Brief Introduction to Analog Filter

By Majdi Sweiss

Low pass filter is considered first, there are techniques developed to convert the low pass
to high pass and pass reject filters. The types that will be considered are: Butterworth,
Chebyshev.

1- Butterworth Response:

The ideal low pass filter response is as shown:

|H(jw)|2
Passband
H0

Stopband

0 wc w

The Butterworth response is:

H0
H ( jω ) ≈
2
2n
ω (1)
1 +  
 ωc 
 This is known as the nth order Butterworth low pass response. A plot of the response for
many values of is shown

H@jw D2
1
Notes: The more we
increase the more we are
near the ideal response. 0.8
The plot contains
response for n=2, 4, 6, 0.6
8, 10, 16, 24.
0.4
Also note that wc=1,
H0=1
The plot is generated 0.2
using Mathematica.
w
0.5 1 1.5 2

ω
2n
H ( jω ) ≈ H 0 c2 n
2
For frequencies above Wc |H(jw)|2 ≈ (2)
ω

ω 
So in dB α (ω ) = 10 log H ( jω ) ≈ 10 log H 0 − 20n log 
2
(3)
 ωc 

Example(1):
Find the order of the Butterworth filter with the following criteria.
1. The 3-dB radian cutoff frequency is at 1000 rad/s
2. The pass band extends from ω = 0 to 250 rad/s, the attenuation must not exceed
0.1 dB
3. The stop band extends from ω = 2000 rad/s to ω = ∞ , the attenuation should not
exceed 60 dB.
The requirements are shown below:

α (ω ), dB

α min Stopband

α max Passband Transition

0 Wp Ws w

α max = 0.1dB, α max = 60dB, ω c = 1000rad / s

ω p = 250rad / s , ω s = 2000rad / s

We substitute in equation 3 the values for ω one time for 250 (the end of the pass band) and
another time for 2000 (beginning of stop band)

  250  2 n 
10 log 1 +    = α max = 0.1, n = 1.36
  1000  
  2000  2 n 
10 log 1 +    = α min = 60, n = 9.97
  1000  

We got two values for n, we choose the higher integer value, 10.
So the response is

1
H ( jω ) =
2
2×10
 ω 
1+  
 1000 

H@jw D2
1

0.8

0.6

0.4

0.2

w
500 1000 1500 2000

In our previous discussion we assumed that the 3dB attenuation occurs at ω = ω c , for
specifications less than 3dB at ω = ω c , equation (1) will be modified to:

H0
H ( jω ) ≈
2
2n
ω  , ε is less than 1
1 + ε 2  
 ωc 
At the pass band.
 H ( j ω ) 2   α max
α max = 10 log   = 10 log(1 + ε 2 ) ⇒ ε = 10 10 − 1
 H 0  (4)

so ε is related to α max
The Chebyshev Response
Another useful approximation for the ideal response is given by the nth order Chebyshev
Response.

H0
H ( jω ) ≈
2

2 ω  (5)
1 + ε 2Cn  
 ωc 

Cn (ω ) = cos(n cos −1 (ω )), 0 ≤ ω ≤1

= cosh(n cosh −1 (ω )), ω ≥1

C n (ω ) is called the nth order Chebyshev polynomial. Using Mathematica , the values of C n (ω ) are
displayed with n=0 to n=10

Do Print "C", n, " w ", "−>",

ChebyshevT n, w , n, 0, 10
C0 w −>1
C1 w −>w
C2 w −>− 1 + 2 w2
C3 w −>− 3 w + 4 w3
C4 w −>1 − 8 w2 + 8 w4
C5 w −>5 w − 20 w3 + 16 w5
C6 w −>− 1 + 18 w2 − 48 w4 + 32 w6
C7 w −>− 7 w + 56 w3 − 112 w5 + 64 w7
C8 w −>1 − 32 w2 + 160 w4 − 256 w6 + 128 w8
C9 w −>9 w − 120 w3 + 432 w5 − 576 w7 + 256 w9
C10 w −>− 1 + 50 w2 − 400 w4 + 1120 w6 − 1280 w8 + 512 w10
Substituting is equation (5) for ω C = 1 and ε = 0.4 using Mathematica we get the following plot

H@jw D2
1

0.8

0.6

0.4

0.2

w
0.5 1 1.5 2
Notes:

H 2 (0) = H 0 , n odd

H0
= , n even
1+ ε 2
H0
H ( jωC ) =
2

1+ ε 2

Doing the same as in the Butterworth response, we find that

α max = 10 log(1 + ε 2 )
α max
ε = 10 10
−1

for frequencies far above ωC

H0
H ( jω ) = 2n
ω 
2 2 n−2
ε 
2

 ωC 
From equation (5)
 2 ω 
α min = 10 log 1 + ε 2Cn  s 
  ωC 
α min
ω  ω  1
Cn  s  = cosh(n cosh −1  s  = 10 10 − 1
 ωC   ωC  ε
(6)
solving for n gives :
α
1 min

cosh −1[ 10 10 − 1]
n= ε
ω 
cosh −1  s 
 ωC 

Example (2)
Find the order of the Chebyshev response with the following criteria:
1. the pass band from 0 to 250 rad/s
2. the attenuation within the pass band should not exceed 0.1dB
3. the response must give at lest 60 dB attenuation at 2000 rad/s or higher

α max = 0.1dB, α max = 60dB, ω c = 250rad / s, ω s = 2000rad / s

Using equation (4)

0.1

ε = 10 − 1 = 0.1526
10

Using equation (6)

10
1
cosh −1[ 1010 − 1]
n= ε =3.424,
−1  2000 
cosh  
 250 

we take n=4
C4 w −>1 − 8 w2 + 8 w4
 H0
H ( jω ) =
2
2
 ω 
4
ω 
2

1 + 0.02338  − 8  + 1
  ωC   ωC  

If H0 = 1, using Mathematica we get the response

H@jw D2
1

0.8

0.6

0.4

0.2

w
200 400 600 800 1000

Reference:
PASSIVE AND ACTIVE FILTERS THEORY AND IMPLEMENTATION, WAI-KAI CHEN

Plots were generated by means of Mathematica 4.0.