1838 PIERS Proceedings, Stockholm, Sweden, Aug.

1215, 2013

Design of Elliptic-Function Microstrip Filters with Defected Ground

Structures
A. O. Ertay and S. S imsek
Electrical and Electronics Eng. Faculty, Istanbul Technical University, Istanbul, Turkey

Abstract In this study, a design procedure which includes three steps is proposed to improve
the frequency characteristics of elliptic function microstrip filters with defected ground structures.
Firstly, a conventional filter design is presented using elliptic filter prototype. Following the
first step, normalized element values of elliptic low pass filter prototype are used and desired
filter transformation is carried out. Secondly, microstrip filter transformation of obtained elliptic
low pass filter is attained. Lastly, ground plane is etched with dierent shapes like square-
dumbbell, interdigital and fractal versions of dierent geometries. In this case, an improvement
of microstrip filter design is achieved using Defected Ground Structures (DGSs). MATLAB and
full wave electromagnetic simulators are used to model the proposed filters. Scattering parameters
of microstrip elliptic filter are extracted and plotted via commercial EM design environments.
Modifications of ground plane with dierent geometries are applied to the microstrip elliptic filter
via EM software tools and consistent simulation results are obtained.

1. INTRODUCTION
Determination of design objectives of microwave filters is one of the most important points in
filter design concerning practical requirements. Microwave filter designers follow specific design
procedures to meet design objectives [1].
Filters may have frequency characteristics like bandpass, low pass, high pass and bandstop
responses. Practically, any filter has no ideal characteristics such as infinite attenuation at stopband,
zero insertion loss at passband [2] and steep transition region from passband to stopband. In
addition, some of designers goals may be compacting of the design structure for smooth curve of
group delay, broad bandwidth or stopband. Therefore, it is desired to approach these ideal cases
for proposed filter characteristics.
Recently, a spreading attention is given for defected ground structures due to demonstrating of
their multi-electromagnetic band gaps (EBGs) or stop bands in frequency responses. There is an
etch or slot on the ground plane of planar microstrip which permits interaction between microstrip
and defected ground plane [3].
Many applications such as power dividers, microstrip antennas and microwave filters are based
on defected ground structures. In power divider applications, etching ground plane can provide size
reduction [4] at lower microwave frequencies. Furthermore, DGSs are used for compactness [5, 6],
harmonic control in active microstrip antennas [7], impedance matching at feed line [8], improv-
ing and controlling radiation properties of patch antennas [9] and suppression of cross-polarized
radiation from microstrip arrays [10]. DGSs find more common usage interest in microwave filter
applications [11]. Various kinds of design are available in literature for dierent filter types and
specific properties like small size [12, 13], sharp rejection [14], wide stopband [15], multi-band re-
sponse [16]. In some applications, sharper transition region is vital important role and sharpness
factor should be analyzed for this applications [17, 18].
2. DESIGN PROCEDURE
Achieving an elliptic microstrip filter design is the first step of design objectives. To do this, it is
needed to have normalized element values and some important parameters like minimum stopband
insertion loss (IL) value for elliptic low pass prototype filter. Table 1 shows desired design values for
elliptic function low pass prototype filter design. Because of no simple formulation for determining
element values of the elliptic-function lowpass prototype filters, element values in [3] are used in the
design. For more information about element values of elliptic function low pass prototype filters
are available in [19, 20].
In Table 1, n, C , s , LAs , LAr are order of filter, normalized cuto frequency, the equal-ripple
stopband starting frequency, minimum stop band insertion loss and pass band ripple, respectively.
Normalized element values of elliptic function low pass filter prototype are g0 to g7 . It is needed
to find L-C element values of passive elements shown in Figure 1. In this design input/output
Progress In Electromagnetics Research Symposium Proceedings, Stockholm, Sweden, Aug. 12-15, 2013 1839

Table 1: Element values of elliptic function low pass prototype filter for g0 = g7 = 1, C = 1.
n s LAs [dB] LAr [dB] gL1 = g1 gC2 = g2 gL2 = g2 gL3 = g3 gC4 = g4 gL4 = g4 gL5 = g5 gC6 = g6
6 1.2503 39.9773 0.1 0.7422 1.1189 0.3313 1.2276 0.9746 0.6260 1.1413 1.0273

terminal impedance, relative dielectric permittivity, substrate thickness are chosen as Z0 = 50 ,

"r = 10.8 and h = 1.27 mm respectively. In addition to these parameters, it is desired to design a
low-pass filter with a cut-o frequency of 1.6 GHz using DGS. According to our simulation results,
DGS structure reduces cut-o frequency of designed filter. Therefore, cut-o frequency should be
chosen greater than desired frequency. It is appropriate to start the design with a cut-o frequency
which is 30% or 40% greater than desired frequency. In these simulations, cut-o frequency of
low-pass filter is assumed as 2 GHz. The L-C element values, which are scaled to Z0 and fc , can be
determined as given in [3].
1
Li = Z0 gLi
2fc
(1)
1 1
Ci = gC
2fc Z0 i
Calculated element values are given in Table 2.

Table 2: L-C Element values of desired design.

L1 L2 C2 L3 L4 C4 L5 C6
2.9531 nH 1.3182 nH 1.7807 pF 4.8844 nH 2.4907 nH 1.5511 pF 4.5410 nH 1.6256 pF

In this design, stepped impedance low pass filter, which use a cascaded structure of alternating
high- and low-impedance transmission lines, is used to realize microstrip structure. Inductors
behave high impedance lines and capacitors are modeled low impedance ones. Because of stepped
impedance design is valid only short transmission line l < /8, it is needed to be careful at each
step. For the design of low impedance and high impedance line Z0L = 14 and Z0H = 93 are
taken. Design Equation (2) can be used to find physical lengths of high and low impedance lines
with respect to the desired element values.

gL (fc ) Li
lLi = sin1 2fc
2 Z0L
(2)
gC (fc ) 1
lCi = sin (2fc Z0C Ci )
2
Table 3 lists all relevant microstrip design parameters calculated using the microstrip design equa-
tions.

