 15&percent; for phosphorus, and 2&percent; for boron, have been demonstrated during ion implant.©1998 American Institute of Physics.