Compact High Performance

Planar Resonator Filter for

Wireless Communications

By Farhat Abbas
Global Wireless Systems Research

igh Q dielectric loaded normal

H or superconducting resonators
are used in microwave applica-
tions, such as satellite and mobile com-
munications, secondary frequency
standards and satellite navigation. A
key issue for many of these applications
is the stability with which the resonant
frequencies of such resonators may be
realized. For low-phase noise perfor-
mance, the Q value of the resonator
should be as high as possible. ▲ Figure 1. Investigation of the multilayer dielectric res-
This article discusses design guide- onator.
lines for various resonator geometries,
using Cu or YBCO thick or thin films as
planar shields for composite dielectric struc- of amplifiers and other nonfiltering circuits sig-
tures. Expressions for the attenuation coeffi- nificantly without causing performance degra-
cient, phase velocity, resonance frequency and Q dation. Passive filters generally cannot be
values of the dominant modes have been devel- reduced in size without a trade-off in perfor-
oped and computed assuming the losses in each mance. Microstrip or lumped element filters are
medium. Using these parameters, predictions smaller and always result in low performance
are made for the attainable stability in realistic for a given filter order. The best isolation-to-size
resonator structures. These predictions are ratio can be obtained from SAW filters, but they
compared with stability requirements for sever- are extremely lossy.
al wide ranging and niche applications. The con- The high cost of cryogenic systems may allow
tribution to the Q value arising from the nor- for high temperature superconducting (HTS)
mal- or super-conductors and the individual technology, which can reduce the filter size
dielectric components is also discussed. without degrading the performance to a small
Transmission and reflection response of the fil- number of niche applications. Miniaturization
ter for mobile communications has been opti- of a microwave filter, without sacrificing perfor-
mized by the Q enhancement due to the internal mance, has been obtained by implementing the
reflection at the surfaces of the dielectrics of the active circuit in microstrip technology [1-6]. Q-
resonator. enhancement achieved by negative resistance
Compared to microwave monolithic integrat- method of a microstrip filter also enhances the
ed circuits (MMICs), microwave filters are quite noise and biasing circuit in the system. This
bulky. To reduce the mass and size of communi- article proposes a simple way of Q-enhancement
cations, radar and signal processing systems, by using an internal reflection principle between
MMICs have made it possible to reduce the size the surfaces of the dielectric.

68 · APPLIED MICROWAVE & WIRELESS

 A novel design methodology is discussed for a planar
microwave multilayer dielectric resonator with high per-
formance filter for mobile communications. A rectangu-
lar dielectric resonator placed between two similarly-
shaped dielectric mirrors that is sandwiched between
two thin films of normal- or super-conductor is shown in
Figure 1. Dielectric mirrors with a lower (compared to
the resonator) dielectric constant confine the field to the
resonator because of the internal reflection at the sur-
face of the dielectric. This confinement of the field
enhances the Qr and Qc and, consequently, the perfor-
mance of the filter.
Field solution
Figure 1 shows the geometry of the normal- or super-
conducting transmission line with dielectric mirrors.
The structure consists of a pair of dielectric mirrors
(dielectric, region 1) bridged by a central substrate
(dielectric, region 2) between a pair of superconducting
thin films. Thicknesses of the thin films is l, dielectric
mirrors are d1 and substrate is d2. The dielectrics in
region 3 are considered to be very thick; therefore, the
fields in these regions exponentially decay away from
the interfaces.
The procedure used to obtain a field solution is the
same as in Reference [7]. Consider the propagation of an
electromagnetic wave in the z-direction of the transmis-
sion line shown in Figure 1. The dielectric thicknesses
(d1 and d2) and the penetration depth l of the high tem-
perature superconductors are very small compared to
the width of the line, which is very small compared to
the length of the line. The edge effects can be neglected,
and there is no y-dependence of the fields and currents
(see Figure 1).
For the superconductors in which the total current is
the sum of the supercurrent and the normal current, the
two-fluid model is used. Traditional skin effect is
assumed for the normal current and London theory is
assumed for the supercurrent.
For a TM wave, we can write:
Hy =
1
α µ oω
( )
α 2 − κ 2 Ex
(1)
ι dE x
Ez = −
α dx
d2 E x
− κ 2 Ex = 0
dx2
where, for the dielectrics,
κ 2 ∆ K 2r = α 2 − ω 2ε r µ o
(2)
r = 1, 2, 3
For the superconductors,
70 · APPLIED MICROWAVE & WIRELESS
1
κ 2 ∆ κ 2r = + α 2 − ω 2ε o µ o +ιω µ oσ (3)
λ
2
and for the normal conductors,
κ 2 ∆ κ 2r = α 2 − ω 2ε o µ o +ιω µ oσ (4)
In Equation (4), a is the propagation constant along
the z-direction (taking e-ia z), w is the angular frequency
(assuming eiw t), eo is the permittivity of the vacuum, mo
is the permeability of the vacuum, er is the dielectric
constant of the dielectrics, l is the penetration depth of
the superconductors, and s is the conductivity of the
superconductors.
Equation (1) is a second-order differential equation
with two independent solutions: ekx and e–kx, where k is
taken to be the root of k 2 with a positive real part. In the
positive x-direction of the dielectric (region 3), we use
e–K3x, and in the negative x-direction we use eK3x, dis-
carding eK3x for positive x-direction, and e–K3x for nega-
tive x-direction.
In the superconductors, the dielectric mirrors (dielec-
tric, region 1) and the substrate (dielectric, region 2),
both solutions are retained to satisfy the boundary con-
ditions. In the normal or superconductors and in regions
1 and 2 of the dielectrics, we use both solutions to satis-
fy the boundary conditions.
We now have 12 arbitrary constants for the ampli-
tudes of the fields [one each in the dielectrics (region 3),
two each in the superconductors, the dielectric mirrors
(dielectrics, region 1) and the substrate (dielectric,
region 2)]. Twelve boundary conditions must be satis-
fied; namely, the continuity of the tangential fields in
Equation (1) at the six boundaries shown in Figure 1. If
we ignore any non-linearity in the system, the charac-
teristics of the line are independent of the amplitude of
the wave, and 11 of the constants can be determined in
terms of the 12th by using 11 of the 12 boundary condi-
tions. The 12th boundary condition gives an equation
for the propagation constant a, which must be satisfied
for a solution to exist.
The condition is a transcendental equation for which
an exact solution cannot be readily obtained. As dis-
cussed in (7), the approximations are K1d1<<1 and
K2d2<<1. Physically, these approximations mean that
higher order modes are ignored. With small d1 and d2,
higher order modes will not be excited, therefore, the
transcendental equation yields:
ω 2 µ 0ε 0ε 1ε 2   l 
α2 = 2λ coth  + 2d1 + d2 
2d1ε 2 + d2ε 1 
(5)
 λ 
If we assume either d1 or d2 to equal zero (i.e. by
removing the buffer layer), Equation (5) is exactly the
same as that shown in Reference [8], and identical

