Proceedings of Asia-Pacific Microwave Conference 2006

Ultra-Wideband (UWB) Bandpass Filters Using Hybrid

Microstrip/CPW Structures
Hang Wang 1) , Lei Zhu1) *, Wolfgang Menzel2), and Zhi Ning Chen3)
1)
School of Electrical & Electronics Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
2)
Department of Microwave Techniques, University of Ulm, Germany
3)
Radio Systems Department, Institute for Infocomm Research, Singapore
*Tel: +65-67904338, E-mail: ezhul@ntu.edu.sg

Abstract A novel class of ultra-wideband (UWB) a novel compact UWB bandpass filter on the
bandpass filters are reportedly constructed using the microstrip line is constituted using a single
hybrid microstrip and coplanar waveguide (CPW) multiple-mode resonator (MMR) that is driven at
structure. Two types of multiple-mode resonators
(MMRs) on CPW are configured to allocate their first two sides by two identical parallel-coupled lines.
three resonant frequencies at about the lower end, The basic principle of this UWB filter is originated
center and higher end of the UWB band. Then, a in [7, 8] to explore compact and broadband
microstrip/CPW back-to-back coupling structure bandpass filters with the bandwidth of 60%~ 80%.
with enhanced degree is modeled to allocate its
coupling peak around the center of this UWB band,
i.e., 6.85GHz. In final, two types of UWB bandpass
filters with five poles are built up and realized with
the passband covering the entire UWB band (3.1-
10.6GHz). Simulated frequency responses and group
delays are well verified by experiments over a wide
frequency range. In addition, the designed UWB filter
is found to only occupy one full-wavelength.
Index Terms UWB bandpass filter, multiple-
mode resonator, hybrid microstrip/CPW and back-to-
back coupling structure.

I. INTRODUCTION
The ultra-wideband (UWB) (3.1-10.6GHz)
technology has aroused tremendously increasing
research interests since the Federal
Communications Commission (FCC) in USA
released its unlicensed use for indoor and hand-held
systems in 2002 [1]. Much effort has been made in
the past three years towards exploring various
UWB components and devices [2]. As one of the
essential component blocks, an UWB bandpass
Fig.1 Layouts of the UWB bandpass filters.
filter (BPF) has tried to be developed in [3-6] to
achieve such a specified UWB passband with a
110% fractional bandwidth centered at 6.85GHz. In In this work, the novel UWB bandpass filters,
[3], an initial UWB filter is presented by mounting with the hybrid microstrip/CPW structures, are
a microstrip line in a lossy composite substrate and presented and implemented based on two types of
the reported insertion loss is higher than 6.0dB. In multiple-mode resonators. In the meantime, the
[4], a microstrip ring UWB filter is constructed by multiple-mode resonators with non-uniform shape
simultaneously exciting and allocating transmission are formed on the bottom-layered CPW plane to
zeros below 3.1GHz and above 10.6GHz. Due to its excite and allocate the first three resonant modes
nature of dual-stopband, this filter with multiple occurring around the lower end, center and higher
ring resonators usually has narrow bandwidths in end of the interested UWB passband, i.e., 3.1-
lower and upper stopbands as well as large size. In 10.6GHz. Then the broad-side [5] or back-to-back
[5], a broadside-coupled microstrip-coplanar [9] coupled microstrip/CPW structure is modeled
waveguide (CPW) structure with tightened so as to allocate its coupling peak with enhanced
coupling degree is utilized to design an alternative degree at 6.85GHz, i.e., UWBs central frequency.
UWB filter with one, two and three sections. In [6], The proposed UWB filters can address the two

