The objective of this thesis is to introduce novel procedures and guidelines to design bandstop microwave filters for modern terrestrial and satellite wireless communication systems. Among all available microwave filter technologies, planar structures of microstrip and substrate integrated waveguide (SIW) are chosen, due to ease of fabrication, low profile, weight and manufacturing cost. Particularly, SIW structures are more attractive because they have a better insertion loss, quality factor, and power handling capability in comparison to their microstrip counterparts, and can also be easily integrated into other planar circuitries. A comprehensive hybrid analytic-optimization method is developed to synthesize any single-band as well as multi-band bandstop coupling matrix. In this method, the location of reflection zeros (RZs) and the attenuations in stopbands can be determined in advance. Several novel single-band, dual-band, and triple-band bandstop filters are designed using regular and ridged SIW resonators, in-line coupled singlet resonators, cross-coupled resonators, and bandstop stubs. The designed filters have fractional bandwidths up to 23% . Moreover, a tunable ridged SIW bandstop resonator and a tunable CPW resonator, etched into the top plate of the SIW transmission line, are introduced. Combining these two resonators, a dual-band SIW filter is designed that permits one of its stopband to be tuned while another stopband is fixed. All introduced filters in this thesis are verified by commercial electromagnetic software, analytic investigations using Matlab codes, and measurements. / Graduate

Thesis (MScEng)--Stellenbosch University, 2011. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The purpose of this project is to develop a number of coaxial resonator lters. Firstly, the theoretical model of the lter is discussed, with a Tchebyscheff LC-ladder prototype lter used to derive a generalised bandpass lter. From this, generalised Combline- and Interdigital lters are derived. Following this, various options and limitations in the mechanics of microwave lters are discussed. Results are shown for an in-depth study considering the unloaded quality factor for thirteen di erent resonators. Each resonator is unique in the method of manufacturing, polishing, as well as plating. Utilizing the information obtained from the unloaded quality factor measurements, three coupled coaxial resonator lters, are designed for use in a radar system, namely a sixth order 2125 MHz Combline lter, a sixth order 9250 MHz Interdigital lter and a third order 9250 MHz Interdigital lter. Optimal results were obtained when both resonators and coupled transmission line lters were constructed from aluminium that was wire-cut and then silver electroplated. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die omvang van hierdie projek behels die ontwerp en bou van ko-aksiale resoneerder filters. Eerstens word die teoretiese modellering van die lters bespreek. 'n Tchebyscheff LC-leer prototipe filter word gebruik as basis vir 'n generiese banddeurlaat filter. Die banddeurlaat lter word gebruik om die afgeleide Kamlyn- en Interdigitale filter te de finieer. Hierna volg 'n bespreking aangaande die verskillende moontlikhede in die meganiese vervaardiging van mikrogolf filters. 'n Gedetailleerde studie word gedoen om die onbelaste kwaliteitsfaktore van 13 verskillende resoneerders te bepaal. Elkeen van hierdie resoneerders is uniek in die metode van vervaardiging, polering, asook die platering daarvan. Deur gebruik te maak van die resultate van die onbelaste kwaliteitsfaktore, word drie gekoppelde ko-aksiale resoneerder filters ontwikkel vir die gebruik in 'n radarstelsel, naamlik 'n sesde-orde 2125 MHz Kamlyn lter, 'n sesde orde 9250 MHz Interdigitale filter, asook 'n derde orde 9250 MHz Interdigitale filter. Die beste resultate was gevind toe beide resoneerders en gekoppelde ko-aksiale resoneerder filters vervaardig is uit aluminium wat gedraadsny en silwer geplateer is.

