Modern space communication systems often need high-power low-frequency (UHF, L-, S-, and C-band) low-pass filters (LPFs) with wide stopbands extending to Ka-band and beyond. Current design approaches frequently fail to meet these requirements completely. This paper proposes a new coaxial LPF concept and design methodology. The LPF consists of an array of cavity elements, which operate with transverse electromagnetic mode (TEM) and transverse magnetic (TM)-coupled resonances, and thus achieve a frequency response with a reflection zero at DC and transmission zeroes at targeted stopband locations. The design method is based on positioning the cavities in a quasi-periodic order, which efficiently spreads the transmission zeroes over the stopband, while keeping the characteristic impedance matched to the input/output interfaces over the passband. This design concept yields an ultra-wide, continuous and modal spurious-free stopband, while maintaining a low insertion loss, high peak power capacity, and low sensitivity to production tolerances.

This paper presents the design of a sixth-order cross-coupled L-band filter, specifically intended for space applications. The solution was based on the principle of stepped impedance coaxial resonators (SIRs), which allowed us to fulfill several electrical and size specifications and more particularly a high multipactor threshold. The degrees of freedom afforded by the proposed topology offer a wide choice of design configuration possibilities. Whatever the central frequency and required specifications, several compromises can be made in terms of volume, height, footprint, quality factor, multipactor threshold, harmonic rejection, etc. For instance, SIR coaxial topology is very well suited to small L-band filters when moderate quality factors and multipactor thresholds of around 4000 and 400 W, respectively, are requested. The design procedure is presented and simulations and measurements are compared and discussed.

The design and first experimental results of Tx and Rx L-band bandpass filters for a high-power satellite diplexer are presented in this paper. Designed in the framework of an ESA ARTES AT project, the filters are based on TM010 mode dielectric resonators. These resonators allow for better results in terms of volume occupation with respect to other dielectric resonators still maintaining high Q-factor values (>2000). Volume saving above 30% is achieved with respect to standard coaxial filters. The filter geometries and materials have been chosen in order to improve the power-handling and to cope with related critical issues for space applications (i.e. avoid any multipactor discharge in the operating RF power range and low-PIM response). Measurements of Tx filter show good correlation with the design in terms of central frequency, BW, and unloaded Q-factor (almost 3000). Measurements of Rx filter show a worse correlation with the design in terms of filter response shape. This is ascribed to size tolerances of one of the filter resonators. Multiple analyses are ongoing to remove this degradation in the final engineering model.

The manuscript reports on additively-manufactured (AM) coaxial-resonator-based bandpass filters (BPFs) and RF diplexers. A monolithic integration concept using stereolithography apparatus (SLA) is proposed and discussed in detail. Coupled-resonator-based synthesis alongside full-electromagnetic-based design methods is used for the design of the monolithic filters and RF diplexers. In particular, the paper discusses a new external coupling mechanism for dual-band BPFs that allow to independently control the coupling in each of the BPF passbands. Furthermore, a novel coaxial transmission line-type T-junction is proposed for the design of single- and dual-band RF diplexers. For practical validation purposes, multiple BPF and RF diplexer prototypes were designed, manufactured and tested at S- and C-band demonstrating the applicability of the proposed concept to low-cost, low-loss and low-weight RF components with complex geometrical features.

The novel acoustic transversal topology has demonstrated to be a potential candidate for the development of the next generation of communication filters. The major asset of this topology is its capacity to achieve any filter response without the detriment of limited electro-acoustic coupling. Additionally, this topology prompts for an easy connection of different filters to create multiband and multiplexing responses. This study recalls and further details on the design of multiplexers based on transversal topology using bulk acoustic wave (BAW) or surface acoustic wave (SAW) resonators. An important practical aspect of this topology is the need of a BALUN stage at one port of the filter.

The use of the transversal topology is then applied to another type of acoustic resonator configuration, coupled resonator filter (CRF). Such a resonator configuration offers control over the phase of each transversal path, allowing us to eliminate the BALUN stage. CRF resonators are modeled by means of a different circuit model than BAW or SAW, which calls for a new synthesis procedure. This paper describes the synthesis approach and circuit transformation for the development of multiplexers based on the transversal arrangement of the CRF resonators. An example of a fully simulated 9-plexer is provided to verify this procedure.

