A source delivering a broad, high current ion beam compatible with both chemically active and inert has been developed which gives reliable, long term, maintenance-free operation. It uses a glow discharge with a cold cathode in a magnetic field where a dense uniform plasma is generated in large volumes at low gas pressures. Optimal selection of the electrode configuration and magnetic field ensures operation at pressures lower than 0.1 Pa in pulse-periodic mode (1-10 A discharge current, 1 ms pulse length, 25-50 Hz frequency), and continuous mode (discharge current up to 2 A). The current density of a 15-cm-diam beam can reach 10 mA cm(-2) in the former, and 1 mA cm(-2) in the latter. Tests with a 50-cm-diam discharge chamber show the uniformity of the ion emission current to be better than +/-10%, confirming that the technology is scaleable, and that beams of up to 2000 cm(2) cross-sectional area can be obtained without loss of beam uniformity through appropriate design of the extraction system. The source is completely reactive gas-compatible, generating ion beams from oxygen, nitrogen, argon or ionized CH radicals (e.g., using C3H8). Mass-charge beam analysis shows the beams, generated to be of high purity (>99%). Applications include low energy (1-3 keV) ion beam cleaning of glass, ceramic and metal surfaces prior to the deposition of protective and decorative coatings such as TiN and diamondlike carbon, ion beam assisted deposition, and high energy gas ion implantation using, e.g., guise-periodic beams of ions with energies up to 50 keV.