With the objective to develop a compact neutron source with laser accelerated ions, optimization of pre-formed plasmas for efficient target normal sheath acceleration (TNSA) of deuteron ions is investigated using two-dimensional radiation hydrodynamic and particle in cell (PIC) simulation codes. The plasma profile of a foil target irradiated with a pre-pulse of ns duration at the intensity of 1011–1013 W cm−2 is obtained with the radiation hydrodynamic simulation code. In addition to the formation of a long scale length pre-formed plasma at the front of the target foil, decrease of the plasma scale length at rear side is observed during temporal evolution of the preformed plasma. The two-dimensional PIC simulation on ultra-high intensity laser irradiation shows that the pre-formed plasma profiles at both sides of the target can be optimized for efficient TNSA acceleration, leading to generation of deuteron ions, collimated in the forward direction, with a larger amount and higher energy. The number of neutrons generated by deuteron-beryllium reaction increases by an order of magnitude in comparison to the laser irradiation without a pre-pulse.