This paper aims to present some outcomes from a European Space Agency (ESA) Technology Research Programme (TRP) project on R&D of new design techniques, concepts, and filtering configurations for tunable IF (intermediate frequency) filters with a compact footprint, wide bandwidth tuning range (covering from 49 to 478 MHz at f0 = 1 GHz) as well as equivalent high-Q performance (i.e. low insertion loss variation and high selectivity by using low-Q resonators). In order to obtain a wide tuning range, the proposed filtering configuration utilizes a new tuning technique that only necessitates control of coupling values with simple DC control circuits, without the need of tuning the electrical length of resonators to avoid deviating the center frequency. Furthermore, in order to achieve the equivalent high-Q performance, a novel lossy technique by using a centrally resistor-loaded half-wavelength resonator is adopted. For the proof of concept, a six-pole prototype filter is designed, fabricated, and tested.

A class of multi-band planar diplexer with sub-sets of frequency-contiguous transmission bands is reported. Such a radio frequency (RF) device is suitable for lightweight high-frequency receivers aimed at multi-band/multi-purpose mobile satellite communications systems. It consists of two channelizing filters, each of them being made up of the in-series cascade connection of replicas of a constituent multi-passband/multi-embedded-stopband filtering stage. This building filtering stage defines a multi-passband transfer function for each channel, in which each main transmission band is split into various sub-passbands by the multi-stopband part. In this manner, each split passband gives rise to several sub-passbands that are imbricated with their counterpart ones of the other channel. The theoretical RF operational principles of the proposed multi-band diplexer approach with sub-sets of imbricated passbands are detailed by means of a coupling–routing–diagram formalism. Besides, the generation of additional transmission zeros in each channelizing filter for higher-selectivity realizations by exploiting cross-coupling techniques into it is also detailed. Furthermore, for experimental demonstration purposes, a microstrip proof-of-concept prototype of second-order octo-band diplexer in the frequency range of 1.5–2.5 GHz that consists of two quad-band channelizing filters with pairs of imbricated passbands is developed and characterized.

This paper presents a review of the recent advances in the field of substrate integrated waveguide (SIW) filters, with particular emphasis on the techniques adopted to increase the out-of-band rejection of the filters and on the miniaturization strategies. After an overview of classical approaches to introduce transmission zeros in SIW filters, a number of recently introduced techniques are presented. In particular, the use of specially implemented extracted-poles topologies and of pre-filters is described, discussed, and compared. For each of these techniques, numerical and experimental results are reported for validation.

This paper describes the outcome of the “Small user TErminal multi band DIplexer” project where the goal is the validation of novel SMD-compliant planar diplexer. The real application scenario concerns an integrated multi-band radio terminal for ground-segment satellite links. The advantageous and novel approach involves the simultaneous use of three different well-established concepts: a microstrip low-pass filter, a substrate integrated waveguide high-pass filter, and the thin-film technology as manufacturing process. The proposed topology applied to a planar alumina-based design guarantees a 15 × 11.1 mm2 footprint and the best integration with surface mountable soldering process over standard PCB technology. Achieved performance and resilience to environmental toughness are suitable for consumer-oriented satellite links or man-pack applications. The designed component targets the Ku 10.7–12.75 (RX) and Ka 27.5–30 (TX) GHz bands but the layout can be easily tuned across the spectrum. The described solution has been manufactured and validated. Thermal cycling and mechanical tests have been carried out to prove the high technology readiness level of the proposed device.

A continuously tunable Ku-band waveguide diplexer is proposed in this paper. This diplexer is based on a hybrid coupler topology and is composed of an input filter centered at 11.9 GHz with a 200 MHz bandwidth, a pair of ladder-type hybrid couplers, and a pair of tunable filters. This diplexer can provide two bandpass channels (channels 1 and 2) that can continuously go from a state where the bandwidths of channels 1 and 2 are maximum (up to 140 MHz) and minimum (down to 40 MHz), respectively, to another configuration where the bandwidth of channel 1 is the largest and the bandwidth of channel 2 is the narrowest. We propose a tunable filter based on TE012 mode circular cavities that are perturbed by low-loss dielectric inserts to obtain such performance. The resonant frequency of these cavities can be continuously tuned between 11.8 and 12 GHz due to the linear movement of the dielectric perturber. The design process for these components is presented and a breadboard device has been manufactured and measured to prove the concept. Different measured configurations of the diplexer are demonstrated, showing that the 200 MHz operating bandpass between 11.8 and 12 GHz can be efficiently separated into two tunable channels. The measured bandwidth of channels 1 and 2 in the manufactured diplexer can be tuned from 135 to 40 MHz (and vice versa) while maintaining an average guard band between the channels of approximately 26 ± 7 MHz. The obtained bandwidth tuning ratios are 3.2 for the highest channel and 3.1 for the lowest channel.

