Reconfigurable X-Band Bandpass Filter Using SIR

with Variable Capacitor

P. R. Sriram, Rahul Bhaskaran,D.Bharathi
Pranav Srinivasan, Nithin Krishnan, Dr. H. Umma Habiba
Department of Electronics and Communication Engineering
Sri Venkateswara College of Engineering, Sriperumbudur, Tamil Nadu, India
Email: [email protected], [email protected], [email protected],
[email protected], [email protected], [email protected]

Abstract—This paper describes a simple approach of re-

configurable bandpass filter based on stepped impedance res-
onator (SIR) transmission lines, particularly suitable for X-Band
military communication application. In the proposed design,
shifting of frequency from downlink to uplink frequency response
is achieved by strategically placing three Variable capacitor
(Varicap), at locations where the capacitors do not affect the
resonating response of the overall design. Variable capacitor is Fig. 1. Circuit model of the transmission line loaded with variable capacitor
used in order to tune the capacitance for the frequency shift
between uplink to downlink frequency. The operating frequency
for X-Band downlink is 7.25 GHz to 7.75 GHz and uplink is
from 7.90 GHz to 8.40 GHz. The filter is designed on a Rogers II. D ESIGN OF RECONFIGURABLE BANDPASS FILTER
RO4003 substrate with dielectric constant r=3.38 and 0.508 mm The design procedure for the proposed filter includes two
thickness of substrate. main steps: The first step is designing the center cross coupled
Keywords—Microstrip filter, Stepped Impedance Resonator, X- SIR structure .The second step involves placing of standing
band Bandpass Filter, Variable capacitor. uniform SIR. Then the meander line which is advantageous
for its compactness is placed on the other side of the middle
section. The resonators are connected by Varicap 1 , Varicap
2 and Varicap 3 such that it does not affect the coupling
I. I NTRODUCTION structures. The circuit model of the variable capacitor loaded
transmission line is shown in Fig 1
Recent development in wireless communication systems
has led to increasing demand on reconfigurable components.
Bandpass filters with center frequency and bandwidth reconfig- The variable capacitor, in series with the transmission line,
urable have been a significant research topic. Reconfigurable can effectively change the frequency at which the frequency
filters can be applied in commercial and military fields, such as shift with high attenuation occurs. The Fig.2 shows the filter
satellite and cellular communication, wireless, radar, etc. The structure with three resonating structure. The layout respon-
satellite communication industry created a demand for low- sible for X-band frequency which takes the combination of
mass, low-loss, narrowband, high linearity and wide tuning resonator 1 which is meander SIR, resonator 2 cross coupled
range filters [1]. Reconfigurable and miniaturized RF filters resonator and resonator 3, uniform impedance SIR and. The
indeed will be key elements in future satellite telecommuni- resonator 2 is a cross coupled SIR which is the basic structure
cation systems which will require low size and weight as well of the filter with vertical resonator with vertical stubs, where
as flexibility. In this paper, a compact four-pole microstrip the input and output ports are placed. Also it consists of
BPF with two transmission zeroes near both passband edges a horizontal resonator with each ends connected with open
of lower and higher frequency is developed. The Satellite ended stubs which is used to connect varicap with the other
communication industry created the demand for low loss, low resonator structures. The cross-coupled technique is used in
mass, highly tunable filters [2]. In order to improve the filter the proposed design which can improve matching, resulting
performances, the cross coupling technique was employed in lower insertion loss. The gap between the second resonator
with open-loop resonators [3]. The microstrip filter consists of and third standing resonator acts as the capacitance and hence
3 different patches on the top side of three different frequency the bandpass behavior is achieved with good attenuation in the
band application and two different pairs of capacitor chips lower and higher band.
incorporated into the patches [4]. The trans- mission zeros
become tunable when variable capacitors are loaded at the A. Filter with reconfigurable bandwidth and center frequency
open ends of the stubs [5]. The reconfigurable filters with
fractional bandwidth control were presented [6] [7]. Three It is known that the frequency response of a filter is able
resonator patch connected with capacitor chips is introduced to be reconfigured with the relocation of transmission zeros
in [8]. and poles with the filter structure. Practically, the zero/pole
relocation can be realised with the traditionally microwave
Reconfigurable filter using GeTe RF switches to switch resonator loaded with varactor. In the proposed filter, by
from uplink to downlink is reported in [9]. The organization of changing C1 and C2 capacitances while keeping the other size
the paper is as follows. Section II presents design of reconfig- of the resonator fixed, the fundamental downlink resonant fre-
urable bandpass filter. Section III demonstrates the simulation quency can be adjusted, whereas the uplink resonant frequency
and results. Section IV discusses about the conclusions. keeps changed by tuning C. Therefore, the proposed filter

