• S. Gammino, G. Castro, L. Celona, G. Ciavola, D. Mascali, R. Miracoli
  INFN/LNS, Catania
• G. Adroit, O. Delferrière, R. Gobin, F. Senée
  CEA, Gif-sur-Yvette
• F. Maimone
  GSI, Darmstadt

The sources adapted to beam production for high power proton accelerators must obey to the request of high brightness, stability and reliability. The Versatile Ion Source (VIS) is based on permanent magnets (maximum value around 0.1 T on the chamber axis) producing an off-resonance microwave discharge. It operates up to 80 kV without a bulky high voltage platform, producing several tens of mA of proton beams and monocharged ions. The microwave injection system and the extraction electrodes geometry have been designed in order to optimize the beam brightness. Moreover, the VIS source ensures long time operations without maintenance and high reliability in order to fulfil the requirements of the future accelerators. A description of the main components and of the source performances will be given. A brief summary of the possible options for next developments of the project will be also presented, particularly for pulsed mode operations, that are relevant for future projects.