To extract intense ion beams with good beam optics from ion sources, controlling the distance d eff between the plasma meniscus (i.e., beam emission surface) and the beam extraction grid is important. This study conducts a novel investigation into the dependence of the effective distance d eff on the amount of surface Hproduction S H-. For this purpose, a 3D PIC (three dimensional Particle-in-Cell) simulation is conducted to obtain a model geometry of the extraction region for a Hion source with S H-as a parameter. Based on results, d eff significantly depends on S H-and the H --electron density ratio (α = n H -/n e ) in front of the extraction aperture for the same plasma density; as S H-increases, d eff decreases. The results suggest that S H-is critical for controlling d eff and the resultant beam optics extracted from the negative ion source. c