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 Fig. 3. Co-simulation view of the proposed filter
Fig. 2. Cascaded Structure of the Proposed Filter with VariCap

resonator can support two frequency bands covering uplink

and downlink of X-Band and this feature has been utilised to
achieve bandwidth reconfigurability. The various dimensional
parameters of the structure includes W=3.2 mm, W1 = 1.8 mm,
W2 = 3 mm, W3 =0.9mm, W4 = 5mm, L1 = 9 mm, L2 =2 mm,
L3 =1mm, L4 =6mm.
The approach of placing resonator stubs on both end of
horizontal plane is to reduce the overall size of filter and
enhances the high stop band performance without the need
to add more section hence the compactness is achieved. In the
proposed filter the Cross coupled SIR structure is excited via
ports 1 and port 2, where Z0=50 ,as illustrated in Fig.2.The
complete structure of the proposed reconfigurable filter is
designed on a 0.508 mm thick Rogers substrate. The final
design has the size of 23 mm x 18 mm with three different
resonators with three variable capacitors for frequency shifting
from uplink to downlink frequency. Consequently, a recon-
figurable circuit must be carefully designed such that it is Fig. 4. Simulated surface current distributions on the microstrip SIR for the
proposed band-pass filter (a) Uplink (b) Downlink
sensitive enough to small variations in its tunable capacitors.
This will maximize the Q of its variable capacitors and hence
contribute to less the pass band insertion loss level. In Figure
2, filter layout shows that an open end meander line resonator 2 and third varicap is placed between the stepped impedance
which reduces the size of the whole filter. The middle section resonator and resonator 3. Two termination sources are applied
involves stepped impedance resonator (SIR). The advantage at the input and output ports. There is another challenging
of using SIR is that its structural parameters can be varied to issue in designing filters that include lumped components
obtain the desired response at high frequency. (i.e., Varicap). Filters solely using transmission lines can be
designed and optimized with EM simulators. However, the
The gap between cross coupled resonator and the standing variable capacitors cannot be incorporated in EM simulators
line resonator acts as the capacitance hence the band pass and a Co-simulation design procedure needs to be developed.
behaviour is achieved.The reconfigurable filter structure is To solve this problem, we developed a two-step simulation
simulated in Advance Design System tool using Method of procedure. For the propsed filter, first, a EM simulation based
Momentum and Co-simulated with three variable capacitors. on MoM method is carried out on the two-port network
The capacitor is chosen in order to provide frequency shifts including the three resonators, without considering the effect
from uplink to downlink frequency. Thereby the varicaps of the varicaps. The co-simulation view of the filter with
are selected depending on its capacitance value. The minute varicaps at three distinct positions is shown in Fig.2. Through
variation in the capacitance has the desirable change in the properly varying the varicap capacitances onto the open-ends
resonant modes of the SIR i.e passband frequency of the filter. of SL-SIRs, the passband frequency of the filter can, therefore,
Two Varicaps are placed between resonator 1 and resonator be changed over a wide tuning range

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 Fig. 6. Simulated S-parameter in downlink frequency of 7200MHz to
7750MHz

Fig. 5. Radiation Flow with Contours

The simulation provides -parameters of the two-port net-

work. Then the S -parameter results are imported into Co-
simulation view. The capacitor is then connected to the two-
port network in ADS Co-simulation and simulation of the
overall filter with varicaps can be performed. To control Fig. 7. Simulated S-parameter in uplink frequency of 8000MHz to 8400MHz
the transmission zeroes of the passband in the downlink,
capacitances C1 and C2 are needed with small effect of the
capacitor C3 . To control the transmission zeroes in the uplink,
capacitance C3 is needed with small and equal effect of
capacitance C3 .

III. SIMULATION AND RESULT

The simulated result of the proposed bandpass filter for

X-band application in 3D view is shown below. The X-Band
comprises uplink frequency from 8 GHz to 8.4 GHz and
downlink from 7.25 GHz to 7.75 GHz. To understand the
phenomenon behind the frequency shift the simulated current
distributions on the radiating SIR of the proposed band-pass
filter, for uplink and downlink is shown in Fig. 4 (a) and
(b). The radiation of the EM field in the SIR is shown in
Fig. 5 is used to understand the maximum and minimum
energy flow in the filter. The capacitor C1 and C2 values are
tuned for downlink frequency and capacitor C3 is tuned for
uplink frequency. Owing to transmission zeros around center
frequency of the downlink and uplink, the selectivity of the
passband filter becomes better. Thus, the rejection of the filter
in stopband is very impressive. The capacitance values are
given below in Table I. Fig. 8. Simulated S-parameter in Downlink And Uplink

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 C1 (pf) C2 (pf) C3 (pf)
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Uplink 0.69 35 30
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