In cooperation with the Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory, a multicusp ion source has been investigated. The goal of these investigations is to generate a nearly pure atomic nitrogen (N+) ion beam. To achieve this, the discharge chamber is divided into two parts of different plasma parameters by means of a filter magnetic field. As beam diagnostics, a bending magnet and a faraday cup have been used. Measurements of the beam current density and the ion composition for a wide range of discharge conditions have been performed. By using a Langmuir probe, we have performed measurements of electron temperature and electron density.