Table 3: Microstrip design parameters of desired elliptic low pass filter.

ZoH = 93 WL = 0.2 mm "ef f = 6.4577 gL (fc ) = 59.02 mm

lL1 = 3.85 mm, lL2 = 1.682 mm, lL3 = 6.771 mm, lL4 = 3.224 mm, lL5 = 6.206 mm
ZoL = 50 W0 = 1.1 mm "ef f = 7.1714 g0 (fc ) = 56.01 mm
ZoL = 14 WC = 8 mm "ef f = 8.7749 gC (fc ) = 50.63 mm
lC2 = 2.56 mm, lC4 = 2.22 mm, lC6 = 2.33 mm

Figure 2 shows microstrip realization of desired design. Scattering parameters of Figure 2 are
attained with the help of SONNET electromagnetic simulation program. Figure 3(a) illustrates
scattering parameters of required design both HFSS and SONNET EM simulation environments.
Because of undesired reactance/susceptance and microstrip discontinuities, 3 dB cut o frequency
reveals at 1.62 GHz in HFSS and at 1.65 GHz in SONNET. Resonant frequency and sharpness factor
are obtained as 2.05 GHz and 0.8048 via SONNET.
1840 PIERS Proceedings, Stockholm, Sweden, Aug. 1215, 2013

Figure 1: An elliptic-function, lumped-element low Figure 2: Microstrip realization of desired design.

pass filter.

3. NUMERICAL RESULTS
Last step is to etch ground plane and investigate of dierent frequency characteristics of the design.
In the design procedure, some kind of dierent geometries like square dumbbell, fractal dumbbell
and meander DGSs are applied to ground plane (Figure 3). Figures 3(b) and 3(c) show square
dumbbell and fractal DGS at the bottom of the designed filter.
Figure 3(d) gives comparison of S-parameters of designed filters with dumbbell square DGS,
fractal DGS and without DGS. Figure 3(d) shows that etching ground plane with dumbbell square
DGS increases cut o and resonant frequency with respect to without DGS case. Fractal DGS

(a) (b)

(c) (d)

Figure 3: (a) S parameters of elliptic function microstrip low pass filter. (b) Bottom of the designed filter
(square dumbbell). (c) Bottom of the designed filter (Fractal Dumbbell). (d) S parameters of elliptic function
microstrip low pass filter with square dumbbell and fractal dumbbell.
Progress In Electromagnetics Research Symposium Proceedings, Stockholm, Sweden, Aug. 12-15, 2013 1841

shape in ground plane decreases cut o and resonant frequency to the square dumbbell DGS case.
Transmission peak occurs in dumbbell square DGS case at 4 GHz as well as in fractal DGS case
at 4.15 GHz. Another case of designed filters is etching ground plane with having meander DGS.
Figure 4(a) and 4(b) show view of meander DGS shape and its design parameters. As it is seen in
Figure 4(b) and 4(d) design parameter like conductor spacing (cs) and finger numbers of meander
DGS shape are varied and compared to each other. Figure 4 also shows that sharpness factor
decreases when finger number increases for meander DGS.

(a) (b)

(c) (d)
Figure 4: (a) Meander DGS Geometry. (b) Comparison of S parameters both included meander DGS
having dierent conductor spacing (cs = 0.1 mm, 0.5 mm) values and without DGS case, (Lengt = 9 mm,
Final Length = 5 mm, Conductor width = 0.8 mm, First Length = 5, Number of Fingers = 4. (c) Bottom
view of designed filter with meander DGS. (d) Comparison of S parameters both included meander DGS
having dierent fingers (f = 4, 6, 8) values and without DGS case, (Length = 9 mm, Final Length = 5 mm,
Conductor width = 0.8 mm, First Length = 5 mm, Conductor Spacing = 0.5 mm).

Table 4 lists variation of cut o (fc ), resonant frequency (f0 ) and sharpness factor (fc /f0 ) values
when dierent DGS cases are applied. Furthermore, variation of length value of meander DGS case
is also analyzed. It shows that when the length value is increased sharpness factor value increases
for meander DGS case.

Table 4: Comparison of dierent filter designs with DGS.

Design Types fc (GHz) f0 (GHz) Sharpness Factor: fc /f0

without DGS 1.65 2.05 0.8048
with SD DGS 1.709 2.3 0.743
with fractal DGS 1.672 2.25 0.743
with meander DGS Finger: 4 1.58 1.95 0.8102
with meander DGS Finger: 6 1.582 1.97 0.8030
with meander DGS Finger: 8 1.602 2.075 0.772
with meander DGS Length: 5 1.602 2.075 0.772
with meander DGS Length: 9 1.545 1.825 0.846
with meander DGS conductor spacing: 0.1 mm 1.556 1.825 0.852
with meander DGS conductor spacing: 0.5 mm 1.58 1.95 0.810
1842 PIERS Proceedings, Stockholm, Sweden, Aug. 1215, 2013

4. CONCLUSION
In this paper, an elliptic-function low pass microstrip filter is designed with defected ground struc-
tures using full-wave electromagnetic design environments. Dierent DGS shapes like square dumb-
bell DGS, fractal dumbbell DGS, meander DGS are etched on ground plane separately and sharp-
ness factor values of these dierent designs are compared. Our design objectives are achieved and
it is shown appropriate DGS shapes on ground plane could be important parameter to improve
better sharpness factor.
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