ECE 113 Lecture 09:

Modern Filter Design

FILTERS ACCORDING TO RESPONSE CHARACTERISTICS

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Modern Filter
Design

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 Modern Filter Design Process
• Design procedure for any type of response generally
follows the flowchart below.

Filter Low-pass Scaling

Implementation
Specifications Prototype Conversion

• The first step is to determine the element values of a

low-pass prototype filter from which all other filters are
derived.

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The LC Ladder

• Purely reactive. Number of reactive elements defines

the filter order.

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 The LC Ladder
• Other types:
• Low-pass elements (top)
◦ Series L
◦ Parallel C
• High-pass elements
(middle)
◦ Series C
◦ Parallel L
• Bandpass elements
(bottom)
◦ aka tank circuit

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The LC Ladder
•Generally, a modern filter design uses a combination of
the aforementioned circuits.

𝑍𝐼𝑁

𝑉2 𝑗𝜔 2 𝑉1 𝑗𝜔 2 𝑉𝑆 𝑗𝜔 2
𝑃2 = 𝑃1,𝑀𝐴𝑋 = = when 𝑍𝐼𝑁 = 𝑅𝑆
2𝑅𝐿 2𝑅𝑆 4𝑅𝑆

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The LC Ladder

2
2
𝑃2 𝑅𝑆 𝑉2 𝑗𝜔
𝐻 𝑗𝜔 = =2 ≤1
𝑃1,𝑀𝐴𝑋 𝑅𝐿 𝑉𝑆 𝑗𝜔

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The LC Ladder

𝑅𝑆 𝑉2 𝑠 2𝑅𝑆
𝐻 𝑠 =2 = 𝑇 𝑠
𝑅𝐿 𝑉𝑆 𝑠 𝑅𝐿

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Get the Transfer Function of
the Ladder given 𝐻 𝑗𝜔

𝐼1

𝑉𝑆
𝑍𝐼𝑁 = 𝑅𝐼𝑁 𝑗𝜔 + 𝑗𝑋𝐼𝑁 𝑗𝜔 𝐼1 =
𝑅𝑆 + 𝑍𝐼𝑁

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The LC Ladder
𝑉𝑆
𝑍𝐼𝑁 = 𝑅𝐼𝑁 𝑗𝜔 + 𝑗𝑋𝐼𝑁 𝑗𝜔 𝐼1 =
𝑅𝑆 + 𝑍𝐼𝑁
• Maximum Power Transfer condition:
2
2
𝑉2 𝑗𝜔
𝑃1 = 𝑃2 → 𝑅𝐼𝑁 𝐼1 =
𝑅𝐿
𝑉𝑆 𝑗𝜔 2 𝑉2 𝑗𝜔 2
𝑅𝐼𝑁 2 =
𝑅𝑆 + 𝑍𝐼𝑁 𝑅𝐿
• Transfer function:
2
𝑉2 𝑗𝜔 2
𝑅𝐿 𝑅𝐼𝑁
2
= 𝑇 𝑗𝜔 = 2
𝑉𝑆 𝑗𝜔 𝑅𝑆 + 𝑍𝐼𝑁
2
𝑅𝑆 2
2𝑅𝑆 𝑅𝐼𝑁
𝐻 𝑗𝜔 =2 𝑇 𝑗𝜔 = 2
≤1
𝑅𝐿 𝑅𝑆 + 𝑍𝐼𝑁

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Get the Transfer Function of
the Ladder given 𝐻 𝑗𝜔

𝐼1

Reflection Coefficient
2
2
2𝑅𝑆 𝑅𝐼𝑁 𝑍𝐼𝑁 − 𝑅𝑆 𝑍𝐼𝑁 − 𝑅𝑆 2
𝐻 𝑗𝜔 = 2 =1− 2 2 = 𝜌 𝑗𝜔 2 = Γ 2
𝑅𝑆 + 𝑍𝐼𝑁 𝑅𝑆 + 𝑍𝐼𝑁 𝑅𝑆 + 𝑍𝐼𝑁

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Example
• Second order LPF

• Maximally flat response:

2
1 2
𝐻 𝑗𝜔 = 4
=1− Γ
1+𝜔

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Example
• The power loss ratio 𝑃𝐿𝑅 can be written as:
1 4
1
𝑃𝐿𝑅 = 2
=1+𝜔 =
𝐻 𝑗𝜔 1− Γ 2
1 1 𝑍𝑖𝑛 + 1 2
𝑃𝐿𝑅 = 2
= ∗ =
1− Γ 𝑍𝑖𝑛 − 1 𝑍 𝑖𝑛 − 1 2 𝑍𝑖𝑛 + 𝑍 ∗
𝑖𝑛
1− ∗
𝑍𝑖𝑛 + 1 𝑍𝑖𝑛 + 1
where:
𝑅 1 − 𝑗𝜔𝐶
𝑍𝑖𝑛 = 𝑗𝜔𝐿 +
1 + 𝜔 2 𝑅2 𝐶 2
∗ 2𝑅
𝑍𝑖𝑛 + 𝑍𝑖𝑛 =
1 +2𝜔 2 𝑅2 𝐶 2 2
2
𝑅 𝜔𝐶𝑅2
𝑍𝑖𝑛 + 1 = +1 + 𝜔𝐿 +
1 + 𝜔 2 𝑅2 𝐶 2 1 + 𝜔 2 𝑅2 𝐶 2

