Diseño de circuitos de

RF y microondas
LaureanoTEMA
A. Bulus3Rossini
RF Circuit Design 2nd Ed.
Christopher Bowick, John Blyler and Cheryl Ajluni
Chapter 3 Filter Design

High Frequency Techniques:

An Introduction to RF and Microwave Engineering
Joseph F. White
Chapter 9 Filter Design

Practical RF Circuit Design for Modern

Wireless Systems
Volume I: Passive Circuits and Systems
Les Besser and Rowan Gilmore
Chapter 8 Filters and resonant circuits
2
RF Filter Design
INTRODUCTION
¿Where can we find them?

passes frequencies
of interest and reject passes only the frequency
image rejection filter band of the selected
others (can cause
(similar to the channel with flat goup delay
mixer spurious and
preselector but presents and high stopband rejection
intermodulation
20dB-30dB attenuation
distortion)
to the image)

3
RF Filter Design
INTRODUCTION
Filter Types
Besides the Band-pass filter we have already introduced in the previous class we
can complete the frequency response characteristics with these three other types
Low-pass
Allows all signals below a certain cutoff frequency to
pass while attenuating all others
High-pass
Attenuates all signals below a certain cutoff frequency while
allowing those above cutoff to pass (mirror-image of the
low-pass response)
Band-stop
Attenuates a small band of frequencies while passing all
others
Special filter types
All-pass: all fequency components of the signals pass with equal amplitudes, but with
a predictable phase (group delay equalizers, phase shifters)
Multiplexers: a diplexer (or duplexer) is made by connecting together one end of two
filters, e.g. low-pass and hgh-pass or two band-pass (band separation)
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RF Filter Design
INTRODUCTION
Low-pass filter
We will use the low-pass filter as our workhorse, as all other responses will be
derived from it employing a simple transformation.

two-pole (second-order) Effects of loaded Q on the

low-pass filter frequency response

The order of a filter is determined by the slope of the attenuation curve it presents
in the stopband.
• A second order filter is one whose rolloff is a function of ω2, or 12dB/oct.
• A third-order filter causes a rolloff that is proportional to ω3, or 18dB/oct.
Thus, the order of a filter can be equated with the number of significant reactive
elements that it presents to the source as the signal deviates from the passband.
5
RF Filter Design
INTRODUCTION
Low-pass filter
Surprisingly, even this circuit configuration can cause a peak in the response (at
some frequency, the inductor and capacitor will become resonant and, thus,
peak the response if the loaded Q is high enough).

two-pole (second-order)
low-pass filter

Effects of loaded Q on the

frequency response

• If the total Q is greater than about 0.5, then for optimum transfer of power from the
source to the load, Q1 should equal Q2 (0dB insertion loss at the peak frequency).
• If the total Q is less than about 0.5, there will be no peak in the response and, for
optimum transfer of power, Rs should equal RL.
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RF Filter Design
MODERN FILTER DESIGN
Modern filter design has evolved through the years from a subject known only to
specialists in the field (because of the advanced mathematics involved) to a
practical well-organized catalog of ready-to-use circuits available to anyone with a
knowledge of eighth grade level math.

Design procedure

• Determining your requirements

• Finding a filter in a catalog that satisfies these requirements
• Scale each normalized element value to the frequency and impedance you desire
• Transform the needed filter to the type of response (band-pass, high-pass, band-
stop)

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RF Filter Design
NORMALIZATION AND THE LOW-PASS PROTOTYPE
The concept normalization, is merely a tool used by filter experts to present all filter
design and performance information in a manner useful to circuit designers.
Normalization assures the designer of the capability of comparing the performance
of any two filter types when given the same operating conditions.

Normalized values
ωc = 1 rad/s
Rs = 1 Ω
RL = 1 Ω

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RF Filter Design
FILTER TYPES
Butterworth
Is a medium-Q filter that is used in designs that
require the amplitude response of the filter to be
as flat as possible. The Butterworth response is
the flattest passband response available and
contains no ripple.

ω = the frequency at which the attenuation

is desired,
ωc = the cutoff frequency (ω3dB) of the filter,
n = the number of elements in the filter.

Poles are positioned so that the maximum number of deirvatives of the amplitude
response are zero at the center frequency (maximally flat: provides the flattest
possible passband response for a given filter complexity, or order).
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RF Filter Design
FILTER TYPES
Butterworth

n = is the number of elements,

Ak = is the kth reactance in the
ladder and may be either an
inductor or capacitor.

