Proceedings of Asia-Pacific Microwave Conference 2007

Compact LTCC Tn-Band Filter Design

Kengyi Huang, Tsenchieh Chiu and Hann-Biau Wu*
Department of Electrical Engineering
National Central University
Jhongli City, Taoyuan County 32001, Taiwan
tfdc. easongmsa.hinet.net
*Chung Shan Institute of Science and Technology

Abstract-A compact multi-band bandpass filter design with low-

temperature co-fired ceramic (LTCC) technology is proposed in
this paper. Using divided combline resonators with grounded and
coupled capacitors, dual-band (2.4 GHz and 5.5 GHz) and tri-
band (2, 4 and 7 GHz) bandpass filters are obtained. Moreover,
while the number of the pass bands increase, the volume of the
filter remains almost unchanged. The theoretical analysis of the
prototype filters is described in the paper. The measurement and
layouts of fabricated components are also presented.
Keywords-component; coupled line, tri-band bandpass filter,
dual-band bandpass filter, low-temperature co-fired ceramic
(LTCC).

I. INTRODUCTION
Development of compact multi-band devices has been an
important research issue, especially for wireless applications
based on widely separated frequency bands. Many multi-band
components, such as antennas, filters, low noise amplifiers, Figure 1. Proposed topology for tri-band bandpass filter.
and power amplifiers (PA) [1], transceivers [2] have been
designed in the past. Of all the components, filters play
important roles since it usually determines the exact pass-band
range.
There have many multi-band filter designs in the literatures
and most of them are dual-band ones. In [3], two different
filters are simply parallel connected without the consideration
of compactness. In [4], the filter are constructed using
cascaded 1/4 X coupled line resonators. To achieve
compactness, designs using low-temperature co-fired ceramic
(LTCC) have been proposed [5]. In addition to the high 0, L
permittivity and low loss, LTCC with multi-layered substrates
offers great freedom in 3-dimensional circuit component
design, which is often crucial to circuit miniaturization.
In this paper, we propose a novel filter design for multi-
band bandpass filter, as shown in Fig. 1. The design scheme is
WI
evolved from traditional single-band combline filter (shown in
Fig. 2) without increasing the size significantly. All comblines
and capacitors are realized using LTCC technology with the Figure 2. Architecture ofthe second-order combline bandpass filter.
ceramic dielectric constant er = 34.
II. COMBLINE FILTER DESIGN
edge-coupled combline. Cs and combline can be replaced
Figure 2 shows the conventional circuit topology for the with equivalent circuits, as shown in Fig. 3. For Cs, the
second-order combline bandpass filter. The filter is composed equivalent circuit is expressed as
of a serial capacitor Cs, two grounded capacitors Cp, and the

1-4244-0749-4/07/$20.00 w2007 IEEE.

 J = C 12.
bC 0 dB(wc)
2 dc T YO 0
For combline, the equation are given by =o
YOO = Yo + JCL tan 0, where the gi's are the element values of the prototype lowpass
YOe = Yo - JCL tan 0, filter and the A is the fractional bandwidth, and Ys and YL
are the admittance of source and load transmission lines,
respectively. In order to realize the combline bandpass filter in
LTCC process, the values of the ZOO and Zoe of the edge-
coupled combline are obtained by tuning the value of coupled
spacing S, line-width W and length L using computer software
Advanced Design System (ADS). The 3-D structure of the 2.4
GHz LTCC filter is shown in Fig. 6. The photograph of the
LTCC filter is shown in Fig. 7. Figure. 8 shows the measured
and simulated results of second-order LTCC bandpass filter.
This LTCC filter is designed at 2.4 GHz. The insertion loss is
1.9 dB at 2.4 GHz. The design parameters Cs, Cp, ZOO,
ZOe and L are 0.8 pF, 5 pF, 15 ohm, 27 ohm, and 54mil,
Do , Oe
respectively.

Figure 3. Parallel network connection of the second-order bandpass filter. Jo1 1 im 2

YSE | +90 CT +900 CT +90 Y

where the Y and Yoe are odd- and even-mode admittances,
and 0 is the electrical length of the edge-coupled combline.
To combine the parallel part in Fig. 3, Cs is shunted with
CP and Jc is merged with JCL, an equivalent circuit for
10 0 4
Figure 4. Equivalent circuit of the second-order bandpass filter.
combline bandpass filter is obtained in Fig. 4. The merged
admittance JM and capacitor CT are described as

