A high-power pulsed sputtering (HPPS) discharge source was evaluated experimentally as the ion source for droplet-free plasma processes. The basic configuration of the HPPS source consisted of a hollow cathode arrangement. A rectangular pulse voltage with an amplitude ranging from −330 to −1200 V and a pulse width of 600 μs was applied. The magnetic field used to reduce electron losses at the gap between the target was 0.2 T and was parallel to the electric field in the ion sheath. The current density on the target with the magnets (HPPS) was approximately 15 kA m−2 and was one order of magnitude higher than that without the magnets [hollow-cathode discharge (HCD)]. The ion density of the HPPS discharge was approximately 3.4 × 1018 m−3 at 30 mm apart from the electrode edge and decreased to 2.2 × 1017 m−3 by changing from an HPPS discharge to an HCD.