Designing High Performance, Low

Cost Tunable Bandpass Filters

Authored by:
Stefano Biagiotti, Giancarlo Guida, Alain Michel
Ansoft Corporation

Ansoft 2003 / Global Seminars: Delivering Performance

Presentation #13
 Overview
w Short description of previous generation filter designs
w Electrical performances, technology, highlights - lowlights
w Filter enhancement
w New performances, cost reduction, reproducibility
w Implementation
w Filter synthesis
w Tuning range verification
w Sensitivity analysis
w Completion of the circuit
w NL analysis
w Statistical analysis
w EM analysis
w HFSS + DESIGNER
w Benefits
w Conclusions
 Old Filter: Physical Implementation
Filter to redesign
Resistive TRIMMERS

Capacitive
TRIMMERS

PCB with 16 diodes

mounted by hand

Handmade coil (Ag. Ø 2mm)

 Old Filter: Electrical Performance
(for Each Stage)
w Frequency range 118 - 137MHz
w Bandwidth 5MHz
w Insertion Loss > -2.5dB
w Return Loss < -15dB
w Out of band rejection > -45dB @ F0 ± 20MHz
w Voltage tuning 1 - 10V
w Allowed max input power > 25dBm

Number of devices produced

per year about 300
 Old Filter: Highlights, Lowlights
w Highlights
w High value of quality factor
w Electrical performances well matched
w Mechanical dimensions
w Lowlights
w 90% hand-made
w Manual filter tuning needed for each device
w Reproducibility
w Production time

Average time to manufacture

a single device was 1.5 hour
 Reasons to Modernize
w Obsolescence of components
w Obsolescence of components used for the main project
and new product specification involved also redesigning a
tunable pass band filter.

w Costs
w The new Radio Ground Station had to cost much less;
which provided more incentive to redesign the filter.

w Outsourcing
w Devices require high reproducibility in order to be
manufactured by outsourcing, hence, designers must
avoid manual tuning operations whenever possible.
 New Filter Specifications
(for Each Stage)
w New performances:
w Frequency range 108 - 156MHz
w Bandwidth < 10MHz
w Insertion Loss > -2.5dB (-3dB 108 - 118MHz)
w Return Loss < -15dB
w Out of band rejection < -45dB @ F0 + 42.8MHz
w Voltage tuning 2 - 18V
w Allowed max input power > 25dBm
w Cost reduction:
w Minimize manual tuning; automate manufacturing
w Reproducibility:
w Technology selection
 New Filter Topology
w Why Combline Transformer topology?

We can tune the

filter with some
VARICAP diodes
With MS Tech.
we avoid one of
the manual tuning
processes

One of the best topologies for small tolerances!!

Filter Synthesis: Enter specifications
 Filter Synthesis Output

Q=Q1

Q=Q1
C1

C1

Schematic Output
1

Port1 Port2

We can complete the

Port1 layout by changing the
CAP’s footprint...
Port2

Layout Output
 Filter Synthesis Completion
CAP’s properties window from layout Changing the current footprint of
the capacitors

Footprint Library
 Filter Synthesis: Circuit Simulation

Q=Q1

Q=Q1
C1

C1
1

Port1 Port2

Simulation results of circuit

created from Filter Synthesis
 Tuning Verification: Capacitor range

The tuning is used to validate the frequency range of the filter.

Choose Sweep/Accumulate or Real Time tuning
 Tuning Verification: Varicap Bias range

We can also complete the schematic

by changing the CAP’s Q factor...
Sensitivity Analysis

124.9MHz 134MHz
 Sensitivity Analysis@124.9MHz

S2 +/-0.1mm S1 +/-0.1mm

0.6dB
0.25dB

w2 +/-0.1mm 7.5dB
0.04dB

w1 +/-0.1mm

W2 critical size!
Circuit Completion: Schematic and Layout
Circuit Completion : NL Simulation
 Circuit Completion: Tuning bias
Vs=2.3V Vs=7.3V Vs=16.5V
F=108MHz F=130MHz F=156MHz

S21

S11, S21, S22

Circuit Completion : Layout
 Statistical Analysis: Define Setup
Define Goal

Add Statistical
Analysis setup

Add parameters to
Statistical Analysis
Statistical Analysis Freq=108MHz

Yield=55% for S11<-15dB

Yield=70% for S11<-14dB
Yield=95% for S11<-12dB
Statistical Analysis Freq=156MHz

Yield=46% for S11<-15dB

Yield=59% for S11<-14dB
Yield=76% for S11<-12dB
 EM Analysis: full board simulation

Automatic generation of the full board for

EM cosimulation or cooptimization
EM Analysis: Compare Simulation
EM setup Analysis and
Frequency are
automatically set or defined
by the user

-
+

GRM39C0G120J050

GRM39C0G120J050
RCI_0603_4703G
Vs

470kOhm

12pF

12pF
U1
EM Layout

n2 n11
n111 n214
n118 n223
BB439 n125
D8
BB439
D7

PBF Layout
Port1 n138 n239 Port2
D4
n247 n248
BB439
n149 n150
D1
n261 n162
BB439
BB439 n163 n264
D3
n265
D6
n178 n180
BB439
BB439 n283 n284
D2
n185 n187
BB439
D5

RCI_0603_4703G
470kOhm
+
-
Vs
 Ansoft Designer + HFSS
How can we test the prototype?

SMA Connector

We need a 3D full wave

model to take in count its
effects on the device...

HFSS v9 Model
Ansoft Designer + HFSS

SMA effects
 DESIGNER + HFSS

HFSS results for SMA connector

 New Filter: Physical Implementation (1)

Data export for direct manufacturing

Extended Gerber and NC Drill files
New Filter: Physical Implementation (2)
 Benefits

w Low cost device (about 20 EURO)

w Production time 10min (compared to 1.5 hour)!
w Extremely reproducible (no manual tuning)!
w Electrical performances matched very well!

Number of devices produced

per year about 1000
 Conclusions
w We have presented a design and development of a MS PBF using
ANSOFT’s EDA software.
w With DESIGNER v1.1 we have been able to do:
w Filter synthesis
w Linear simulation (S-parameter extraction)
w Tuning
w Non Linear simulation (VARICAP’s effect, Intermodulation)
w Statistical Analysis
w Layout planar EM analysis
w Easy integration in a design of a 3D full wave simulation (SMA
connector) made in ANSOFT HFSS …

By applying software tools early in the development process,

problems can be quickly identified and resolved prior to
production, greatly decreasing time to market!!