Current designs of space IMUX filters are based on dual-mode circular waveguide cavities, on dielectric resonators or, at the lower end of the frequency spectrum, on coaxial resonators. This paper presents a new kind of IMUX filter aimed at high operating frequencies (Ka, Q, and V bands) which was developed in the frame of an ESA funded study named KALOS-DEVAQ. The new filter implements a quasi-elliptic frequency response and is characterized by simple geometry. The mechanical structure is composed of stacked metallic plates and it is well suited to be manufactured, at a low cost, with high accuracy. Despite the lower unloaded Q factor, the new configuration allows achieving a comparable flatness of insertion loss and group delay, thanks to the application of the pre-distortion technique. The increased insertion loss does not affect the system performances because it can be compensated by the amplification stages in the RF chain.

In this paper, the influence of the cutting plane as well as the orientation of the cavities in cross-coupled W-band waveguide filters are investigated. When waveguide filters are manufactured with the commonly known CNC (computer numerical control) milling technique, at least one cutting plane is required. The position of this cutting plane has an impact on the composition of the cavities, the manufacturing accuracy, and on the maximal number of transmission zeros (TZs) introduced by a direct source to load (SL) cross-coupling. Similar filter set-ups therefore may show different performances depending on the position of this cutting plane. To examine all these effects, three similar fourth-order W-band filter set-ups are realized with distinct cutting planes and different oriented cavities. The filters are compared in terms of the sensitivity to manufacturing tolerances, the maximal number of TZs introduced by a direct SL cross-coupling as well as their spurious mode performance.

In this paper, a general method for synthesizing dispersive coupling matrix (DCM) of coupled-resonator bandpass filters with the general dispersion is proposed. Compared to the dispersion-less coupling matrix synthesized by classic approaches, the DCM incorporates the identity of the physical realization and provides an accurate description of the filter. Moreover, the DCM can accurately describe the complex resonators and coupling elements with intentional strong dispersion. A DCM consists of two parts: the frequency-invariant part that corresponds to the coupling matrix at the center frequency and the frequency-variant part that reflects the dispersion of the physical realization. By iteratively adjusting the transmission zeros governed by the given filter topology and ignoring the transmission zeros brought by the dispersion, the synthesis method can directly obtain the frequency-invariant part so that the overall DCM leads to an equal-ripple response. To illustrate the general synthesis method, two design examples are presented, which include a filter with unintentional weak dispersion and a filter with intentional strong dispersion. The examples are validated by EM simulation, demonstrating the effectiveness, accuracy, and generality of the proposed synthesis framework. Key words: dispersive coupling matrix, filter synthesis, microwave bandpass filter

A common strategy to reduce the cost of a filter is to use a manufacturing technique with an intermediate accuracy and use tuning elements to compensate for the manufacturing errors. However, including tuning elements in the final EM simulations, and tuning the filters after manufacturing, can be quite challenging. In this context, therefore, we review in this paper two powerful filter design procedures based on Aggressive Space Mapping (ASM), and two semi-automatic tuning techniques. As a validation, we describe in detail the design and tuning of two types of filters that are commonly used for both space and ground applications, namely, a six-pole inductive filter in rectangular waveguide, and a more complex five-pole filter based on dual-mode resonators.

In this paper, a modular waveguide filter platform suitable for educational and prototyping purposes is presented. The waveguide filter platform is dimensioned to work in the F-band (4.9–7.05 GHz). The design of the platform is discussed and versatile application possibilities are shown in many examples. The platform can be used to realize generalized Chebyshev filters with or without cross-couplings by exploiting TE101 and TE102 mode cavities. Transmission zeros can be introduced by the utilization of wires or aperture couplings. Filter topologies based on the extracted pole technique can be examined as well. Small changes in the set-up also allow the realization of a gap waveguide filter, a diplexer set-up as well as filters with frequency-dependent coupling apertures. Most required components can either be purchased cheaply or be manufactured with a three-dimensional printer.