To obtain a lifetime of surface discharge optical pumping source, the sectioned-surface discharge optical pumping source with an Al2O3 ceramic substrate is developed. Based on the discharge voltage and the discharge current waveforms of a pump source, the discharge period, the discharge channel resistance, the energy deposition efficiency and the average power density of discharge plasma are investigated in detail under different conditions. The discharge period, the discharge channel resistance and the energy deposition efficiency increase with an increase in the length of the discharge gap and the pressure of the mixed gas. A trend toward the opposite is observed as the charging voltage increases. The average power density of discharge plasma mainly depends on the charging voltage and the length of the discharge gap but is almost unaffected by the gas pressure. Normally, the energy deposition efficiency can be more than 82% and the average power density of discharge plasma is 936 MW/cm when the charging voltage is 268 kV, the discharge gap length is 8 cm, and the gas pressure is 100 kPa. The experimental results show that Al2O3 ceramic surface discharge optical pump source performs good discharge characteristics, and has a higher average discharge plasma power density than Teflon surface discharge optical pumping source under the same conditions, which results in a better vacuum ultraviolet radiation intensity and a brightness temperature above 23 kK. An Al2O3 ceramic surface discharge optical pumping source is appropriate for optical pumping XeF2 to obtain a high power XeF(C-A) blue-green laser.