Balanced-To-Balanced Microstrip Diplexer Based on Magnetically Coupled Resonators

Two balanced-To-balanced planar diplexers based on magnetically coupled microstrip resonators are proposed in this paper. For the first prototype, each channel/differential-output is composed of a second order single-band balanced bandpass filter based on open-loop resonators. For the second diplexer example, the filters composing the differential outputs are fourth order and are implemented by means of folded stepped-impedance resonators. The design procedure for the differential response is quite straightforward, since it is based on the use of the well-known external quality factor and coupling coefficients concepts. Common-mode is inherently rejected thanks to the benefits of magnetic coupling, which precludes common-mode transmission over a wide frequency range. The proposed structure also offers a high level of channel-To-channel isolation. To demonstrate the usefulness of the proposed idea, the two prototypes are simulated, fabricated, and measured. Good differential-mode and common-mode performance is observed in both examples. Simulations and measurements show good agreement.Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad TEC2013-41913-P, TEC2017-84724-P, TEC2016-75650-RJunta de Andalucía P12-TIC-1435Generalitat de Catalunya 2014SGR-15

Balanced quasi-elliptic-type combline diplexer with multiextracted-pole junction/output sections

A class of coupled-multiline quasi-elliptic-type balanced diplexer device with closely spaced channels and its balanced coupling-routing-diagram formalism to simultaneously model its differential- and common-mode operation are reported. It employs third-order combline-type bandpass filters (BPFs) in its filtering channels, whose resonating lines are connected at one of their extremes to the symmetry plane of the balanced-circuit structure (i.e., virtual grounds for the differential mode), along with a multiextracted-pole/coupled-multiline dual-band BPF junction and single-band BPF output cells. In differential-mode operation, the dual-band BPF junction adds one in-band pole to each diplexer channel and three transmission zeros (TZs) to both channels, whereas the single-band BPF output cells incorporate one in-band pole and two TZs in their corresponding channels. In this manner, increased-selectivity differential-mode BPF transfer functions for the diplexer channels when compared to those of its third-order combline-type BPFs are obtained. Grounded resistors are connected at the symmetry plane of the balanced diplexer for all the resonating lines of the combline-type BPFs, which become detuned with regard to the poles associated with the dual-band BPF junction and the single-band BPF output cells under common-mode excitation. This allows for high common-mode suppression levels in wide spectral ranges to be realized for both channels while maintaining the same TZs as in differential-mode operation. For practical-validation purposes, a 1.6-GHz/1.8-GHz microstrip prototype is manufactured and tested.Ministerio de Economía, Industria y CompetitividadEuropean Commissio

Compact balanced-to-balanced diplexer based on split-ring resonators balanced bandpass filters

A compact balanced-to-balanced diplexer composed of two balanced bandpass filters is proposed in this letter. The balanced filters are implemented using compact edge-coupled square split-ring resonators. The design methodology is based on the standard coupled-resonators filter synthesis procedure. First, each filter is independently designed. Then, they are connected to a common differential input port in order to achieve the desired diplexing operation, with the pertinent adjustments to take into account the loading effect of the second filter. Magnetic coupling inherently prevents common-mode transmission. An illustrative prototype example is provided with simulations and measurements to demonstrate the benefits of the proposed topology.Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad TEC2017-84724-P, TEC2016-75650-RJunta de Andalucía P12-TIC-1435Generalitat de Catalunya 2014SGR-15

Design of Multiplexers for IoT-Based Applications Using Stub-Loaded Coupled-Line Resonators

This paper presents the design of microstrip-based multiplexers using stub-loaded coupled-line resonators. The proposed multiplexers consist of a diplexer and a triplexer, meticulously engineered to operate at specific frequency bands relevant to IoT systems: 2.55 GHz, 3.94 GHz, and 5.75 GHz. To enhance isolation and selectivity between the two passband regions, the diplexer incorporates five transmission poles (TPs) within its design. Similarly, the triplexer filter employs seven transmission poles to attain the desired performance across all three passbands. A comprehensive comparison was conducted against previously reported designs, considering crucial parameters such as size, insertion loss, return loss, and isolation between the two frequency bands. The fabrication of the diplexer and triplexer was carried out on a compact Rogers Duroid 5880 substrate. The experimental results demonstrate an exceptional performance, with the diplexer exhibiting a low insertion loss of 0.3 dB at 2.55 GHz and 0.4 dB at 3.94 GHz. The triplexer exhibits an insertion loss of 0.3 dB at 2.55 GHz, 0.37 dB at 3.94 GHz, and 0.2 dB at 5.75 GHz. The measured performance of the fabricated diplexer and triplexer aligns well with the simulated results, validating their effectiveness in meeting the desired specifications.publishedVersio