▲ Figure 2. Computed quality factors Qc versus thicknesses (d1 m) of
the dielectric mirrors for different dielectric constants erd1 = 2, 4, where Qo is the total Q-factor of the resonator
6, 8, 9 from upper to lower curves respectively.
results are also shown in Reference [7]. Also, note the
factor of two in Equation (5), which indicates that there
are two dielectric mirrors and two normal or supercon-
ductor layers. Since we considered a symmetric case, i.e.,
the same Cu or HTS thin films on each side of the sub-
strate separated by the same dielectric mirrors, as
shown in Figure 1. The wave velocity relative to that in
a vacuum can be written as [see Equation (5)]:
2d1ε 2 + d2ε 1
Vr = (6)
  l  υp
ε 1ε 2 2λ coth  + 2d1 + d2 
  λ  1
According to Equation (6), the wave is dispersionless
even though there is a component of the electric field in
the direction of propagation, i.e., the group velocity and
phase velocity are equal and independent of frequency.
The dispersion relation of the wave is discussed in
Reference [7]. The attenuation of the wave due to losses
in each medium and the wave velocity have been
obtained by replacing e1, e2 and l into their complex
forms.
Quality factor Q
The loaded quality factor Ql of a transmission res-
onator is evaluated from the measured resonant curve
by dividing the resonant frequency, fo, by the 3-dB
width, —f, of the resonant curve. The unloaded quality
factor Qo can be calculated from the insertion loss of the
resonator at resonant frequency [9]:
Ql
Qo =
1 − S12
(7)
Pt
here, S12 ∆
Pi
72 · APPLIED MICROWAVE & WIRELESS
When the transmission line studied in the
previous sections resonates as a half-wave-
length resonator, four kinds of Q-factors may be
obtained due to losses in conductors, dielectrics
1, 2 and radiation from the four open sides, as
shown in Figure 1. The total Q-factor of the res-
onator can be written in terms of Qc, Qd1, Qd2
and Qr as:
1 1 1 1 1
= + + +
Qo Qc Qd1 Qd2 Qr (8)
[the same as in Equation (7)]. Qc, Qd1, Qd2 [10]
can be written as:
ω (9)
Qc =
2α cυ g
ω
Qd1 = (10)
2α d1υ g
ω
Qd2 = (11)
2α d2υ g
υ 22
υg = (12)
[ ]2
−
υ 2 ∆ ℜ(ε 2 µ o ) (13)
where vp is the phase velocity in the corresponding
material.
The radiation Q, Qr, has been discussed elsewhere
[11]. This article concentrates primarily on the conduc-
tor’s losses, so we will consider an example in which
superconductors are thin films of YBCO, dielectric 1 is
MgO and dielectric 2 is sapphire. The parameters for
these materials are taken from Reference [7]. The value
for the penetration depth used for the high quality thin
films of YBCO is 140 nm. The normal conductivity for
thin films is assumed to be 1.7 × 106 (ohms.m)–1. The
thickness of the thin films is assumed to be 700 nm
(approximately five penetration depths), and operating
frequency and reduced temperatures are 10 GHz,
T/Tc=0.5 and 0.05, respectively, unless otherwise men-
tioned.
In Figure 2, the values of quality factor Qc are plotted
as a function of thickness (d1 m) with T/Tc = 0.5. The
resonator is assumed to be sapphire, with erd2 = 10 and
tand2 = 0. The dielectric mirrors are MgO with erd1 = 2,
4, 6, 8 and 9 and tand1 = 0. The values of Qc are
increased as the thickness is increased as shown in
 References
1. A. Romano, R.R.
Mansour, “Enhanced-Q
Microstrip Bandpass Filter
with Coupled Negative
Resistors,” Proc. IEEE
MTT-S, 1997: 709–712.
2. U. Karacaoglu, et al,
“Microstrip Bandpass Filter
using MMIC Ne-gative
Resistance Circuits for Loss
Compensation,” Proc. IEEE
MTT-S, 1994: 613–616.
3. B. Hopf, et al,
▲ Figure 3. Fourth-order Butterworth band- ▲ Figure 4. Fourth-order 1 dB Chebyshev “Coplanar MMIC Active