Dielectric resonators offer high-Q (low loss) characteristics which make them ideal for filters with narrow bandwidth and low insertion loss specifications. They are mainly used in satellite and wireless system applications. Such applications desire the highest performance filters with the lowest amount of size and mass, which has been the main motivation for size reduction techniques invented over the past three decades for these filters. In addition with the emergence of different communication system technologies, several bands are now required to be supported by a single front-end, calling for emergence and development of dual-band and multi-band filters. To date few work has been done in the area of dual-band dielectric resonator filters. Dielectric resonators filters are important components in many communication systems, when a group of such filters are brought together to perform multiplexing of RF channels. These multiplexer systems tend to be fairly complex and bulky in design, and there is strong desire to reduce their size and mass to the maximum extent possible. Novel quadruple-mode, dual-mode, and dual-band filters as well multiplexers are presented in this thesis. The first ever quadruple-mode dielectric resonator filter using the simple cylinder structure is reported in this work. A cylindrical dielectric resonator sized appropriately in terms of its diameter and height is shown to operate as a quadruple-mode resonator, which is achieved by having two mode pairs of the structure resonate at the same frequency. Single-cavity, quad-mode filters and higher order 4n-pole filters are realizable using this quad-mode cylindrical resonator, offering significant size reduction for dielectric resonator filter applications. The structure of the quad-mode cylinder is then simplified by cutting lengthwise along the central axis of the cylinder, to produce a half-cut cylinder suitable for operation in a dual-mode regime. Novel dual-mode, 2n-pole filters are realizable using this half-cut cylinder, by making the two resonances equal in frequency. The dual-mode half-cut filter is shown to be a strong contender for replacing existing dual-mode filters used in satellite and wireless applications, as it offers superior size and mass characteristics. By making the resonances unequal in frequency, novel dual-band filters and multiplexers are further realizable, by carrying separate frequency bands on different resonant modes of the structure. The first true orthogonal mode dual-band dielectric resonator is presented in this work, using the half-cut structure. Multiplexers are also derived from these dual-band resonators, which greatly reduce size and mass of many-channel multiplexers at the system level, as each two channels are overloaded in one physical branch. Full control of center frequencies of resonances, input and inter-resonator couplings are achievable, allowing realization of microwave filters with different bandwidth, frequency, and return loss specifications, as well as advanced filtering functions with prescribed transmission zeros. Spurious performance of the half-cut cylinder can also be improved by cutting one or more through-way slots between opposite surfaces of the resonator. Size and mass reduction achieved by using the full and half-cut resonators described in this thesis, provide various levels of size reduction in microwave systems, both device and system level.

Dielectric resonators offer high-Q (low loss) characteristics which make them ideal for filters with narrow bandwidth and low insertion loss specifications. They are mainly used in satellite and wireless system applications. Such applications desire the highest performance filters with the lowest amount of size and mass, which has been the main motivation for size reduction techniques invented over the past three decades for these filters. In addition with the emergence of different communication system technologies, several bands are now required to be supported by a single front-end, calling for emergence and development of dual-band and multi-band filters. To date few work has been done in the area of dual-band dielectric resonator filters. Dielectric resonators filters are important components in many communication systems, when a group of such filters are brought together to perform multiplexing of RF channels. These multiplexer systems tend to be fairly complex and bulky in design, and there is strong desire to reduce their size and mass to the maximum extent possible. Novel quadruple-mode, dual-mode, and dual-band filters as well multiplexers are presented in this thesis. The first ever quadruple-mode dielectric resonator filter using the simple cylinder structure is reported in this work. A cylindrical dielectric resonator sized appropriately in terms of its diameter and height is shown to operate as a quadruple-mode resonator, which is achieved by having two mode pairs of the structure resonate at the same frequency. Single-cavity, quad-mode filters and higher order 4n-pole filters are realizable using this quad-mode cylindrical resonator, offering significant size reduction for dielectric resonator filter applications. The structure of the quad-mode cylinder is then simplified by cutting lengthwise along the central axis of the cylinder, to produce a half-cut cylinder suitable for operation in a dual-mode regime. Novel dual-mode, 2n-pole filters are realizable using this half-cut cylinder, by making the two resonances equal in frequency. The dual-mode half-cut filter is shown to be a strong contender for replacing existing dual-mode filters used in satellite and wireless applications, as it offers superior size and mass characteristics. By making the resonances unequal in frequency, novel dual-band filters and multiplexers are further realizable, by carrying separate frequency bands on different resonant modes of the structure. The first true orthogonal mode dual-band dielectric resonator is presented in this work, using the half-cut structure. Multiplexers are also derived from these dual-band resonators, which greatly reduce size and mass of many-channel multiplexers at the system level, as each two channels are overloaded in one physical branch. Full control of center frequencies of resonances, input and inter-resonator couplings are achievable, allowing realization of microwave filters with different bandwidth, frequency, and return loss specifications, as well as advanced filtering functions with prescribed transmission zeros. Spurious performance of the half-cut cylinder can also be improved by cutting one or more through-way slots between opposite surfaces of the resonator. Size and mass reduction achieved by using the full and half-cut resonators described in this thesis, provide various levels of size reduction in microwave systems, both device and system level.