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Example
• The power loss ratio 𝑃𝐿𝑅 becomes:

• Comparing this to the desired response, the values of

inductors, capacitors, and load resistance becomes:
𝐿=𝐶= 2 𝑅=1

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The Low-Pass Filter Prototype
• Previous steps can be extended to any value of 𝑁.
• When 𝑁 becomes large, derivation of component
values become impractical.
• For normalized LPF prototype:
◦ Source impedance is normalized to R = 1 Ω.
◦ Cut-off frequency is normalized to 𝜔 = 1 𝑟𝑎𝑑/𝑠.

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The Low-Pass Filter Prototype
• Consider the circuit below. Get the transfer function.

• Hard to analyze – somebody did the analysis for us!

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The Low-Pass Filter Prototype

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Butterworth LPF Prototype

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Chebyshev T1 LPF Prototype
(0.5 dB Ripple)

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Chebyshev T1 LPF Prototype
(3.0 dB Ripple)

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Filter
Transformation

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Low-Pass Prototype
• Source impedance/admittance is normalized to
1 Ω/1 𝑆.
• Frequency of cut-off normalized to 1 𝑟𝑎𝑑/𝑠.
• Low-pass response only.
• Impractical values used. For practical use, filter should
be transformed to the desired cut-off and the actual
source resistance.

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Effect of Normalization
• Impedance and Admittance normalization w.r.t 𝑅𝑆 :
𝑗𝜔𝐿
= 𝑗𝜔𝐿𝑛 ind 𝑅𝑆 1
𝑍 𝑅𝑆 = ind
𝑍𝑛 = = 𝑌𝑛 = 𝑌𝑅𝑆 = ൞ 𝑗𝜔𝐿 𝑗𝜔𝐿𝑛
𝑅𝑆 1 1
= cap 𝑗𝜔𝐶𝑅𝑆 = 𝑗𝜔𝐶𝑛 cap
𝑗𝜔𝐶𝑅𝑆 𝑗𝜔𝐶𝑛

• 𝐶 and 𝐿 are the actual values, 𝐶𝑛 and 𝐿𝑛 are

impedance-normalized values. Frequency normalized
w.r.t cut-off 𝜔𝐶 , the impedances should remain the
same.:
𝑗𝜔𝑙𝑛 𝜔𝐶 1
= 𝑗𝜔𝐿𝑛 ind = ind
𝜔𝐶 𝑗𝜔𝑙𝑛 𝑗𝜔𝐿𝑛
𝑍𝑛 = 𝑌𝑛 =
𝜔𝐶 1 𝑗𝜔𝑐𝑛
= cap = 𝑗𝜔𝐶𝑛 cap
𝑗𝜔𝑐𝑛 𝑗𝜔𝐶𝑛 𝜔𝐶

• 𝑐𝑛 and 𝑙𝑛 are normalized component values.

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Denormalization
𝑗𝜔𝑙𝑛 𝑗𝜔𝐿 𝜔𝐶 𝑅𝑆
= ind = ind
𝜔𝐶 𝑅𝑆 𝑗𝜔𝑙𝑛 𝑗𝜔𝐿
𝑍𝑛 = 𝑌𝑛 =
𝜔𝐶 1 𝑗𝜔𝑐𝑛
= cap = 𝑗𝜔𝑅𝑆 𝐶 cap
𝑗𝜔𝑐𝑛 𝑗𝜔𝑅𝑆 𝐶 𝜔𝐶
• Actual element values can be solved from the
expressions above:
𝑐𝑛 𝑙𝑛 𝑅𝑆
𝐶= 𝐿=
𝜔𝐶 𝑅𝑆 𝜔𝐶

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Filter Transformation

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Filter Transformation Notes
• High-pass filter is the inverse of a low-pass filter, i.e.
the normalized impedances are still the same, however,
the elements used are changed: 𝐿 becomes 𝐶 and vice
versa.
• Band-pass filters have a certain value of Q and
normalized prototypes have 𝑄 = 1. The two reactive
elements that replace one should have the same
impedance at resonance and must be scaled
accordingly to source resistance. 𝐶 becomes parallel 𝐿𝐶
and 𝐿 becomes series 𝐿𝐶.
• Band-stop filters are the inverse of band-pass filters
and follow the same transformation as a low-pass to
high-pass transformation.

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Modern Filter Design Steps
1. Determine order.
2. Determine low-pass filter prototype: unity cut-off and
source impedance.
3. Transform to desired response type:
a) Low-pass – retain component values
b) High-pass – calculate the impedances first, then retain them
but change 𝐿 to 𝐶 and 𝐶 to 𝐿, then recalculate the normalized
values.
c) Band-pass – combine the elements of low-pass and high-pass
and scale with the desired 𝑄.
d) Band-stop – calculate impedances first, then retain them but
change series 𝐿𝐶 to parallel 𝐿𝐶 and vice versa, then recalculate
the normalized values accordingly.
4. Scale impedances accordingly by multiplying them by 𝑅𝑆 .
5. Scale the frequency response by keeping the same
impedances but adjusting the value of 𝐿 or 𝐶
accordingly.