M JCL JC = 2 cot -CS

Ys B0L
CT =CS + CP
Figure 5 indicates the generalize bandpass filter using J
immittance inverters. Comparing Fig. 4 with Fig 5, the Figure 5. Parallel network connection of the generalized bandpass filter.
admittance inverters, susceptance, and its slope parameter are
derived by [6, 7]
YAb

A go91

J12 JM =A

YAb
J23- =

\I g2g3

B(W) =WCT -YO cot6,

Figure 6. 3-D structure of second-order combline bandpass filter on HFSS
 This filter is fabricated in the substrate with the size is 2.5 easily implemented in LTCC process. Thus, the total size of
mm X 2.0 mm X 0.8 mm. Its dielectric constant and loss proposed dual-band filter is still 2.5 mm X 2.0 mm X 0.8 mm.
tangent are 34 and 0.002, respectively. The results are
validated using High frequency structure Simulator (HFSS),
the measured results is obtained by network analyzer Agilent
E5071B with TRL calibration.

Figure 9. Proposed topology for dual-band bandpass filter.

Figure 7. Photograph of the second-order bandpass LTCC filter.

'I WE I i
5, Sg _

<-/. \\ /<
.35

X 224
3 5 7
FrequentV GHi

Frequency ( GHz )
Figure 10. Simulated results of dual-band combline bandpass filter.

Figure 8. Measured and simulated results of second-order combline The simulation result is shown in the Fig. 10, frequency
bandpass filter. pass-band 1 (fl) and pass-band 2 (f2) are at 2.4GHz and 5.5
GHz, respectively. The insertion loss are less than 1.5 and 1.3
III. DUAL-BAND AND TRI-BAND FILTER DESIGN dB at 2.2 and 5.4 GHz. The ratio of f2 /If is about 2.3
In section we will demonstrate dual-band and tri-band
111,
because of the virtual ground plane-I cut the combline into
combline bandpass filter design examples and simulation two equal-length sections. The corresponding parameters of
results. Figure 9 shows the proposed topology of dual-band dual-band filter Cs. Cp, Cl, ZOol, ZOel Z002, ZOe2, and,
bandpass filter. This design is based on the second-order total combline length L are 1.1 pF, 1 pF, 8.5 pF, 24 ohm,
combline filter, as shown in Fig.2. Two additional capacitors
are added to form a virtual grounding plane for frequency
29.5 ohm, 21 ohm, 22.5 ohm and 54 mil, respectively. Fig. 11
band-2 in Fig. 10, of the dual-band filter. Notice that the total depicts the circuit structure of tri-band bandpass filter, it
electric length of the combline is the same as the one of the includes four additional capacitors for two virtual grounding
single-band bandpass filter in Fig. 2. In the design, the original planes. Frequency pass-band 1, 2 and 3 are at 2, 4, and 7 GHz
combline is divided into two sections of equal length. Due to respectively, as shown in Fig. 12. The insertion loss are less
the same electric length of comblines, the lump capacitors are
than 1.8, 1.65, and 1.3 dB at 2, 4 and 7 GHz.
The corresponding parameters of tri-band filter Cs, CP,
C1 and C2, L1, L2 and L3 are 0.9 pF, 2 pF, 5.1 pF, 13 pF, IV.CONCLUSION
23 mil, 23 mil and 8 mil, respectively. The combline In the paper, a circuit topology is proposed for dual- and
impedance parameters ZOI1, ZOel n Z002, ZOe2 ZOO tri-band LTCC filter. The conventional LTCC single and dual-
ZOe3 are 30, 23, 30, 28, 30 and 28 ohm, respectively. The band filter are composed of capacitor and comblines, and the
size of the filter is mainly determined by the electrical length
simulation result shows the pass-bands are controllable by the of the combline.
virtual ground planes and with good band selectivity in-
between bands simultaneously. Even with many additional In the proposed designs, no matter for single, dual- or tri-
band filters, the length for the combline remains the same.
components, the volume of the tri-band filter remains the same Thus, except for additional capacitors, the volume for the
as the ones of the single- and dual-band filters, since the multi-band filters remains the same as it is for single band
electrical length of the combline remains the same. filter. The filter structure and corresponding circuit and full-
wave simulation results have been shown in the paper. The
measurement results will be presented in the conference.

Figure F~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ . . . . . . . . . . .
13. 3-D structure of tn-band combline bandpass filter on HFSS.
_...............................

Figure 11. Virtual ground of the proposed topology for tri-band bandpass
filter.
ACKNOWLEDGMENT
0 -1 I--- " -------------- - --
The authors would like to thank Walsin Technology
-6 Corporation for the assistance to LTCC filters fabrication.
-10
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-15
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