Adaptive microwave systems can benefit from the use of low loss tunable microwave filters. Realizing these tunable filters that show low loss characteristics can be very challenging. The proper materials, tuning elements, and filter designs need to be considered when creating a low loss tunable filter. The integration of low loss microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) and superconducting circuits is one method of achieving these types of tunable filters. The thesis introduces new multi-layer low temperature superconducting (LTS) filters and diplexers and novel topologies for tunable filters and switched multiplexers. An efficient method of designing such filters is proposed. A fabrication process to monolithically integrate MEMS devices with high temperature superconducting (HTS) circuits is also investigated in this thesis. The reflected group delay method, usually used for filter tuning, is further developed for use in designing microwave filters. It is advantageous in the design of filters to have electromagnetic simulation results that will correlate well to the fabricated microwave filters. A correction factor is presented for use with the reflected group delay method so the group delay needs to be matched to the appropriate value at the center frequency of the filter and be symmetric about the center frequency of the filter. As demonstrated with an ideal lumped element filter, the group delay method can be implemented when a closed form expression for the circuit is not known. An 8-pole HTS filter design and an 8-pole multi-layer LTS filter design demonstrate the use of the reflected group delay method. Low temperature superconducting filters, couplers and diplexers are designed and fabricated using a multilayer niobium fabrication process traditionally used for superconducting digital microelectronics. The feasibility of realizing highly miniaturized microwave niobium devices allows for the integration of superconducting digital microelectronics circuits and analog microwave devices on a single chip. Microwave devices such as bandpass filters, lowpass filters, bandstop filters, quadrature hybrids, and resistive loads are all demonstrated experimentally. New tunable filter designs are presented that can make use of MEMS switches. A manifold-coupled switched multiplexer that allows for 2^N possible states is presented. The tunable multiplexer has N filters connected to two manifolds and has embedded switches, which detune certain resonators within the filters to switch between ON and OFF states for each channel. The new concept is demonstrated with a diplexer design and two 3-pole coplanar filters. The concept is further developed through test results of a fabricated HTS triplexer and electromagnetic simulations to demonstrate a superconducting manifold-coupled switched triplexer. Another filter design is presented that makes use of switches placed only on the resonators of the filters. This filter design has N possible states and the absolute bandwidth can be kept constant for all N states. Finally, the integration of HTS circuits and MEMS devices is investigated to realize low loss tunable microwave filters. The hybrid integration is first performed through the integration of an HTS microstrip filter and commercially available RF MEMS switches. A fabrication process to monolithically integrate MEMS devices and high temperature superconducting circuits is then investigated. The fabrication process includes a titanium tungsten layer, which acts as both a resistive layer and an adhesion for the dielectric layer, an amorphous silicon dielectric layer, a photoresist sacrificial layer, and the top gold layer. The fabrication process is built up on a wafer with a thin film of a high temperature superconducting material covered with a thin film of gold. Several processes are tested to ensure that the superconducting properties of the thin film are not affected during the MEMS fabrication process.

A miniaturization technique that allows the size of microstrip square open loop resonators to be reduced by more than 80% is presented and studied. The technique is based on the loading of the resonator with a series surface mount capacitor. It is shown that this technique allows the design of microwave bandpass filters with a wider stopband when compared with conventional designs. It is also proved that the insertion loss of the miniaturized filter is not degraded, but in fact can be maintained or even enhanced by the miniaturization process; this is true whenever the quality factor of the lumped capacitor is higher than the quality factor of the microstrip resonator. Finally, the feasibility of using the effect of the capacitor loss in the miniaturized resonator quality factor as a method to measure the effective series resistance of surface mount capacitors is studied, and recommendations towards its implementation are presented.

