MICROWAVE BANDPASS

FILTERS FOR WIDEBAND

COMMUNICATIONS
WILEY SERIES IN MICROWAVE AND OPTICAL
ENGINEERING

KAI CHANG, Editor

Texas A&M University

A complete list of the titles in this series appears at the end of this volume.
MICROWAVE BANDPASS
FILTERS FOR WIDEBAND
COMMUNICATIONS

LEI ZHU
Nanyang Technological University, Singapore

SHENG SUN
The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong

RUI LI
Institute of Microelectronics, Singapore

A JOHN WILEY & SONS, INC., PUBLICATION

Copyright © 2012 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data:

Zhu, Lei, 1963-
Microwave bandpass filters for wideband communications / Lei Zhu, Sheng Sun, Rui Li.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references.
ISBN 978-0-470-87661-9 (hardback).
1. Broadband communication systems. 2. Ultra-wideband devices. I. Sun, Sheng,
1980- II. Li, Rui, 1981- III. Title.
TK5103.4.Z48 2011
621.381'3224–dc23
2011034132

Printed in the United States of America

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
CONTENTS

PREFACE ix

1 INTRODUCTION 1
1.1 Background on UWB Technology / 2
1.2 UWB Regulations / 3
1.2.1 FCC Radiation Masks / 3
1.2.2 ECC Radiation Masks / 4
1.2.3 UWB Definition and Bandwidth / 7
1.3 UWB Bandpass Filters / 8
1.4 Organization of the Book / 11
References / 13

2 TRANSMISSION LINE CONCEPTS AND NETWORKS 18

2.1 Introduction / 18
2.2 Transmission Line Theory / 19
2.2.1 Basic Transmission Line Model / 19
2.2.2 Lossless Terminated Transmission Lines / 21
2.3 Microwave Network Parameters / 26
2.3.1 Scattering Parameters for Two-Port
Network / 26
2.3.2 [Z] and [Y] Matrices / 30
v
vi CONTENTS

2.3.3ABCD Parameters / 33
2.3.4Conversions between S-, Z-, Y-, and ABCD-Matrix
Parameters / 38
2.4 Relative Theories of Network Analysis / 42
2.4.1 Even- and Odd-Mode Network Analysis / 42
2.4.2 Image Parameter Method / 47
2.5 Summary / 52
References / 52

3 CONVENTIONAL PARALLEL-COUPLED LINE FILTER 53

3.1 Introduction / 53
3.2 Lumped-Element Lowpass Filter Prototype / 54
3.2.1 Maximally Flat and Chebyshev Characteristics / 54
3.2.2 Lumped-Element Ladder Network / 56
3.3 Impedance and Frequency Transformation / 65
3.3.1 Lowpass to Lowpass Transformation / 66
3.3.2 Lowpass to Highpass Transformation / 66
3.3.3 Lowpass to Bandpass Transformation / 67
3.3.4 Lowpass to Bandstop Transformation / 68
3.4 Immittance Inverters / 70
3.5 Lowpass Prototype Filter with Immittance Inverter / 71
3.6 Parallel-Coupled Line Bandpass Filter / 76
3.7 Summary / 84
References / 84

4 PLANAR TRANSMISSION LINE RESONATORS 85

4.1 Introduction / 85
4.2 Uniform Impedance Resonator / 87
4.2.1 Short-Circuited λg/2 Transmission Line / 87
4.2.2 Open-Circuited λg/2 Transmission Line / 89
4.2.3 Short-Circuited λg/4 Transmission Line / 91
4.2.4 Open-Circuited λg/4 Transmission Line / 93
4.3 Stepped Impedance Resonators / 94
4.3.1 Fundamental Properties of SIR / 95
4.3.2 Slope Parameters of SIR / 101
 CONTENTS vii

4.3.3 Design of the Parallel-Coupled Line Bandpass

Filters with SIR / 102
4.4 Multiple-Mode Resonator / 104
4.4.1 Open-Circuited Multiple-Mode Resonator / 104
4.4.2 Short-Circuited Multiple-Mode Resonator / 108
4.4.3 Design of the Parallel-Coupled Line Bandpass
Filters with MMRs / 109
4.5 Summary / 113
References / 114

5 MMR-BASED UWB BANDPASS FILTERS 116

5.1 Introduction / 116
5.2 An Initial MMR-Based UWB Bandpass Filter / 118
5.3 UWB Bandpass Filters with Varied Geometries / 121
5.3.1 Aperture-Backed PCML / 121
5.3.2 Broadside Microstrip/CPW / 122
5.3.3 Inductive Coupling Element on CPW / 125
5.4 UWB Filters with Improved Out-of-Band
Performance / 130
5.4.1 Capacitive-Ended Interdigital Coupled Lines / 130
5.4.2 Coupling between Two Feed Lines / 134
5.4.3 Stub-Loaded MMR / 136
5.4.4 Lowpass Embedded MMR / 140
5.5 UWB Bandpass Filter with a Notch Band / 142
5.6 Summary / 146
References / 146

6 SYNTHESIS APPROACH FOR UWB FILTERS 149

6.1 Introduction / 149
6.2 Transfer Function / 150
6.3 Transmission Line Network with Pure
Shunt/Series Stubs / 152
6.4 Transmission Line Network with Hybrid Series and Shunt
Stubs / 163
6.5 MMR-Based UWB Filter with Parallel-Coupled Lines / 178
6.6 Summary / 187
References / 187
viii CONTENTS