Copyright 2006 IEICE

existing problems in our previously presented
UWB filter [6], i.e., insufficiently tight coupling
degree between two parallel coupled microstrip line
and parasitic radiation loss from a wide strip
conductor or patch in the central part of the MMR
on microstrip line. Our designed UWB filters are
constructed on the RT/Duroid 6010 with Hr=10.8
and thickness h=0.635mm. S-parameter magnitudes
and group delays are simulated and optimized using
Agilent ADS Momentum. Measured results are in
final given together with the predicted ones to
demonstrate good UWB passband performances
with five transmission poles, maximum insertion
loss of 1.0dB and maximum group delay variation
of 0.35ns.
II. HYBRID MICROSTRIP/CPW STRUCTURES
(a) Layout of Type I
(b) Layout of Type II
(c) Unified equivalent J-inverter network
Fig. 2 Hybrid single microstrip/CPW coupling structure.
Fig. 2 (a) and (b) depict the hybrid
microstrip/CPW single coupling structures, which
was originally presented in [9]. They are linked
together via a CPW line, resulting in making up a
broadband microstrip-to-CPW back-to-back
transition by means of its frequency-dispersive and
enhanced coupling extent. In these configurations,
the upper microstrip conductor is vertically coupled
with the central strip conductor of the lower CPW
on ground plane via electromagnetic coupling.
Their frequency-dispersive coupling behaviors can
be studied in terms of a unified equivalent J-
inverter network as illustrated in Fig. 2 (c). In fact,
the J-inverter admittance is associated with the
coupling extent and its maximum peak can be
properly allocated near 6.85GHz if the coupling
length is selected closely to LOg/4 in Fig. 2 (a) and
(b). Taking the structure in Fig. 2 (a) into
consideration, Fig. 3 is the frequency-dependent S-
parameters of this coupling structure under
different slot widths (S1). As S1 is widened, the J-
admittance peak is observed to rise up significantly
as also exhibited in [9]. Plus the two quarter-
wavelength resonators [9] (phases: TMS and TCPW in
Fig. 2(c)), the two transmission poles can be visibly
excited in the two sides of 6.85GHz when
S1=1.60mm as shown in Fig. 3.
Fig.3 Simulated S-parameters of the structure in Fig.2(a)
Fig. 4 S21-magnitudes of the two proposed UWB
bandpass filters with the fixed slot with of S1=1.1mm and
different lengths of L=0.06 and 3.7mm in the
microstrip/CPW coupling sections.
Fig. 1 depicts the layouts of the two constituted
UWB bandpass filters. Fig. 1(a) shows the
configuration of their strip conductors on the upper
interface while Fig. 1(b) and 1(c) represent the two
proposed multiple-mode resonators (MMR) on the
bottom interface. These two MMR resonators on
CPW are electromagnetically coupled to the two
microstrip feeding lines via enhanced surface-to-
surface coupling. To exhibit the resonance and
initial bandpass performances, Fig. 4 plots the
simulated S21-magnitudes of the two MMR
resonators under the two coupled strip lengths, i.e.,
L=0.06 and 3.70mm, standing for very weak and
enhanced coupling degrees, respectively. The S21-
magnitude in L=0.06mm shows that the first three
resonant modes of the designed MMR resonators
are both quasi-equally distributed within the UWB
band. As L is properly strengthened to 3.7mm, the
two portions of S21-magnitude among the three
resonant frequencies continue to move up so as to
achieve an almost flat frequency response close to
the 0dB-line over the UWB passband. These
results evidently verify that a five-pole UWB
passband can be realized using the above resonators
and coupling elements.
(a) Type I
(b) Type II
Fig.5 Predicted S-parameters of the UWB bandpass
filters with different CPW lengths in the middle.
III. MULTIPLE-MODE RESONATORS
Now, lets look closely at the two proposed
multiple-mode resonators on CPW. As shown in
Fig. 1(b), the proposed open-ended MMR resonator
on CPW, Type I, is composed of one central CPW
with narrow slot width or low impedance and two
identical CPW with wide slot width or high
impedance at two sides under the fixed strip width.
Meanwhile, the non-uniformly shaped MMR
resonator in Fig. 1(c), i.e., Type II, has central
CPW with narrow slot width or low impedance and
two identical CPW with wide slot width or high
impedance at two sides under narrower strip
widths.
(a) Top view (Type I & II)
(b) Bottom View (Type I)
(c) Bottom View (Type II)
Fig. 6 Photographs of the two fabricated UWB filters
As discussed in [6], it can be understood that the
resonant frequencies of the MMR resonators
basically vary as a function of the strip length l1 or
l2 in relevance to the central section of the MMR
resonators. The impedance ratios of the three
sections along the MMRs can be therefore adjusted,
aiming at exciting the 1st and 3rd resonant modes of
these resonators at the two frequencies slightly
higher and lower than 3.1GHz and 10.6GHz,
respectively, which are the lower and upper ends of
the concerned UWB passband. As illustrated in Fig.
5 (a) of the MMR (Type I), it can be observed that
as the length l1 is changed from 5.18, 9.18 to
17.18mm, the first resonant frequency is gradually
pushed to the lower side. Meanwhile, the best case
of the central section is found about 9.18mm, i.e.,
about one half-wavelength long at 6.85GHz. As a
result, one can figure out that a wide passband
covering the whole UWB band can be achieved
with a flat S21-magnitude curve and five
transmission poles in S11-magnitude if the hybrid
microstrip-to-CPW coupling structure with
tightened degree is suitably coupled with the MMR.
This is also applied to another UWB filter based on
the MMR resonator (Type II). The relevant results
are plotted in Fig. 5 (b), in which the best UWB
passband is realized at l2=9.86mm.
(a) Type I
(b) Type II
Fig. 7 Measured S-parameter magnitudes and group
delays of the two fabricated UWB bandpass filters.
IV. EXPERIMENTAL VERIFICATION
In final, two prototype UWB bandpass filters
are fabricated and measured to provide an
experimental verification on the above
theoretically-predicted frequency responses. Fig.
6(a), (b) and (c) are the top- and bottom-view
photographs of the two fabricated filter blocks. The
overall lengths are found L=16.9 and 17.1mm,
respectively, and they mush smaller than those
reported in [2-5] under the restriction of five poles.
Fig. 7 (a) and (b) depict the measured S-parameters
and group delays of the two UWB bandpass filters.
Entirely speaking, the measured S-parameters are in
good agreement with the predicted ones in Fig. 5
over the wide frequency range except a little high
return loss of 9.2dB around 8.5GHz in Fig. 7(a) of
the UWB bandpass filter (Type I). The measured
group delays range between 0.46~0.74ns and 0.42-
0.77ns with the maximum variation of <0.30ns and
<0.35ns over the UWB passband, respectively.
V. CONCLUSION
In this paper, two types of novel UWB bandpass
filters with hybrid microstrip/CPW structures are
presented. They are formed based on the two types
of CPW multiple-mode resonators (MMRs). These
MMRs are configured, aiming at properly exciting
and equally spacing the first three resonant
frequencies within the UWB passband. In the
meantime, a tightened surface-to-surface hybrid
microstrip/CPW coupling structure with relaxed
tolerance is constructed to drive the MMR
resonators at their two sides. After optimization
design, the FCC-specified UWB passbands are very
reasonably realized with the features of five
transmission poles, insertion loss of <1.0dB and
group delays variations <0.35ns. The predicted
results are confirmed by experiment. Furthermore,
the proposed UWB filters have much small overall
length that is about one wavelength at 6.85GHz.
VI. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
This work is supported in part by the Agency for
Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR),
Singapore, under SERC Grant 052-121-0080.
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