The design of 3D microwave devices can be improved by using computational optimization techniques combined with numerical simulations of the electromagnetic field. However, high accuracy field analysis is often computationally expensive and time consuming. One way to cut costs is to vary the accuracy level of the analysis at different stages of the optimization. This idea is based on the premise that the accuracy need not be constant throughout the optimization, and so the numerical analysis can be run more cheaply without compromising design quality. / This thesis presents a software system that minimizes the return loss of 3D microwave devices over a frequency band efficiently through accuracy control. It combines a custom gradient-based optimizer with a p-adaptive frequency-domain finite element solver. The solver computes the cost function and its gradient to a specified accuracy in a cost efficient manner. The p-adaptive solver comprises of two original components: an a-posteriori error estimator to evaluate the error in the cost function gradient, and an error indicator to identify the high error regions in the mesh. The optimizer controls the accuracy of the cost function evaluation through a link with the solver, specifying the required relative error for the gradient at each optimization step. / The combined adaption-optimization scheme was applied to 3D rectangular waveguide problems for validation: an E-plane miter bend, a U-bend, an impedance transformer and a compensated magic-T. For comparison, all the problems were also optimized using high-order finite elements at every step. Test results prove the computational efficiency of the new combined scheme at various stages of the optimization. In the early stages, when the element orders are low, the scheme is able to attain similar cost function reductions as the high-order analysis, with computational savings up to a factor of 25. Even in the late stages, when the accuracy is more stringent, the scheme manages a reduction in cumulative computation time of at least a factor of 4.

Adaptive microwave systems can benefit from the use of low loss tunable microwave filters. Realizing these tunable filters that show low loss characteristics can be very challenging. The proper materials, tuning elements, and filter designs need to be considered when creating a low loss tunable filter. The integration of low loss microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) and superconducting circuits is one method of achieving these types of tunable filters. The thesis introduces new multi-layer low temperature superconducting (LTS) filters and diplexers and novel topologies for tunable filters and switched multiplexers. An efficient method of designing such filters is proposed. A fabrication process to monolithically integrate MEMS devices with high temperature superconducting (HTS) circuits is also investigated in this thesis. The reflected group delay method, usually used for filter tuning, is further developed for use in designing microwave filters. It is advantageous in the design of filters to have electromagnetic simulation results that will correlate well to the fabricated microwave filters. A correction factor is presented for use with the reflected group delay method so the group delay needs to be matched to the appropriate value at the center frequency of the filter and be symmetric about the center frequency of the filter. As demonstrated with an ideal lumped element filter, the group delay method can be implemented when a closed form expression for the circuit is not known. An 8-pole HTS filter design and an 8-pole multi-layer LTS filter design demonstrate the use of the reflected group delay method. Low temperature superconducting filters, couplers and diplexers are designed and fabricated using a multilayer niobium fabrication process traditionally used for superconducting digital microelectronics. The feasibility of realizing highly miniaturized microwave niobium devices allows for the integration of superconducting digital microelectronics circuits and analog microwave devices on a single chip. Microwave devices such as bandpass filters, lowpass filters, bandstop filters, quadrature hybrids, and resistive loads are all demonstrated experimentally. New tunable filter designs are presented that can make use of MEMS switches. A manifold-coupled switched multiplexer that allows for 2^N possible states is presented. The tunable multiplexer has N filters connected to two manifolds and has embedded switches, which detune certain resonators within the filters to switch between ON and OFF states for each channel. The new concept is demonstrated with a diplexer design and two 3-pole coplanar filters. The concept is further developed through test results of a fabricated HTS triplexer and electromagnetic simulations to demonstrate a superconducting manifold-coupled switched triplexer. Another filter design is presented that makes use of switches placed only on the resonators of the filters. This filter design has N possible states and the absolute bandwidth can be kept constant for all N states. Finally, the integration of HTS circuits and MEMS devices is investigated to realize low loss tunable microwave filters. The hybrid integration is first performed through the integration of an HTS microstrip filter and commercially available RF MEMS switches. A fabrication process to monolithically integrate MEMS devices and high temperature superconducting circuits is then investigated. The fabrication process includes a titanium tungsten layer, which acts as both a resistive layer and an adhesion for the dielectric layer, an amorphous silicon dielectric layer, a photoresist sacrificial layer, and the top gold layer. The fabrication process is built up on a wafer with a thin film of a high temperature superconducting material covered with a thin film of gold. Several processes are tested to ensure that the superconducting properties of the thin film are not affected during the MEMS fabrication process.

