350 IEEE MICROWAVE AND WIRELESS COMPONENTS LETTERS, VOL. 19, NO.

6, JUNE 2009

Dual-Band Bandpass Filter Design

Using a Novel Feed Scheme
Xiu Yin Zhang, Student Member, IEEE, Jin Shi, Jian-Xin Chen, and Quan Xue, Senior Member, IEEE

Abstract—A planar dual-band bandpass filter based on a novel

feed scheme is presented in this letter. The proposed filter em-
ploys two sets of resonators operating at diverse frequencies to gen-
erate two passbands. A novel scheme is introduced to feed the res-
onators. One set of resonators is utilized to not only generate the
lower passband but also feed other resonators. Source-load cou-
pling for upper passband is inherently realized. This scheme pro-
vides sufficient degrees of freedom to control the center frequen-
cies and bandwidth of the two passbands. Four transmission zeros
can be created close to passband edges, resulting in high skirt se-
lectivity. To validate the proposed idea, a demonstration filter is
implemented. The design methodology, filter sensitivity and exper-
imental results are presented.
Index Terms—Bandpass filter (BPF), dual-band, feed scheme,
source-load coupling.

I. INTRODUCTION
Fig. 1. Filter configuration.

W ITH the ever-increasing demand for dual-band wire-

less communication systems, dual-band bandpass fil-
ters (BPFs) are highly desired. To meet the need, much research
work has been performed and various design approaches have
been proposed [1]–[8]. Among them, two categories of methods
are very popular. The first category is to utilize a resonator’s fun-
damental frequency and second harmonic to generate two pass-
bands [1]–[4]. A typical example is to use stepped-impedance
resonators (SIRs). By controlling impedance and length ratios of
SIRs, desired operating frequencies can be obtained. However,
it is not convenient to meet specific bandwidth requirement.
The second category is to combine two sets of resonators with
common input and output ports [5]–[8]. Using proper configura-
tions, the required external quality factors and coupling coeffi-
cients can be obtained at two passbands. Although the structure
is relatively complex, it is easy to meet performance require-
ments of two passbands, i.e., center frequencies and bandwidth.
However, the combination circuit design remains challenging.
In this letter, a novel approach is introduced for designing
dual-band BPFs. Two sets of resonators operating at different
frequencies are utilized to generate two passbands. A special
feed scheme is employed. One set of resonators not only
Manuscript received December 15, 2008; revised January 08, 2009. First pub-
lished May 26, 2009; current version published June 05, 2009. This work was
supported by the Research Grants Council of Hong Kong Special Administra-
tive Region, China, under Grant CityU122407.
The authors are with the State Key Laboratory of Millimeter Waves, Depart-
ment of Electronic Engineering, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong,
China (e-mail: zhangxiuyin@hotmail.com).
Digital Object Identifier 10.1109/LMWC.2009.2020009
1531-1309/$25.00 © 2009 IEEE
yields the lower passband but also feeds other resonators with
source-loading coupling inherently realized. Using this scheme,
it is convenient to obtain desired external quality factors and
coupling coefficients at two passbands. Consequently, passband
performance requirements can be easily fulfilled. This scheme
uses planar structure, facilitating the design and reducing
fabrication cost. In addition, four transmission zeros can be
realized. They are close to passband edges and greatly improve
skirt selectivity. Based on the proposed idea, an experimental
filter is implemented operating at 1.8 and 2.4 GHz for DCS and
WLAN applications. Predicted responses are well confirmed
by the measured results.
II. TOPOLOGY AND MECHANISM
A. Filter Topology
Fig. 1 shows the topology of the proposed microstrip dual-
band BPF. This is a two-order filter with a symmetrical struc-
ture. It consists of two sets of half-wavelength resonators. With
longer length, resonators 1 and 4 are used to generate the lower
passband with center frequency . Open-circuited couple lines
are employed to realize electrical coupling. Embedded between
resonators 1 and 4, resonators 2 and 3 are utilized for yielding
the upper passband at . An interdigital capacitor is utilized to
couple RF signals. Two 50 lines are connected to resonators
1 and 4, acting as input and output ports. The feed and coupling
schemes vary with frequency and thus should be addressed at
respective resonant frequencies.
ZHANG et al.: DUAL-BAND BPF DESIGN
Fig. 2. Feed and coupling schemes. (a) At lower resonant frequency. (b) At
upper resonant frequency.
Fig. 3. Interdigital capacitor and its equivalent circuit.
B. Feed and Coupling Schemes for Lower Passband
Fig. 2(a) illustrates the feed and coupling schemes at lower
resonant frequency , where the black and hollow nodes repre-
sent resonators and source/load, respectively. At , resonators
1 and 4 resonate and thus the coupling between them is strong.
In contrast, the coupling between resonators 2 and 3 is relatively
weak because of their non-resonance at . In this case, res-
onators 2 and 3 function as loading elements of resonators 1
and 4, which shifts the resonant frequency downward and re-
duces circuit size. RF signals at are mainly coupled between
resonators 1 and 4. The coupling coefficient is determined by
the length and gap , as shown in Fig. 1.
As for feed circuit at , 50 microstrip lines are directly
tapped at the resonators 1 and 4, like that of open-loop filters [4],
[9]. The external quality factor is determined by the tap position
or the length [9].
C. Feed and Coupling Schemes for Upper Passband
The feed and coupling schemes at upper resonant frequency
is illustrated in Fig. 2(b). At , resonators 2 and 3 resonate
and the coupling is much stronger than that between resonators
1 and 4. In order to provide sufficient degrees of freedom for
