RF and Microwave Filters

1. Overview
1.1 Types of Filters
A. Lowpass Filters

B. Highpass Filters

attenuation

attenuation
transition
band

passband

stopband

freq
cutoff

C. Bandpass Filters
transition
band

stopband

passband

freq

c ; cutoff

atten

transition
band

stopband

D. Bandstop Filters
atten

transition
band

passband

stopband

transition
band

transition
band

passband

stopband

freq
f1

f2

f1

passband

f2

Microwave & Millimeter-wave Lab.

freq

2. Filter Characterization(1)

Two-port Network ;

Input

H()

Output

Fig. 1 Two-port Network

H () H () e j ( )
Microwave & Millimeter-wave Lab.

2. Filter Characterization(2)
Characteristics of ideal bandpass filters ;
1
H ( )
0

for f1 f f 2
for f f1 , f f 2

and ( ) d

lH()l
1

Fig. 2 Characteristics of
ideal bandpass filter
()

Freq.

not realizable
approximation required
Microwave & Millimeter-wave Lab.

2. Filter Characterization(3)

Practical specifications ;

1) Passband
; lower cutoff frequency f1 - upper cutoff frequency f2

2) Insertion loss : 20log H() (dB)

; must be as small as possible
3) Return Loss : 20log (dB)

; degree of impedance matching

4) Ripple
; variation of insertion loss within the passband
Microwave & Millimeter-wave Lab.

2. Filter Characterization(4)
5) Group delay
d

d ()
d

; time to required to pass the filter

6) Skirt frequency characteristics
; depends on the system specifications
7) Power handling capability

Microwave & Millimeter-wave Lab.

3. Approximate Design Methods

1) based on Amplitude characteristics
A. Image parameter method
B. Insertion loss method
a) J-K inverters
b) Unit element - Kuroda identity
2) based on Linear Phase characteristics

Microwave & Millimeter-wave Lab.

3.1 Filter design(the insertion loss method)

Definition of Power Loss Ratio (PLR)
; impedance matching as well as frequency selectivity

Pin

[Sij]

Prefl

Ptrans

Fig. 3 General filter network

Prefl Pin S11 Pin

2

Ptrans T Pin S 21 Pin

2

PLR

Pin
1
N ( )

Ptran 1 2
D( )

network synthesis
procedures are required

Microwave & Millimeter-wave Lab.

3.1 Filter Design(2)

Approximation methods :
1) Maximally Flat (Butterworth) response
2) Chebyshev response
3) Elliptic Function response

Microwave & Millimeter-wave Lab.

3.2 Approximation Methods

A. Maximally flat response
PLR
Chebyshev

PLR
Maximally flat

1
0

0.5

1.5

2
1 k
c

2N

Where, k 2 ; passband tolerance

N ; order of filter
Usually k 2 1
degree of freedom=1 (order N)

Fig. 4 Comparison Between Maximally

Flat and Chebyshev response
Microwave & Millimeter-wave Lab.

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3.2 Approximation Methods(2)

B. Chebyshev response

: equal ripple response in the passband

PLR 1 k T
0
2

TN

2
N

: Chebyshev Polynomial of order

T1 ( x) x, T2 2 x 2 1, T3 ( x) 4 x 3 3x
Tn ( x) 2 xTn1 ( x) Tn2 ( x)
Microwave & Millimeter-wave Lab.

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3.2 Approximation Methods(3)

2

k
N

; ripple (0.01 dB, 0.1 dB, etc.)

; order of filter
degree of freedom=2 (ripple and order)
attenuation

PLR

1+k2
-1

0
Chebyshev Response,

1
N=4

Elliptic function response N=5

Fig. 5 Chebyshev and Elliptic Function response

Microwave & Millimeter-wave Lab.

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3.2 Approximation Methods(4)

C. Elliptic Function response
equal ripple passband in both passband and
stopband

s : stopband minimum attenuation

: transmission zero at stopband

degree of freedom=3 (order N, ripple,

transmission zero at stopband s )

Microwave & Millimeter-wave Lab.

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4. Lowpass Prototype Filter

RL g 0 1 , c 1 rad / s ; normalized to 1
R

gN

...

g6

g4

g5

g2

g1

g3

g0=1

...
a'
R

...

g7

g6

gN

g5

g3

g4

g2

g1

g0=1

...
a'

Fig. 5 Lowpass prototype

Microwave & Millimeter-wave Lab.

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4. Lowpass Prototype Filter(2)

Maximally Flat response ;
PLR 1 2 N RL g 0 1

g i 2 sin

2i 1
, i 1, 2, , N ( H , F )
2N

Equal Ripple response ;

PLR

1
1 k T ( ) RL g 0 2
2k 1 2k 1 k 2
2

2
N

N odd
N even

1 k 2 1
4ai 1 ai
2i 1
2

gi
, ai sin
, bi sinh
, ln
1 k 2 1
bi 1 g i 1
2N
2N

Microwave & Millimeter-wave Lab.