Orientador: Hugo Enrique Hernandez Figueroa / Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Faculdade de Engenharia Eletrica e de Computação / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-14T11:21:19Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Borges_FabianoRodrigo.pdf: 3954935 bytes, checksum: fd0b1eeed8a2cd4e9566f172cdf86b81 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2009 / Resumo: O trabalho mostra o desenvolvimento de um filtro na faixa de frequência de micro-ondas e sua construção usando ressoadores dielétricos de alta permissividade elétrica. A partir da definição matemática de uma função de transferência do tipo entrada-saída, que caracteriza um filtro, e do uso da teoria de síntese de redes, vista de um modo bastante simplificado, mostra-se como construir um circuito elétrico que realiza fisicamente a função de transferência do filtro. Em frequência de micro-ondas, contudo, elementos de parâmetros concentrados - resistores, indutores e capacitores - não se comportam como esperado, e a resposta de um circuito elétrico nesta frequência não é como a projetada. Para realizar fisicamente este circuito elétrico é necessário desenvolver conceitos eletromagnéticos, que passam pela definição de uma ferramenta importantíssima, chamada inversor de impedância, e seu equivalente acoplamento eletromagnético. Para restringir o trabalho, tratamos de filtros passa-faixa de banda estreita, o tipo mais comumente utilizado em aplicações de micro-ondas. A conversão do circuito elétrico obtido para um circuito constituído por elementos de parâmetros distribuídos é mostrada e fecha o ciclo teórico do trabalho. No campo de práticas experimentais de laboratório, medem-se parâmetros que permitem caracterizar o filtro eletromagnético obtido usando-se uma análise estatística rigorosa. Os resultados obtidos mostram que é possível partir de uma função matemática abstrata e chegar a um dispositivo de micro-ondas físico que provê a resposta projetada. Além disso, o uso de cerâmicas com permissividade elétrica elevada levou ao desenvolvimento de novas técnicas de alimentação para filtros do tipo projetado, e o requisito de ter-se uma grande banda de rejeição levou ao desenvolvimento de uma nova geometria para as cerâmicas usadas na construção do filtro. / Abstract: This work shows the development of a filter at microwave frequencies and its construction by means of dielectric resonators of high electric permittivity. Starting by the mathematical definition of a transfer function such as the kind input-output, which characterizes the filter, and the use of network synthesis theory, shown in a very simply way, one shows how to built an electric circuit that implements the filter's transfer function. At microwave frequencies, however, concentrated parameter elements - resistors, inductors and capacitors - do not behave as expected, and the output of an electric circuit at this frequency is not like the projected one. To implement this electric circuit, one needs to develop electromagnetic concepts, such as a very important tool, called impedance inverter, and its equivalent electromagnetic coupling. To restrain the scope of this work, we choose to develop bandpass filters of narrow bandwidth, the most common type used at microwave applications. The conversion from the electric circuit obtained for a circuit made by distributed parameter elements is shown and closes the theoretical cycle of this work. Regarding laboratory experimental practices, parameters are measured towards the characterization of the designed electromagnetic filter by means of a rigorous statistics analysis. The results obtained show that it is possible to begin with an abstract mathematical function and to end up with a microwave device that exhibits the designed response. Besides, the use of ceramics with high permittivity led to the development of new techniques for feeding the filters like the ones presented here, and the requirement of having a big stopband led to the development of a new geometry for the ceramics used to build the filter. / Universidade Estadual de Campi / Telecomunicações e Telemática / Mestre em Engenharia Elétrica

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