[P2-21]
Feasibility Study on Combline Filter for Tunable Filters
# *
Changsoo Kwak , Manseok Uhm , and Inbok Yom
#
Satellite & Wireless Convergence Research Department, ETRI, 138, Gajeon-no, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon,
305-700, Korea
cskwak@etri.re.kr
Abstract — In this paper, a combline filter is studied to see if
the filter can be used for a reconfigurable filter that covers a
frequency range of 2.0 GHz to 2.7 GHz and a bandwidth
ranging from 50 MHz to 80 MHz. Since the bandwidth as well as
the center frequency should vary in a wide range, the coupling
between the load/source and the first/last resonator must be
changeable. This study proves that the combline filter can meet
the frequency requirements by designing the combline filter that
meets four extreme frequency requirements using full-wave
electromagnetic simulations. The input/output coupling proves
that it can be tuned enough to be used for the reconfigurable
filter of interest.
Index Terms — Reconfigurable filter, tunable filter,
microwave filter.
I. INTRODUCTION
Tunable or reconfigurable microwave filters are strongly
required in recent communications systems. Today’s
communications systems asked to be flexible in center
frequency and bandwidth and the flexibility can be realized
with multiple filters and switches if it’s realized in a
conventional way. The reconfigurable filters can replace the
multiple filters and switches, so it can reduce cost, space and
weight of a communications system.
Such reconfigurable filters have been realized by both
electronically and mechanically. Looking over literature, in
general, electronic tuning [1-3] shows very short transition
time but the filter performance is relatively degraded because
the tuning is done by changing only resonators’ lengths. On
the contrary, although mechanical tuning [4, 5] is slow
relatively, coupling values as well as resonator lengths are
changed. Therefore, the filter performance is better than
electronic tuning’s.
Combline filters have strong points in that the tuning range
is very wide and couplings between resonators can be tuned
easily. Also, the combline filters are suitable for mechanical
tuning since the tuning screws are exposed over the top
surface of the filter in a raw usually. Therefore, the combline
filter can be a good candidate for a mechanically realized
reconfigurable filter. In this study, the combline filter is
studied to make sure that it can be used for a reconfigurable
filter with frequency requirements given below. The most
important thing to be observed is that tunability of the
coupling between the source/load and resonators is enough to
cover the required frequency range.
2013 Asia-Pacific Microwave Conference Proceedings
#
II. DESIGN OF INDIVIDUAL CONFIGURATIONS
A. Required Filter Performance
Two bandwidths of 50 MHz and 80 MHz should be
realized. Center frequency should range from 2.025 GHz to
2.675 GHz when the bandwidth is 50 MHz. When the
bandwidth is 80 MHz, center frequency ranges from 2.050
GHz from 2.650 GHz. In-band return loss should be less than
th
22 dB. The filter is realized with a 5 -order combline filter.
To see if a combline filter can realize the performance
specified above, the following four extreme configurations
are designed with a full-wave analysis tool.
TABLE I
FOUR EXTREME CASES IN THE GIVEN FREQUENCY
REQUIREMENTS
Case Center frequency Bandwidth
(a) 2.150 GHz 80 MHz
(b) 2.025 GHz 50 MHz
(c) 2.650 GHz 80 MHz
(d) 2.675 GHz 50 MHz
If the combline filter shows that it can realize the four cases
by moving only tuning and coupling screws through full-
wave simulations, it can be used for the reconfigurable filter
that meets the frequency and bandwidth requirements above.
B. Design Procedure
Since the purpose of this study is to see if the real combline
filter can cover the whole frequency range and the different
bandwidths, a full-wave simulation should be done with a 3D
model. In order to minimize the design time, a parameter
extraction method with the aid of a circuit model is adopted.
Design procedure of the combline filter with a full-wave
analysis tool is as follows.
Step 1) Make the combline filter’s circuit model composed
of L and C.
Step 2) Determine Ldes and Cdes values that make a required
performance.
Step 3) Determine initial physical dimensions of the filter.
Step 4) Perform a full-wave analysis of the filter.
927 978-1-4799-1472-2/13/$31.00 ©2013 IEEE
 2013 Asia-Pacific Microwave Conference Proceedings

Step 5) Bring the full-wave analysis results (S-parameters)
into the circuit model. Fit the S-parameter with the
circuit model using optimizations. Lfit and Cfit are
determined.
Step 6) Modify physical dimensions of the filter according
to the differences between Ldes/Cdes and Lfit/Cfit. The
previous information about variable changes
according to dimension changes is used for the
following modifications.
Step 7) Repeat Steps 4) ~ 6) until the required performance
is obtained.
C. Full-Wave Model of Combline Filter
Since bandwidth as well as center frequency should be
changed, the coupling coefficients between the source/load
and the resonators must be tuned. In this study, a tuning
method for the couplings is shown in Fig. 1.
shown in Fig. 3. It has five cavities and each cavity has a rod
whose outer diameter is 11.0 mm. The rod’s inner diameter is
8.0 mm and the height is 18.1 mm.
Since the actual tuning screw’s depth is important, all the
tuning screws are included in the model. The minimum depth
of the tuning screw should be larger than 1.0 mm in
consideration of machining errors that may require the tuning
screw to be pulled out. The maximum depth of the tuning
screw should not so big that the tuning screw does not touch
the filter body. The resonator tuning screw’s diameter is 6.0
mm and the coupling screw’s diameter is 4.0 mm. In/Out
tuning screw’s diameter is 2.0 mm.
Cavity’s width and height are 30 mm and 29 mm,
Coupling
(Coupling screw + Iris) Cavity Resonator rod
In rod Tuning screw

Tuning screw for Tuning screw for Coupling

an in/out coupling resonator length screw

Fig. 3. Full-wave analysis model of the combline filter

respectively. The lengths of Cavity 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 are 34 mm, 31

mm, 30 mm, 31 mm, 34 mm respectively.