Rs = RL = 1Ω

10
RF Filter Design
FILTER TYPES
Butterworth

Rs /RL

RL /Rs

Butterworth Low-Pass Element Values 11

RF Filter Design
FILTER TYPES
Butterworth
Table reading
• The schematic shown above the table is used whenever the ratio Rs/RL is calculated
as the design criteria (table is read from the top down.
• Alternately, when RL/Rs is calculated, the schematic below the table is used (the
element designators are read from the bottom up).
• The circuit is normalized for RL = 1Ω. Choose a ratio that most closely matches the
ratio you need (for ratios of 100:1 or so, assume this value to be infinite).
• Each capacitor value given is in farads (F), and each inductor value is in henries (H).

Rs /RL

RL /Rs

Butterworth Low-Pass Element Values 12

RF Filter Design
FILTER TYPES
Chebyshev
Is a high-Q filter that is used when:
1) a steeper initial descent into the stopband is required,
2) the passband response is no longer required to be flat (also called equal-ripple).

With such kind of requirement, ripple can be allowed in the passband.

more ripple introduced → initial slope at the beginning of the stopband is increased
(more rectangular attenuation than Butterworth)

• 3dB of passband ripple

• 10dB improvement in stopband
attenuation

Comparison of three-element Chebyshev

and Butterworth responses
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RF Filter Design
FILTER TYPES
Chebyshev

Cn2(ω/ωc)′ is the Chebyshev polynomial

to the order n evaluated at (ω/ωc).

RdB is the passband ripple in dB.

n = the order of the filter.

EXAMPLE
Find the attenuation of a 4-element, 2.5dB ripple, low-pass Chebyshev filter at ω/ωc = 2.5.
Solution
ε = (102.5/10 − 1)1/2 = 0.882 → B = ¼*arccosh(1/0.882) = 0.1279 → (ω/ωc)′ = 2.5 cosh(0.1279) = 2.5204
Cn2(ω/ωc)′ = 8(ω/ωc)4 − 8(ω/ωc)2 + 1 = 8(2.5204)4 − 8(2.5204)2 + 1 = 273.05
AdB = 10 log(1 + ε2Cn2(ω/ωc)′) = 10 log(1 + 0.8822*273.052) = 47.63 dB
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RF Filter Design
FILTER TYPES
Chebyshev

0.01dB ripple 0.1dB ripple

0.5dB ripple 1dB ripple

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RF Filter Design
FILTER TYPES
Chebyshev
The Chebyshev prototype values could not be separated into two distinct sets of
tables covering the equal and unequal termination cases, as was done for the
Butterworth prototypes (even order Chebyshev filters cannot have equal
terminations for proper operation).

Chebyshev Low-Pass Element Values for 0.01dB ripple 16

RF Filter Design
FILTER TYPES
Chebyshev

Chebyshev Low-Pass Element Values for 0.01dB ripple

17
RF Filter Design
FILTER TYPES
Chebyshev

Chebyshev Low-Pass Element Values for 0.1dB ripple 18

RF Filter Design
FILTER TYPES
Chebyshev

Chebyshev Low-Pass Element Values for 0.1dB ripple

EXAMPLE
Find the low-pass prototype values for an n = 5, 0.1dB
ripple, Chebyshev filter if the Rs = 50Ω and RL = 250Ω.
Solution
Rs/RL = 0.2 → 19
RF Filter Design
FILTER TYPES
Chebyshev

Chebyshev Low-Pass Element Values for 0.5dB ripple

20
RF Filter Design
FILTER TYPES
Chebyshev

Chebyshev Low-Pass Element Values for 0.5dB ripple

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RF Filter Design
FILTER TYPES
Chebyshev

Chebyshev Low-Pass Element Values for 1dB ripple 22

RF Filter Design
FILTER TYPES
Elliptic filters
• Have equal-ripple responses in the passband as well as in the stopband
• Are difficult to synthesize

Bessel
Initial stopband attenuation

ω/ωc < 2

straight-line of 6 dB/oct. ω/ωc > 2

per element

• The Bessel filter was originally optimized to

obtain a maximally flat group delay or linear
phase characteristic in the filter’s passband
(selectivity or stopband attenuation is not a
primary concern).
• In high- and medium-Q filters, such as the Chebyshev and Butterworth filters,
the phase response is extremely nonlinear over the filter’s passband
→ distortion of wideband signals
23
RF Filter Design
FILTER TYPES
Bessel

Bessel Low-Pass Element Values 24

RF Filter Design
FILTER TYPES
Bessel

Bessel Low-Pass Element Values

25
RF Filter Design
FREQUENCY AND IMPEDANCE SCALING
Once you specify the filter, choose the appropriate attenuation response, and write
down the low-pass prototype values, the next step is to transform the prototype
circuit into a usable filter.

Cn = low-pass prototype capacitor value,

Ln = low-pass prototype inductor value,
R = final load resistor value,
fc = final cutoff frequency.