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4. Lowpass Prototype Filter(3)

Type

Butterworth

0.1 dB ripple
Chebyshev

0.5 dB ripple
Chebyshev

0.6180

1.1468

1.7058

1.6180

1.3712

1.2296

2.0000

1.9750

2.5408

1.6180

1.3712

1.2296

0.6180

1.1468

1.7058

Element No

Table1. Element values for Butterworth and chebyshev filters

Microwave & Millimeter-wave Lab.

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5. Impedance and freq. mapping

5.1 Impedance Scaling
RL 1 RL 50

Impedance level 50
; same reflection coefficient maintained
series branch(impedance) elements ;

jg i j 50g i g i 50 g i
shunt branch(admittance) elements ;

jg r jg r / 50 g r g r / 50
Microwave & Millimeter-wave Lab.

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5. Impedance and freq. mapping(2)

5.2 Frequency Expansion
cutoff frequency 1 lowpass cutoff frequency

mapping function ; f ( ) c
series and shunt branch elements ;

jg i j cg i

g i

c g i

Microwave & Millimeter-wave Lab.

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5. Impedance and freq. mapping(3)

PLR

-1

PLR

'

(a) Lowpass Prototype response

(b) Frequency expansion

PLR

-c

-c

PLR

(c) Lowpass to Highpass transformation

-0

(d) Lowpass to Bandpass Transformation

Fig. 6 Various mapping relations derived from lowpass prototype network

Microwave & Millimeter-wave Lab.

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5. Impedance and freq. mapping(4)

5.3 Lowpass to Highpass transformation
(lowpass cutoff freq. 1 highpass cutoff freq. c )
mapping function ; f ( ) c /
series branch(impedance) elements ;
jg i j ( c / ) g i

g i

1 /( c g i )

shunt branch(admittance) elements ;

jg r j ( c / ) g r
R

...

g5'

1 /( c g r )

g3'

g4'

gN'

g r

g1'

g2'

RL=1

...
Fig. 7 Highpass filter derived from lowpass prototype
Microwave & Millimeter-wave Lab.

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5. Impedance and freq. mapping(5)

5.4 Lowpass to bandpass transformation
(low cutoff freq. 1 , high cutoff freq. 2 )
mapping function ; f ( )

2 1 0

' 0 0
' 1 1 , 2
0 1 2 and 2 1

Microwave & Millimeter-wave Lab.

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5. Impedance and freq. mapping(6)

series branch element : impedance
0 0
gi
g i 02
1

; g i j
jg1 jg i

jLs
0
j
jC s

shunt branch element : admittance

0 0
g r 02
gr
1

; g r j
jg r jg r

jC p
0
j
jL p
R

...
LN

L5

C5

L4

CN

L3

C4

C3

L2

L1

C1

C2

RL=1

...
Fig. 8 Bandpass filter derived from the lowpass prototype
Microwave & Millimeter-wave Lab.

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5. Impedance and freq. mapping(7)

Example : Design a bandpass filter having a 0.5dB
equal-ripple response, with N=3. The f0 is 1GHz,
bandwidth is 10%, and the input and output
impedance 50.

step 1 : from the element values of lowpass prtotype

(0.5dB ripple Chebyshev)
g1 1.5963 , g2 1.0967 , g3 1.5963 , g4 1.0000

step 2 : apply impedance scaling

L1 g1Z0 1.5963 50 79.815 H, C2 g2 / Z0 0.022 F ,
L1 g3 Z0 79.815 H
Microwave & Millimeter-wave Lab.

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5. Impedance and freq. mapping(8)

step 3 : apply bandpass transformation

L1 ' L1 / 0 127 nH L3 ' , C1 ' / 0L1 0.199 pF C3 '
L2 ' / 0C2 0.726 nH,

C2 ' C2 / 0 34.91 pF

(2 1 ) / 0

R=50

C3'=0.199pF
L3'=127nH
L2'=0.726nH

C1'=0.199pF
L1'=127nH
C2'=34.91pF

Microwave & Millimeter-wave Lab.

RL=50

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5. Impedance and freq. mapping(9)

5.5 Lowpass to bandstop transformation
(low cutoff freq.1 , high cutoff freq. 2 )

2 1 0

mapping function ; f ( )

0 0

inverse of bandpass mapping function

' 0 0
' 1 1 , 2
0 1 2 and 2 1

Microwave & Millimeter-wave Lab.

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5. Impedance and freq. mapping(10)

series branch element : admittance
0

jg1 jg i

0 0

-1

gi
g i 02
1
; g i j

jC s
j
jLs

shunt branch element : impedance

0

jg r jg r

0 0
R

LN

...

g r 02
gr
1
; g r j

jL p
j
jC p
L2

L4
L5

CN

-1

C5

C4

L3

C2

C3

L1

RL=1

C1

...
Fig. 9 Bandstop network derived from the lowpass prototype
Microwave & Millimeter-wave Lab.

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