A novel topology is developed and used to design a switched multiplexer. In the new topology there are two noncontiguous switched multiplexer modules containing the channels 2-4 GHz, 6-8 GHz, 10-12 GHz and 14-16 GHz named as odd channels and 4-6 GHz, 8-10 GHz, 12-14 GHz and 16-18 GHz, named as even channels to improve isolation between adjacent channels. The input signal is split at input into the two multiplexer and the outputs of the multiplexers are combined by 2-18 GHz power dividers. The input and output multiplexers are combined through switch + Low Noise Amplifier + attenuator blocks which are also used for amplitude equalization. The input/output multiplexers are designed using a novel technique that transforms a contiguous manifold multiplexer into non-contiguous multiplexers with 2 GHz bandwidth to form guard bands between channels to improve isolation. The HP outputs of the channels are split by LP-HP diplexers with corner frequencies at the centers of the channels. Then only the LP outputs of these diplexers are fed to the output to form a non-contiguous multiplexers. The HP outputs of LP-HP diplexers are terminated in 50 ohms. The incorporation of LP-HP diplexer to form noncontiguous channels is a novel approach which avoids interaction of channels. The diplexers forming the switched multiplexer are designed using a novel approach which incorporate open circuited parallel coupled line as diplexing element. This structure acts as an integral part of the diplexer and contributes its performance. The LP-HP diplexers are designed and fabricated successfully in suspended stripline. The implemented LP-HP diplexers are then combined to form the even and odd channel multiplexers. The measured results of the individual diplexers are then combined with attenuator+Amplifier blocks to form the circuit model of the targeted switched multiplexer yielding successful performance. Thus, the design is complete and ready for the realization of a switched multiplexer.

This thesis focuses on planar filters operating at the circuit board level. Planar filters have gained increasing attention due to their low losses, wide bandwidths, and compact size, which are essential for modern communication systems. The introduction provides background information on the motivation for the study, along with its goals and research questions. Theoretical discussions cover fundamental aspects of filters, including an exploration of substrate properties such as FR-4, various transmission line types like microstrip, Stripline, and Suspended stripline, and the mathematics behind lumped element and distributed element filters. Different filter characteristics are considered, and a literature review examines previous methods, techniques, and software tools used for filter design to inform the methodology of this work.    Based on the literature review, CST (Computer Simulation Technology) and AWR (Applied Wave Research) are selected as software tools for simulation and design facilitation. An interdigital and a combline bandpass filter are used as references for a broadband filter. The study demonstrates that broader bandwidth filters can be achieved using high-pass and low-pass filters. Results present S-parameter data for simulated filters compared with fabricated and measured filters.   Simulation results indicate that Suspended stripline exhibits a wider bandwidth characteristic compared to microstrip. The fabricated and measured filters generally exhibit good agreement with simulation results, except for one case discussed in detail in section 6.2.1. The literature review and discussion also address the limitations of the FR-4 substrate for high-frequency applications and suggest alternative substrate types for this study.

Massive multiple input multiple output - MIMO systems are a reality and modern communication systems rely upon this technology to cope with the increasing need for capacity and network usage. Antenna arrays are at the heart of the of the massive-MIMO system and are the enabling technology. The defining cost of such a system is the number of transmit receive ports TRx as they dictate the number of control points and the associated digital control computational capacity. Typically users are spread along the azimuth and there is limited angular user spread along elevation. This enables us to group the elements in elevation which of course limits the elevation scanning performance. The element grouping result in grating lobes when we do elevation scanning. In the newly introduced frequency range 3 - FR3 in the envisioned 6G communication systems that is from 6-20 GHz it will not be allowed to transmit power above the horizon and the resulting grating lobes from the standard grouping should be mitigated. This project is structured into two parts. In the first part a grating lobe mitigation technique based on irregular subarray grouping utilizing the wellknown Penrose irregular tessellation is developed. This tessellation is based into two geometrical shapes where when put together they can fully tile the space aperiodically. Introducing this apperiodicity the grating or quantization lobes of the array are mitigated. In addition, in the first part a beam forming algorithm is developed based on particle swarm optimization that is able to produce the optimal weights for the array steering as well as optimize some of the embedded patterns of the irregular grouping. The last optimization step of the irregular subarray patterns is utilized only when the grouping results in a narrow pattern in azimuth and as a result we have static single port beamforming networks. This of course is a trade off between the broadside gain and the azimuth steerability of the array. In the second part of this thesis two low loss band pass filters have been developed with a PCB integrated suspended stripline techology. The filters were optimised for the frequencies within FR3. The resulted filtering structures can further be integrated at the input port of the proposed feeding network with the same technology. The two parts of this thesis target to introduce on one hand a antenna array architecture with subarray groupings that produce no grating lobes and on the other hand the proposed filtering structures have small enough dimensions to fit within the subarray footprint. / Dagens moderna kommunikationssystem använder sig av Massive multiple input multiple output (m-MIMO) för att kunna möta det allt större kraven på kapacitet och nätverksanvändning. Gruppantenner är den mest fundamentala delen av massive-MIMO system och möjliggör dess funktion. För ett sådant system (m-MIMO-system), så kommer den största kostnaden från antalet sändare/mottagare (TRx) -portar som används. Antalet portar i ett massiveMIMO system bestämmer vilken kapacitet systemet har till hands när det gäller lobformning. Vanligtvis är användare utspridda i det horisontella planet, samtidigt som de är begränsade i sin spridning i höjdled. Detta möjliggör användandet av en gruppantenn som grupperar sina antennelement i höjdled, vilket såklart begränsar gruppantennens lobformning i höjdled. Grupperandet av antennelement skapar sidlober när gruppantennen lobformar i höjdled. I det nya frekvensbandet, 3 - FR3 i det föreställda 6G kommunikationssystemet som opererar mellan 6-20 GHz, så kommer det inte att vara tillåtet att sända ut effekt över horisonten, samtidigt som de sidlober som kommer från standardgruppering måste begränsas. Detta projekt är strukturerat i två delar. I första delen så presenteras ett sätt att lindra sidlober, som baseras på irreguljära gruppantenner via Penrose tessellation. Denna tessellation är indelad i två geometriska former sådan att när vi sätter ihop dem så kan de framgångsrikt täcka vår geometri icke-periodvist. Genom att introducera denna icke-periodicitet så kan sidloberna från gruppanetnnen lindras. Utöver detta så är också så är en lobformningsalgoritm skapad som baseras på particle swarm optimization (PSO), som kan skapa de optimala vikterna för lobformning och lobstyrning. Det sista optimiseringssteget av de irreguljära gruppantennmönstret används bara när gruppering av antennelement resulterar i ett snävt mönster i azimut-riktning. Därför använder vi ett statiskt enportsmatningsnätverk. Detta är såklart en vägning mellan bredsideförstärkning och förmågan att kunna lobforma i det horisontella planet. I den andra delen så har två låg förlust bandpassfilter utvecklats med en PCB-integrerad suspended sripline teknik. Filtrerna optimerades för frekvenser inom FR3. De resulterande filterstrukturerna kan integreras längs input-porten av det föreslagna matningsnätverket som använder sig av den samma teknik. De två delarna i denna uppsats presenterar dels en gruppantenn med irreguljär antennelementsindelning som lindrar sidlober, samt dels filterstrukturer som kan användas tillsammans med gruppantennen.