pass response. bandpass response. Bandpass Filters Using
Negative Resistance Cir-
cuits,” Proc. IEEE MTT-S,
Figure 2. The values of Qc are increased if the dielectric 1994: 1183–1185.
constant of the dielectric mirror is decreased because of 4. C. Chang, T. Itoh, “Microwave Active Filters Based
the internal reflection between sapphire and dielectric on Coupled Negative Resistance Method,” IEEE MTT,
mirrors. As the dielectric constant of the dielectric mir- Vol. 38, No. 12, December 1990: 1879–1884.
rors decreases the internal reflection at the dielectric 5. C. Rauscher, “Microwave Active Filters Based on
interface, the field at the normal or superconductor sur- Transversal and Recursive Principles,” Proc. IEEE
face is decreased and hence the Qc values are increased. MTT, Vol. 33, No. 12, December 1985: 1350–1360.
This also implies reduced radiation through the films, 6. S.E. Sussman-Fort, “A Realization of a GaAs
which increases the Qr. Microwave Active Filter,” Proc. IEEE MTT, Vol. 38, No.
Figures 3 and 4 show examples of fourth-order 10, October 1990: 1524–1526.
Butterworth and fourth-order Chebyshev bandpass 7. F. Abbas, L.E. Davis, “Propagation Coefficient in a
amplitudes for wo = 1 rad/s and various values of Q. Superconducting Asymetric Parallel-Plate Transmis-
Higher Q corresponds to narrower passbands (see sion Line with Buffer Layer,” Journal of Applied
Figures 3 and 4). Physics, Vol. 73, 1993: 4494–4499.
8. F. Abbas, et al, “Field Solution for a Thin-Film
Summary Superconducting Parallel-Plate Transmission Line,”
A new class of planar microwave resonator using mul- Physica C, Vol. 21, 1993: 132–144.
tilayers of rectangular dielectric for Q-enhancement was 9. M. Manzel, et al, “TBCOO-Films for Passive
discussed. A detailed description of the resonator design Microwave Devices,” 22nd European Microwave
and performance of the filter was given. A new theoret- Conference, Helsinki, Finland (August 28, 1992): 81–86.
ical approach was then presented for the confinement of 10. E.C. Jordan and K.G. Balmain, Electromagnetic
the field into the resonator that enhances the Q values Waves and Radiating Systems, 2nd ed., Englewood
and the filter performance are shown. Design guidelines Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 1968: 273.
for different resonator geometries using Cu or YBCO 11. F. Abbas and L.E. Davis, “Radiation Q-Factor of
thick or thin films as planar shields for composite dielec- High-Tc Superconducting Parallel-Plate Resonators,”
tric structures were discussed. Expressions for the IEEE Electronic Letters, Vol. 29, 1993: 105–107.
attenuation coefficient, phase velocity, resonance fre-
quency and the Q values of the dominant modes have Author information
been developed and computed assuming losses in each Farhat Abbas received a Ph.D. from UMIST in the
medium in turn. The contribution to the Q value arising United Kingdom in 1993. Since then, he has worked for
from the normal or superconductors and the individual various organizations, including UMIST, NPL, Nokia
dielectric components was also described. Transmission and Lucent Technologies on system architecture (direct
and reflection response of the filter for mobile commu- and dual conversion of frequencies) and the integration
nications has been optimized by the Q enhancement due of RFICs and duplexers systems at the front end of the
to the internal reflection at the surfaces of the UMTS/GSM base stations. He may be reached by e-mail
dielectrics of the resonator. ■ at fabbas1@lucent.com.

74 · APPLIED MICROWAVE & WIRELESS