Design of Bandpass Tunable Filter for Green Flexible

RF for 5G
Yasir I. A. Al-Yasir Naser Ojaroudi Parchin Ali Alabdallah
Faculty of Engineering and Informatics Faculty of Engineering and Informatics College of Electronics Engineering
University of Bradford University of Bradford Ninevah University
Bradford, UK Bradford, UK Mosul, Iraq
Y.I.A.Al-Yasir@bradford.ac.uk N.OjaroudiParchin@bradford.ac.uk A.A.Alabdullah1@bradford.ac

Ahmed M. Abdulkhaleq Raed A. Abd-Alhameed James M. Noras

Research and Development Faculty of Engineering and Informatics Faculty of Engineering and Informatics
SARAS Technology LTD University of Bradford University of Bradford
Leeds, UK Bradford, UK Bradford, UK
a.abd@sarastech.co.uk R.A.A.Abd@bradford.ac.uk J.M.Noras@bradford.ac.uk

Abstract—This paper proposes a compact three-pole planar
tunable bandpass filter (BPF) covering the sub-6 GHz
spectrum for 5G wireless communications. The microstrip BPF
utilizes three open-loop ring resonators with 50 Ω transmission
line impedances for input/output terminals. The coupling
coefficients between the adjacent resonators and the external
quality factors are controlled to resonate the designed filter at
3.5 GHz with third-order bandpass Butterworth
characteristics. The varactor diode and biasing circuit are
modelled to tune the resonant frequency in the desirable band.
The filter is implemented and measured on a Rogers RO3010
substrate with a relative dielectric constant εr= 10.2 and a
compact size of 17×5×1.27 mm3, and is optimized and
simulated using computer simulation technology (CST) tool.
Good agreement is achieved between the simulated and
measured results.
Index Terms—microstrip filter, bandpass, tunable, 5G,
varactor, CST.
I. INTRODUCTION
Radio frequency noise is a serious issue in recent
applications of wireless channels such as in green
communications and wideband radar systems [1-6]. Planer
bandpass BPFs are generally used to suppress unwanted
noise signals in many wireless systems [7], mainly in radio
frequency (RF) and microwave (MW) communications
because of their efficient role to reject the spurious
frequencies. Currently, next-generation technologies are
being suggested for use in low-band (700 MHz), mid-band
(3.6 GHz) and millimetre wave band (26 GHz) [8]. BPF is
used in different 5G applications for rejecting noise
frequencies [9,10]. A BPF consists of a number of poles, and
the designs of the resonators and the number of elements
define the filter properties. Most planer filter miniaturization
techniques try to minimize and optimize these parameters
[11-18]. Many approaches and structures have been
presented such as Stepped-impedance resonators (SIR),
combline, ring resonators, parallel-coupled lines, and stub
impedance resonators [19-24].
A planar microwave tunable bandpass filter using a
varactor diode is investigated for controlling a constant
bandwidth in [19]. Tuning is achieved by controlling the
resonant frequencies for both the odd and even modes as
there is no coupling between these modes. In [20], a planar
tunable filter uses two varactor diodes to adjust two
transmission zeros (TZs). The resonant frequency and the
bandwidth are adjusted with a wide tuning range of about
590 MHz (1.5 to 2.1 GHz) by controlling the DC biasing
voltage across to the varactor diodes. In [21], a compact
reconfigurable microstrip filter with constant characteristic is
presented. By controlling the DC biasing voltage of four
varactor diodes, the filter is reconfigurable from 1.8 to 1.9
GHz with a 5% fractional bandwidth.
Recently, many designs of reconfigurable microstrip
filters have been proposed and investigated. Chen et al. [23]
described a second-order filter with compact size and
constant bandwidth. Two varactor diodes tune the resonant
frequency between the higher and lower modes of operation
with a range of 1.2 to 1.9 GHz and constant bandwidth of 39
MHz. Its properties of small size (0.06 λg × 0.27 λg),
continuous reconfigurability, simple design, and wide-
ranging frequency make the filter suitable for current
wireless communications. Ebrahimi et al. [24] propose a
notch tunable band-stop filter by using two varactor diodes.
The second-order filter illustrates a continuous tuning range
of the resonant frequency of 0.7 to 1 GHz with a compact
structure of size 0.15λg ×0.17λg. Unlike the previous
structures, the inductive coupling is obtained using an
inductor in the ground layer of the microstrip.
This article presents a compact third-order microstrip
open-loop ring resonator tunable BPF, to cover the frequency
band of 3.4 to 3.8 GHz for 5G applications. It is simulated
using CST software. The filter is fabricated on a Rogers
RO3010 substrate with a relative dielectric constant of 10.2
and a compact size of 17×5×1.27 mm3. Controlling the DC
biasing voltage across the varactor diode gives a wide tuning
range of about 3.4 to 3.8 GHz for the resonant frequency,