In/Out Rod Resonator rod D. Circuit Model

Fig. 1. Cross sectional view describing tuning method for
coupling between source/load and resonators
As shown in Fig. 1, the input/output probe is connected to
the ‘In/Out rod’ and the In/Out rod’s electrical length is
controlled by a tuning screw. The In/Out rod is connected to
the first/last resonator rod through the H-field as shown in Fig.
2. By changing the electrical length of the In/Out rod, we can
change the in/out coupling coefficient. However, since the
tuning screw for in/out coupling affects the electrical length
of the first/last resonator, it gets more difficult to design or to
tune the filter.
The full-wave analysis model of the combline filter is
The circuit model of the combline filter is composed of L’s
and C’s. Inductors model couplings and capacitors model
tuning screws. One thing to be noticed is that the circuit
model has additional rods before/after the first/last resonators.
The additional resonators represent rods to which the
source/load is connected shown in Fig. 1. The circuit model is
shown in Fig. 4.
Tuning screws are modeled by capacitors (C) and coupling
screws are modeled by inductors (L).
Coupling
(Coupling screw + Iris) Tuning screw Resonator rod
1

1
1

1
2

2
2

In Rod
Fig. 4. Circuit model of the combline filter

Fig. 2. Coupling between In/Out rod and the first/last resonator E. Design Results
rod coupling through H-field

928
 2013 Asia-Pacific Microwave Conference Proceedings

Design results obtained according to the procedure TABLE II

described above are shown in Fig. 5. Although the design TUNING/COUPLING SCREWS’ DEPTHS [mm]
results do not meet the specifications perfectly, the amount of Screw Case (a) Case (b) Case (c) Case (d)
the discrepancy from the specifications is allowable since the 11 7.020 7.748 6.523 4.691
filter can be tuned after fabrication. 22 5.586 6.277 1.499 1.806
The tuning screws’ insertion depth is summarized in 33 5.448 6.092 1.688 1.573
TABLE II. The minimum depth of the tuning screws is larger 44 5.586 6.277 1.499 1.806
than the margin of 1.0 mm. Also, there is no case that the 55 7.020 7.748 6.523 4.691
tuning screw is inserted so much that it touches the filter body. S1 13.450 12.843 15.254 10.800
In order to see if the combline filter can realize the
12 15.590 9.892 13.975 3.138
bandwidth of 100 MHz, we tried to increase the bandwidth of
23 11.150 4.240 8.235 1.130
Case (a) to 100 MHz. As a result, the tuning screw was
34 11.150 4.240 8.235 1.130
inserted so much that the tuning screw was very close to the
filter body. Due to this fact, spurious resonances occurred in 45 11.590 9.892 13.975 3.138
the vicinity of the frequency range of interest. The spurious 5L 13.450 12.843 15.254 10.800
was not allowable. Also, the spurious caused the parameter
extraction of the calculated S-parameter to be much more
difficult because the circuit model did not include the III. CONCLUSION
unwanted resonances.
In this study, the combline filter proved that it could realize
filter performance from 2.0 GHz to 2.7 GHz with the
bandwidth of 50 MHz or 80 MHz by changing only tuning
screws. This means that the combline filter can be used for a
reconfigurable filter that can cover the frequency range
mentioned above. Especially, tuning of the coupling
coefficient between the source/load and the resonators was
possible enough to meet the whole frequency requirement.
The future work will be the implementation of the mechanical
tuning of the filter for changing filter performance.

REFERENCES
[1] A. R. Brown, and G. M. Rebeiz, “A varactor-tuned RF filter”
IEEE Trans. Microw. Theory & Tech., vol. 48, no. 7, pp. 1157-
Case (a) Case (b) 1160, July 2000.
[2] P. W. Wong, and I. C. Hunter, “Electronically reconfigurable
microwave bandpass filter,” IEEE Trans. Microw. Theory &
Tech., vol. 57, no. 12, pp. 3070-3079, December 2009.
[3] H. Joshi, H. H. Sigmarsson, S. Moon, D. Peroulis, and W. J.
Chappell, “High-Q fully reconfigurable tunable bandpass
filters,” IEEE Trans. Microw. Theory & Tech., vol. 57, no. 12,
pp. 3525-3533, December 2009.
[4] B. Yassini, M. Yu, D. Smith and, S. Kellett, “A Ku-band High-
Q tunable filter with stable tuning response,” IEEE Trans.
Microw. Theory & Tech., vol. 57, no. 12, pp. 2948-2957,
December 2009.
[5] B. Yassini, M. Yu, and B. Keats, “A Ka-band fully tunable
cavity filter,” IEEE Trans. Microw. Theory & Tech., vol. 57,
no. 12, pp. 2948-2957, December 2009.

Case (c) Case (d)

Fig. 5. Synthesized combline filter performances

929