Multilayered balanced dual-band bandpass filter based on magnetically coupled open-loop resonators with intrinsic common-mode rejection

A new dual-band balanced bandpass filter based on magnetically coupled open-loop resonators in multilayer technology is proposed in this paper. The lower differential passband, centered at the Global Positioning System (GPS) L1 frequency, 1.575 GHz, was created by means of two coupled resonators etched in the middle layer of the structure, while the upper differential passband, centered at a Wi-Fi frequency of 2.4 GHz, was generated by coupling two resonators on the top layer. Magnetic coupling was used to design both passbands, leading to an intrinsic common-mode rejection of 39 dB within the lower passband and 33 dB within the upper passband. Simulation and measurement results are provided to verify the usefulness of the proposed dual-band differential bandpass filter.Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades TEC2017-84724-

A New Design Approach for a Compact Microstrip Diplexer with Good Passband Characteristics

This paper presents an efficient theoretical design approach of a very compact microstrip diplexer for modern wireless communication system applications. The proposed basic resonator is made of coupled lines, simple transmission line and a shunt stub. The coupled lines and transmission line make a U-shape resonator while the shunt stub is loaded inside the U-shape cell to save the size significantly, where the overall size of the presented diplexer is only 0.008 λg2 . The configuration of this resonator is analyzed to increase intuitive understanding of the structure and easier optimization. The first and second resonance frequencies are f o1 = 895 MHz and f o2 = 2.2 GHz. Both channels have good properties so that the best simulated insertion loss at the first channel (0.075 dB) and the best simulated common port return losses at both channels (40.3 dB and 31.77 dB) are achieved. The presented diplexer can suppress the harmonics acceptably up to 3 GHz (3.3 fo1 ). Another feature is having 31% fractional bandwidth at the first channel

Co-design of Reconfigurable and Multifunction Passive RF/Microwave Components

In order to meet the market demands, multi-band communication systems that are able to accommodate different wireless technologies to be compatible with different wireless standards should be investigated and realized. Multifunction and multi-band RF front-end components are promising solutions for reducing the size and enhancing the performance of multi-band communication systems. This dissertation focuses on the design and implementation of different multifunction and tunable microwave components for use in multi-standard, flexible transceiver. For frequency-domain duplexing (FDD) communication systems, in which the uplink and downlink channels are carried on different RF frequencies, a diplexer is an essential component to separate the transmitting and receiving signals from the antenna. Electrically tunable diplexers simplify the architecture of reconfigurable RF-front end. Moreover, in modern communication systems, the crowding of the spectrum and the scaling of electronics can result in higher common-mode interference and even-order non-linearity issues. In this dissertation, three tunable compact SIW-based dual-mode diplexers, with various SE (single-ended) and BAL (balanced) capabilities, are introduced for the first time. The dual-mode operation results in a dependent tuning between the two ports. The presented designs are for SE-SE, SE-BAL, and BAL-BAL. However, based on the presented design concepts, any combination of the diplexer ports can be achieved in terms of supporting the balanced and single-ended system interface. The fabricated diplexers show low insertion loss, high isolation, good tuning range and high common mode rejection. Tunable bandstop filter (BSF) is one of the essential components in the design of RF front-ends that require wide-band operations. A wide-open front-end leaves the receiver vulnerable to jamming by high-power signals. As a result, this type of front-ends requires dynamic isolation of any interfering signal. Realization of such filters in a balanced configuration, as a second function, is an important step in the realization of full-balanced RF front-ends. Balanced (differential) circuits have many important advantages over unbalanced (single-ended) circuits such as immunity to system noise, reduction of transient noise generation and inherent suppression of even-order nonlinearities. All reported balanced filters are bandpass filters that target wide pass-bands and high common-mode rejection. These filters are necessary for wide-band RF front-ends but, as mentioned above, leave the system open to interferers and jammers. In this dissertation, a new differential coupling structure for evanescent-mode cavity resonators is developed, enabling the design of fully-balanced tunable BSF. The proposed filter is tunable from 1.57-3.18 GHz with 102% tuning range. In addition, over the full range, the measured 10-dB fractional bandwidth ranges from 1-2.4%, and the attenuation level is better than 47 dB. Lastly, Substrate Integrated Waveguide (SIW) evanescent-mode cavity resonators (EVA) are employed in the design of RF couplers, quadrature hybrid and rat-race couplers. These couplers are used in the design of numerous RF front-end components such as power amplifiers, balanced mixers, and antenna array feeding networks. Utilizing such resonators (EVA) in the design allows the couplers to have wide spurious-free range, low power consumption, high power handling capability and both tunability and filtering capabilities. The proposed quadrature hybrid coupler can be tuned starting from 1.32–2.22 GHz with a measured insertion loss range from 1.29 to 0.7 dB. The measured reflection and isolation are better than 12 dB and 17 dB, respectively. Moreover, the coupler has a measured spurious free range of 5.1–3fo (lowest–highest frequency). Regarding rat-race coupler, two designs are introduced. The first design is based on a full-mode cavity while the second one is more compact and based on a half-mode cavity. Both designs show more than 70% tuning range, and the isolation is better than 30 dB