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with 50-130 MHz tunable bandwidth. Significantly, this
filter can be easily developed and integrated with antenna
structures [25], to produce the so-called “filtenna” [26]. The
tunable BPF, with simulated and measured results, is
presented in the following sections.

II. OPEN-LOOP TRISECTION BPF DESIGN AND

PERFORMANCE
The geometry of the proposed 3-pole open-loop BPF is
shown in Figure 1. The filter consists of three open-loop ring
resonators and is fed by two ports of 50 Ω input impedance
to minimize the physical size and eliminate the need for vias.
The filter has a transmission line feed and uses a Rogers
RO3010 substrate, with h = 1.27 mm, ߝ‫ = ݎ‬10.2 and loss
Fig. 2. Insertion/return loss performance for the proposed BPF.
tangent = 0.0022. The resonant frequency 3.5 GHz is chosen
as suitable for 5G applications. The configuration of the filter
and its dimensions are shown in Fig. 1 and Table I,
respectively.

Fig. 3. Simulated current distribution for the filter.

Fig. 1. Geometry of the proposed BPF.
TABLE I. THE OPTIMIZED PARAMETERS OF THE PROPOSED
PLANER FILTER (UNITS IN MM).
L1 L2 L3 L4 L5 L6 W1 W2
4 0.8 5 0.43 3.7 0.9 1.19 0.4
The frequency performance is shown in Fig. 2. At the
resonant 3.45 GHz frequency, the filter has a good return
loss 20dB for the targeted 5G spectrum and covers the 3.4 to
3.5 GHz band with fractional bandwidth 3%. At resonance,
the insertion loss has a minimum value 0.9dB as shown in
Figure 2. Wide stop bands of 3 GHz and 2.5 GHz are
achieved for the lower edge and the upper edge of the
passband respectively, each with insertion losses more than
10 dB. The selectivity of the passband bandwidth could be
improved in a for higher order filter by increasing the
number of resonators. Fig. 3 elaborates the current
distribution of the filter at the resonant frequency of 3.45Hz,
obtained using CST software: the electric field is mainly
distributed in the first and third open-loop resonators, with
maximum current density 58 A/m in the first resonator
element. The next section discusses the filter’s tunability
characteristics.
III. THREE-POLE TUNABLE FILTER PERFORMANCE
Frequency reconfigurability or tunability is important for
multi-band systems to cover the required variations. The use
W3
of varactors is a well-known technique for reconfigurable
filters. Fig. 4 shows the geometry of such a proposed filter,
0.8
including the biasing circuit required to tune the varactor
diode and two RF choke inductors to prevent the RF signal
passing through the biasing circuit. The biasing circuit
controls both the resonant frequency and bandwidth
characteristics. This filter uses the SMV1234 Skyworks
Solutions varactor diode, size 1.5 x 0.7 mm2. Increasing the
reverse voltage widens the depletion region of the varactor,
decreasing its capacitance, and vice versa: see Fig. 5 (a). In
addition, two inductors (L1 = L2 = 10 nH) are used as radio
frequency (RF) chokes to limit and reduce RF leakage into
the biasing circuit and power leads: they act as open circuits
to the RF signal at the ends of the switches. The optimized
parameters are obtained using CST software. The CST time
domain solver uses 10 lines per wavelength as mesh density
control parameter, and the filter dimensions are optimized
for good matching over the tuning range. The filter’s biasing
circuit, with the SPICE model for the varactor, is modelled
as shown in Fig. 5 (b).