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Example 1
• 4th order Butterworth filter design: cut-off equal to
50 𝑀𝐻𝑧, source impedance is 50 Ω.

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Example 1
• Normalized filter

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Example 1
• Impedance de-normalization. Multiply all impedances
by the required source impedance.

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Example 1
• Frequency de-normalization. Keep the same
impedance but increase the frequency of operation
and adjust reactive elements accordingly.

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Example 2
• Design a Butterworth LPF with cut-off frequency of
30 𝑀𝐻𝑧 and has minimum attenuation of 30 𝑑𝐵 at
65 𝑀𝐻𝑧. The source impedance is 100 Ω.
• Convert to 𝜔 first:
𝜔𝐶 = 2𝜋𝑓𝐶 = 188,495,559.21 𝑟𝑎𝑑/𝑠

• Solve for the filter order first.

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 Example 2
• Normalized
frequency:
𝜔
−1
𝜔𝐶
65
− 1 = 1.167
30
• Filter order between
4 and 5. Select order
with greater
attenuation:
𝑛=5

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Example 2
• Filter weights: 𝑔1 = 𝑔5 = 0.618, 𝑔2 = 𝑔4 = 1.618, 𝑔3 =
2
• Normalized filter:

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Example 2
• Impedance scaling. Multiply all impedances by the
source resistance:

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Example 2
• Frequency scaling. Keeping the same impedance,
adjust the cut-off frequency by adjusting the values of
the reactive elements accordingly:

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Example 3
• Design a 3 𝑑𝐵 Chebyshev high-pass filter with cut-off
frequency of 100 𝑀𝐻𝑧. The minimum attenuation at
50 𝑀𝐻𝑧 should be 25 𝑑𝐵. The source impedance is
75 Ω.
• Cut-off frequency:
𝜔𝐶 = 2𝜋𝑓𝐶 = 628,318,530.71 𝑟𝑎𝑑/𝑠
• 50 𝑀𝐻𝑧 transformed into prototype frequency:
′
𝜔𝐶 𝑓𝐶
𝜔𝑆 = = =2
𝜔𝑆 𝑓𝑆

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Example 3

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Example 3
• Low-pass prototype:

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Example 3
• Filter transformation. Low-pass to high-pass. Keep the
same impedance at the normalized cut-off frequency
but invert the reactive elements.

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Example 3
• Impedance scaling

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Example 3
• Frequency scaling:

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Bandpass/Bandstop Transform
• For a bandpass filter with resonant frequency 𝜔0 and a
Q-factor equal to 𝑄 or a bandwidth 𝐵 with cut-off
frequencies 𝜔1 and 𝜔2 , recall:
1 𝜔0
𝐵 = 𝜔2 − 𝜔1 𝜔0 = 𝜔1 𝜔2 𝑄 = =
𝑓𝐵𝑊 𝐵
• The normalized low-pass prototype is defined by the
linear mapping function:
𝜔 𝜔0
𝜔←𝑄 −
𝜔0 𝜔
• In the frequency scaled condition, the relationship
between the LPF and BPF equivalent is that they have
the same bandwidth for a given level of magnitude.

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Example 4
• Design a band-pass filter (Butterworth). The cut-off
frequencies are at 90 𝑀𝐻𝑧 and 110 𝑀𝐻𝑧. The minimum
attenuation at 150 𝑀𝐻𝑧 must be 30 𝑑𝐵 . Source
impedance is 100 Ω.
• Quality factor and resonant frequency:
𝜔0
𝜔0 = 𝜔2 𝜔1 = 625.169 𝑀𝑟𝑎𝑑/𝑠 𝑄= =5
𝜔2 − 𝜔1
• Filter order. Transform to normalized frequency:
𝜔 𝜔0
𝜔=𝑄 − = 4.2
𝜔0 𝜔
𝜔 = 2𝜋 × 150 𝑀𝐻𝑧

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Example 4

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Example 4
• Low-pass prototype

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Example 4
• Filter transformation

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Example 4
• Scaling the Q-factor. Recall that series Q is 𝑋/𝑅 and
parallel Q is 𝑅/𝑋. Impedance of series 𝐿𝐶 will increase
by Q and parallel 𝐿𝐶 will reduce by Q.

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Example 4
• Impedance scaling

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Example 4
• Frequency scaling

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Notes
• Low-pass filters and high-pass filters are dual
networks. They are the inverse of each other. The
band-pass and band-stop responses also have the
same relationship.
◦ Capacitances and inductances behave in an opposite manner
making them a dual of each other. Series LC and parallel LC
behave in a manner opposite to each other too.

• In impedance scaling, inductances are increased since

𝑋𝐿 = 𝜔𝐿 while capacitances decrease since 𝑋𝐶 = 1/𝜔𝐶.
• In frequency scaling, 𝑋𝐿 and 𝑋𝐶 must remain the same
at 𝜔𝐶 and at the normalized frequency.

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