7 OTHER TYPES OF UWB FILTERS 188

7.1 Introduction / 188
7.2 UWB Filters with Highpass and Lowpass Filters / 188
7.3 UWB Filters with Optimum Shunt Short-Circuited
Stubs / 191
7.3.1 UWB Filter with Extended Upper Stopband / 192
7.3.2 UWB Filter with Enhanced Selectivity / 194
7.4 UWB Filters with Quasi-Lumped Elements / 195
7.4.1 UWB Filter Implemented with Suspended Strip
Line / 195
7.4.2 UWB Filter Implemented on Liquid Crystal Polymer
(LCP) / 195
7.5 UWB Filters with Composite CPW and Microstrip
Structure / 197
7.6 UWB Filter with Microstrip Ring Resonator / 199
7.7 UWB Filter using Multilayer Structures / 203
7.8 UWB Filter with Substrate Integrated Waveguide
(SIW) / 205
7.9 UWB Filter with Notch Band / 207
7.10 Summary / 210
References / 210

INDEX 214
PREFACE

Microwave filters have been widely used and considered as indispens-

able building blocks in modern wireless and telecommunication systems.
The history of microwave filters can be tracked back before World War
II. The early contribution was primarily made to systematically estab-
lish two well-known network-oriented design methodologies with
resort to the characteristic parameters of image impedances and atten-
uation functions. In particular, the latter has been widely applied nowa-
days as the most efficient approach for the synthesis of a variety of
microwave filters. By introducing a closed-form transfer function, such
as the Chebyshev function, a set of design formulas can be established
to instantly determine all the element values involved in a filter topol-
ogy with specified frequency responses, such as equal-ripple in-band
response. Until the 1980s, this approach had been applied as a unique
methodology in the design of many standard microwave filters, such as
bandpass filters with narrow passband on homogeneously filled wave-
guide or coaxial transmission lines. Since then, as this approach is highly
desired in radiofrequency (RF) and microwave integrated circuits and
modules for wireless communication, extensive research has been
carried out to explore a variety of microwave filters on inhomogeneous
dielectric substrates, such as single-layer printed circuit board (PCB)
and multilayer low-temperature cofired ceramic (LTCC). In this context,
the conventional synthesis approach is applied to estimate the initial
dimensions of a filter without accounting for frequency dispersion,
discontinuity effects, and so on. With the help of full-wave simulators,
ix
x PREFACE

the final layout of a filter is determined through multiple-round elec-

tromagnetic simulations on its overall structure toward gradually
obtaining the specified filtering performances. Of all these filters, various
bandpass filters on a planar configuration have been extensively studied
and developed to achieve highly specified filtering functionalities, such
as dual-/triple-band and wideband, as required in advanced wireless
communications.
Accompanying the recent interest in the development of ultra-wide-
band (UWB) wireless systems, the required fractional bandwidth has
been doubled or significantly widened as compared with those for the
traditional narrowband systems. Under the nondispersive lumped-
element assumption, the conventional synthesis methodology is no
longer capable of designing a bandpass filter covering a wide or ultra-
wide passband with a fractional bandwidth of about 110%. Until now,
much research has focused on exploring a variety of (ultra)-wideband
filters based on the different design approaches. Among them, the
technique using the multi-mode resonator (MMR) has been considered
one of the most popular solutions in forming a class of (ultra)-wideband
filters. As its distinctive feature, multiple resonant modes of the so-
called MMR are simultaneously excited to constitute a specified wide
or ultra-wide passband. Based on this simple concept, various UWB
bandpass filters with different geometrical layouts have been studied
since 2005 by us and many other groups in the world. In addition, a
direct synthesis method has been recently developed to provide an
efficient approach for designing this class of UWB filters. The primary
motivation of this book is to summarize the many excellent works in
the research topic of wideband filters, and to give a systematic guideline
in efficient and accurate design of microwave bandpass filters for wide-
band application.
In organizing this book, we have attempted to address all the funda-
mental theory related to the filter design using a resonator with mul-
tiple resonant modes. Starting with the introduction of the basic
transmission line theory and network analysis, the traditional narrow-
band filter design theory and analysis of microwave resonators are
conducted. Then, we present and characterize a variety of multi-mode
resonators (MMRs) with stepped-impedance or loaded-stub configura-
tions using the matured transmission line theory, and further apply
them for the design and development of varied microwave wideband
filters on single or composite transmission lines. Later on, a direct syn-
thesis approach is presented to provide a series of useful design charts
and tables for the proposed MMR-based bandpass filters. After that,
we move to give our brief overview on many other works reported by
 PREFACE xi

the peers in our society. We hope that this book would be a good refer-
ence to the readers who are carrying out their academic research or
development work on microwave wideband filters, circuits and
antennas.
Herein, we would like to thank all the authors and coauthors of the
literatures, listed in the references, for their contributions to this book.
In particular, we would like to thank Professor Wolfgang Menzel at
University of Ulm in Germany for his close collaboration in this
research. As the first author of this book, Professor Zhu would like to
give his sincere gratitude to all his other supervised PhD students, Dr
Hang Wang, Dr Jing Gao, Dr Sai Wai Wong, Ms Sha Luo, and Mr Teck
Beng Lim for their technical contribution to the exploration of various
MMR-based filters. Finally, we would like to give our appreciation to
Professor Kai Chang at Texas A & M University, Editor-in-Chief of this
book series, for his passional invitation. Also, we are pleased to acknowl-
edge the willing and professional cooperation of the publishers. Without
their encouragement and assistance, we could not have accomplished
this book.

Lei Zhu
Sheng Sun
Rui Li

August 19, 2010