We have used the existing magnetic multicusp configuration of the large volume H− source Camembert III to confine the plasma created by seven elementary multidipolar electron cyclotron resonance (ECR) sources, operating at 2.45 GHz. We varied the pressure from 1 to 4 mTorr, while the total power of the microwave generator was varied between 500 W and 1 kW. We studied the plasma created by this system and measured the various plasma parameters, including the density and temperature of the negative hydrogen ions which are compared to the data obtained in a chamber with elementary ECR sources without multicusp magnetic confinement. The electron temperature is lower than that obtained with similar elementary sources in the absence of the magnetic multicusp field. We found that at pressures in the range from 2 to 4 mTorr and microwave power of up to 1 kW, the electron temperature is optimal for H− ion production (0.6–0.8 eV). This could indicate that the multicusp configuration effectively traps the fast electrons produced by the ECR discharge.

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