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 resonant frequency, the bandwidth is also altered. In short,
Figure 7 shows that the 10 dB passband bandwidth tunable
over the range 40 to 140 MHz. Fig. 7 shows the fabricated
prototype. Fig. 8 shows the measured return loss and the
insertion loss of the filter. The CST simulation results and
the measurements from the vector network analyser (HP
8510C) show fairly good agreement. Fig. 9 shows the
frequency response of the group delay for all the states of
the varactor diode.

Fig. 4. 3D geometry of the proposed open-loop tunable bandpass filter with

the biasing circuit for the varactor diode.

(a)

(a)

(b) (b)
Fig. 5. (a) Typical capacitance-voltage characteristics of different Skyworks Fig. 6. Simulated results with different biasing voltages: (a) S11; (b) S21.
varactor diodes [27]; (b) Biasing circuit.

IV. THREE-POLE TUNABLE FILTER PERFORMANCE

In this section, the return loss and insertion loss of the
filter are studied. The simulation results for the return loss
shown in Fig. 6 (a), indicate that different reverse bias
voltages of the varactor between 0 V and 4 V, give
capacitance values of 2.7, 3.3, 4.8, 6 and 8 pF, altering the
return losses in the 3.4 to 3.8 GHz range, between -17 dB
and -30 dB. Fig. 6 (b) shows the simulated insertion losses
for the values corresponding to those of Fig. 6 (a). Good
insertion losses are obtained over the tuning range, of Fig. 7. A prototype of the fabricated tunable filter.
around 1 dB at resonance. In addition to the tunability of the

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 filter with other recent similar designs. The filter proposed
here has a relatively good performance in respect of
performance, size, number of switches and design
complexity.
V. CONCLUSION

TABLE II. SUMMARY OF RESONANT FREQUENCY AND

BANDWIDTH FOR THE PROPOSED FILTER.
Reverse Varactor Resonant
Bandwidth S11
Voltage Capacitance Frequency
(MHz) (dB)
(V) (pF) (GHz)
4 2.69 3.8 50 -20

3 3.3 3.75 70 -22

2 4.8 3.68 80 -25

1 6 3.58 105 -27

(a) 0.4 8.1 3.48 130 -38

TABLE III. PERFORMANCE COMPARISON WITH SOME RECENT

TUNABLE FILTER DESIGNS.
Filter
f0 BW No. of S11 S21
Ref. Size
(GHz) (MHz) Switches (dB) (dB)
(mm3)
1.1- 40 7 < -15 -6 52×12×1.5
[23]
2.1
1.7-
[28] 40 7 -16 -4 36×35×0.8
2.9
[29] 0.76-2 75-290 2 <-15 -1.2 100×8×0.5
this 3.4-
40-140 1 < -20 > -1 17×5×1.27
work 3.8

A design for a compact 5G reconfigurable-microstrip

bandpass filter with third-order and Butterworth properties is
presented in this paper. The filter is reconfigurable in both
(b)
Fig. 8. Measured results with different biasing voltages: (a) S11; (b) S21. resonant frequency and bandwidth, covering 3.4 to 3.8 GHz
under the control of a single varactor diode switch. The
bandwidth is adjustable between 40 and 140 MHz with
return losses between 17 to 30 dB and insertion loss around 1
dB. The filter covers the sub-6 GHz 5G spectrum for
possible application in stationary terminals of cognitive radio
systems and other applications in future wireless
communications. Good agreement between measurement
and simulation results proves the reliability of the proposed
design.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
This project has received funding from the European
Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme
under grant agreement H2020-MSCA-ITN-2016 SECRET-
722424.

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