Abstract: The surface flashover ion source based on micro-electro-mechanical system technology is the critical component of the chip type neutron generator. In this paper, patterned titanium films were prepared on ceramic substrates and surface flashover ion source samples were obtained by overlapping three layers of ceramics. The ion current and electrode ablation characteristics of the surface flashover ion source were obtained by the plate probe and laser confocal microscope, and the discharge evolution image and the emission spectra of the surface flashover ion source were obtained by the high-speed camera and the spectrometer. Finally, based on the experimental results, the discharge mechanism of surface flashover ion source is revealed.