achieving both wide and narrow upper passband, interdigital ca-
pacitor is employed to control the coupling strength within a
wide range. Fig. 3 shows the interdigital capacitor and its equiv-
alent circuit. By changing the finger number, the length , gap
and width , the coupling coefficient can be conveniently
tuned to the desired value within a wide range. It is noted that
coupled lines can be used instead of interdigitial capacitors in
case of a narrow upper passband.
351
At , resonators 1 and 4 do not resonate and thus are non-
resonating nodes [10]. In this case, they function as feed cir-
cuits for resonators 2 and 3, like that in [11]. Since the non-res-
onating nodes 1 and 4 are part of source/load and they are cou-
pled, source-load coupling is inherently realized. The source-
load coupling could help create a pair of transmission zeros on
both sides of upper passband [12], [13].
III. FILTER IMPLEMENTATION
The design procedures of this kind of filters are as follows.
We can determine the initial values of the parameters from the
design specifications. Then, fine tuning is performed to achieve
the desired response. The first step is to obtain desired passband
frequencies. The lower passband frequency is affected by the
length of resonators 1 and 4 as well as the loading effect of the
other two resonators. Therefore, the total length of resonators 1
and 4 is chosen to be slightly shorter than half guided wave-
length at . The upper passband frequency is mainly deter-
mined by the length of resonators 2 and 3. Thus, the total length
of these two resonators is around half guided wavelength at .
The second step is to determine the dimensions of tapping and
coupling structures to satisfy the requirement of external quality
factors and coupling coefficients . The desired values
of and at the two passbands can be obtained using the syn-
thesis methods presented in [11]–[13]. At lower passband, the
and between resonators 1 and 4 are determined by the tap
position , gap and length , respectively. At upper pass-
band, the is determined by the coupling between resonators
1 and 2, i.e., the gap and line width and . The be-
tween resonators 2 and 3, , depends on the dimensions of the
interdigital capacitor. Thus, the finger number and dimensions
of the interdigital capacitor can be determined based on the re-
quired . The source-load coupling or the coupling between
resonators 1 and 4, , relies on the gap and length . It is
worth mentioning that the coupling between resonators 1 and 4
should meet the demand of both passbands and this can be real-
ized by tuning two variables, i.e., the gap and length . So
far, the initial dimensions of the filter can be obtained and thus
fine tuning can be carried out to meet the specifications.
For demonstration purpose, a dual-band BPF is implemented
operating at 1.8 and 2.4 GHz for DCS and WLAN applications.
The experimental filter is fabricated on the substrate with a rela-
tive dielectric constant of 2.94 and thickness of 0.762 mm. Fol-
lowing the preceding design process, the dimensions are ob-
tained as follows: , ,
, , , ,
, , , ,
, and . The dimensions of the 14
finger interdigital capacitor are: , ,
. Due to the unavoidable presence of fabrication
tolerance, it is necessary to analyze the sensitivity. In this filter,
the performance of both passbands is affected by the coupling
between resonators 1 and 4. Furthermore, the coupling gap
is narrow and thus it is more sensitive to fabrication errors than
other parameters. Therefore, the gap is chosen to perform
the sensitivity analysis. It undergoes random errors of 16.7%,
or 0.05 mm, which is usually the maximum fabrication error.
352
Fig. 4. Filter responses when the gap g undergoes random errors of 16.7%.
Fig. 5. Simulated and measured results.
Fig. 4 illustrates the simulated responses. As can be observed,
the performance in all situations is acceptable, indicating that
this is a low-sensitivity design.
The simulation and measurement are accomplished using
IE3D and 8753ES network analyzer, respectively. Fig. 5 de-
picts the simulated and measured results, which show good
agreement. Centered at 1.84 GHz, one passband has the 1
dB bandwidth of 86 MHz or 4.9%, which covers the DCS
downlink frequency from 1.805 to 1.880 GHz. The insertion
loss, including the loss from SMA connectors, is measured
to be 0.8 dB. Two transmission poles within the passband
are observed and the return loss is greater than 17 dB. Two
transmission zeros are realized close to the passband edges at
1.64 and 2.01 GHz. These two transmission zeros are due to
the tap connection of the ports which leads to quarter-wave
resonance [4].
The other passband is located at 2.45 GHz. The 1 dB band-
width is 95 MHz or 3.8%, which covers the frequency range
IEEE MICROWAVE AND WIRELESS COMPONENTS LETTERS, VOL. 19, NO. 6, JUNE 2009
of 2.4 GHz WLAN system (2.4–2.485 GHz). The minimum in-
sertion loss is measured to be 1.1 dB. The return loss within
the passband is greater than 16 dB. Two transmission zeros are
generated at 2.32 and 2.70 GHz. They are due to coupling and
routing scheme with source-load coupling. The mechanism is
detailed in [12] and [13].
IV. CONCLUSION
This letter has presented a planar dual-band BPF based on
a novel feed scheme. This scheme makes full use of one set
of resonators. They perform dual functions, acting as both res-
onators and feed circuits at different frequencies. Meanwhile,
source-load coupling is inherently realized and help create a
pair of transmission zeros. Sufficient degrees of freedom are
provided to achieve various specifications including center fre-
quency and bandwidth. The design methodology and filter sen-
sitivity have been presented and a demonstration filter has been
implemented for DCS and WLAN applications. Four transmis-
sion zeros are realized, resulting in high selectivity. The high
performance, planar structure and compact size make it attrac-
tive for wireless communications.
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