Simple and compact balanced bandpass filters based on magnetically coupled resonators

A simple strategy is proposed to design differential-mode bandpass filters with good common-mode (CM) rejection using simple resonators. Specifically, the CM rejection is enhanced by using conventional open-loop resonators as well as folded stepped-impedance resonators without the addition of printed or lumped elements along the symmetry plane of the filter or the use of defected ground solutions. The novelty of the present proposal is that a good CM rejection is achieved by the use of magnetic coupling instead of the more commonly employed electrical coupling. Magnetic coupling inherently yields poorer CM transmission as requested by good differential filters. The resonators, due to their geometrical simplicity, can easily be cascaded to implement high-order filters. The use of simple geometries also simplifies the design methodology and makes final tuning based on electromagnetic simulation simpler or unnecessary.Miisterio de Economía y Competitividad TEC2010-16948, TEC2013-41913-P, CSD2008-00066Junta de Andalucía P12-TIC-143

Stripline multilayer devices based on Complementary Split Ring Resonators

A new analytic design for multilayer stripline devices in planar circuit technology is presented. The Complementary Split Ring Resonator (CSRR) is used as a sub-wavelength resonant particle, which provides high-Q resonances in a compact size. The electromagnetic field distribution achieved along the stripline enables enhanced excitation of the resonators. An optimal solution for multilayer power dividers is presented, in a configuration in which each output is obtained in different layers and also in a different layer than the input line. The solution is expanded to design different devices, such as diplexers, resonators, and multi-frequency resonators, leading to vertical filters. As the resonances are achieved by stacking resonators, the effective circuit footprint is very compact. The proposed devices can be implemented in a volumetric chip fashion, allowing integration with planar transmission line circuits and flexible output connection placement. A complete analysis of the different devices is proposed, extracting and verifying their equivalent circuit models.This work was supported by Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades, Gobierno de España (Agencia Estatal de Investigación, Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional -FEDER-, European Union) under the research grant RTI2018-095499-B-C31 IoTrain

Miniaturized High-Q Tunable RF Filters

This dissertation focuses on the investigation and development of novel efficient tuning techniques and the design of miniaturized high-Q tunable RF filters for high-performance reconfigurable systems and applications. First, a detailed survey of the available tuning concepts and state-of-art tunable filters is provided. Then, a novel so-called inset resonator configuration is presented for the applications of fixed and tunable coaxial filters. The design procedure of frequency tunable filters with constant absolute bandwidth (CABW) is described, and various tunable inset filters are implemented, offering many desirable merits, including the wide tuning range and stable high-Q with minimum variation. For wide octave frequency tuning ranges with CABW, a second novel concept is presented using so-called re-entrant caps tuners. Beside simplicity and compactness, this technique also features enhanced spurious performance and wider tuning capabilities than the conventional means. Also, in this dissertation, various miniaturized reconfigurable dual-band/dual-mode bandpass filters and diplexers are presented using compact dual-mode high-Q TM-mode dielectric resonators. Furthermore, a novel microfluidic-based ultra-wide frequency tuning technique for TM010-mode dielectric resonators and filters is introduced in this dissertation. In addition to the very wide tuning window, this mechanism has key advantages of low-cost, simplicity, and intrinsic switch-off. Lastly, the dissertation includes a novel bandwidth reconfiguration concept with multi-octave tuning using a single element for coaxial bandpass filters. This mechanism brings many features including the fast tuning, constant high-Q, intrinsic switch-off, and wide BW-reconfiguration