The normalized low-pass prototype source resistor must also be transformed to

its final value by multiplying it by the final value of the load resistor.

EXAMPLE
Scale the low-pass prototype values of the previous example to a cutoff frequency of 50MHz.
Solution
C1 = 3.546/(2π*50MHz*250Ω) = 45 pF
C3 = 9.127/(2π*50MHz*250Ω) = 116 pF
C5 = 7.889/(2π*50MHz*250Ω) = 100 pF
L2 = 250Ω*0.295/(2π*50MHz) = 235 nH
L4 = 250Ω*0.366/(2π*50MHz) = 291 nH
26
RF Filter Design
FREQUENCY AND IMPEDANCE SCALING
Designing a low-pass filter
1. Define the response you need by specifying the required attenuation
characteristics at selected frequencies.
2. Normalize the frequencies of interest by dividing them by the cutoff frequency of
the filter.
3. Determine the maximum amount of ripple that you can allow in the passband
(the greater the amount of ripple allowed, the more selective the filter is and may
allow you to eliminate a few components).
4. Match the normalized attenuation characteristics (Steps 1 and 2) with the
attenuation curves. Allow yourself a small “fudge-factor” for good measure. This
step reveals the minimum number of circuit elements that you can get away with
given a certain filter type.
5. Find the low-pass prototype values in the tables.
6. Scale all elements to the frequency and impedance of the final design.

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RF Filter Design
HIGH-PASS FILTER DESIGN
Procedure summary
• Use the attenuation response curves presented for the low-pass filters by simply
inverting the frequency axis (fc /f instead of f /fc).

frequency transformation involved

After finding the response that satisfies all of the requirements, simply refer to the
tables of low-pass prototype values and copy down the needed corresponding
values. High-pass values for the elements are then obtained directly from the low-
pass prototype values as follows:

1) Replace each element with one of the opposite type and

reciprocal value.
2) The source and load resistors should not be altered.
3) The ripple remains the same and the magnitude of the
slope of the stopband (or passband) skirts remains the
same. + denorm. to Ro
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RF Filter Design
HIGH-PASS FILTER DESIGN
EXAMPLE
Design an LC high-pass filter with fc = 60MHz, a minimum
attenuation of 40dB at 30MHz, Rs = RL = 300Ω. Assume
that a 0.5dB passband ripple is tolerable.

Solution
f/fc = 30MHz/60 MHz = 0.5 → fc /f = 2 → n = 5
Since Rs /RL = RL/Rs, it does not matter which form is
used for the prototype circuit (we can choose either).

Next, transform the low-pass circuit to a high-pass

network. Note here that, had we begun with the
low-pass prototype circuit shown above the corresponding
table, this transformation would have yielded a filter
containing three inductors rather than the two.

The final step in the design process is to scale the

network in both impedance and frequency.
C1 = (1/1.807)/(2π*60MHz*300Ω) = 4.9pF
L2 = (300Ω*1/1.303)/(2π*60MHz) = 611nH
C3 = 3.3pF
C5 = 4.9pF
L4 = 611 nH
+ denorm. to Ro
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RF Filter Design
THE DUAL NETWORK
Are convenient, in the case of equal terminations, if you desire to change the
topology of the filter without changing the response, to eliminate an unnecessary
inductor which might have crept into the design.

1. Change all inductors to capacitors, and vice-

versa, without changing element values. Thus,
3H becomes 3F.
2. Change all resistances into conductances,
and vice-versa, with the value unchanged.
Thus, 3Ω becomes (3Ω)-1, or 1/(3Ω).
3. Change all shunt branches to series
branches, and viceversa.
4. Change all elements in series with each
other into elements that are in parallel with
each other.
5. Change all voltage sources into current
sources, and viceversa.
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RF Filter Design
BAND-PASS FILTER DESIGN
• When a low-pass design is transformed
into a bandpass design, the attenuation
bandwidth ratios remain the same.
A low-pass filter with a 3dB cutoff
frequency, or a bandwidth of 2kHz, would
transform into a bandpass filter with a 3dB
bandwidth of 2kHz. If the response of the
low-pass network were down 30dB at a
frequency or bandwidth of 4kHz (f /fc = 2),
then the response of the bandpass
network would be down 30dB at a
bandwidth of 4kHz.
• The normalized f /fc axis of the low-pass
attenuation curves becomes a ratio of
bandwidths rather than frequencies.

frequency transformation involved

(remember that )
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RF Filter Design
BAND-PASS FILTER DESIGN
BW = bandwidth at the required value of attenuation,
BWc = 3dB bandwidth of the bandpass filter.

The frequency response of a bandpass filter exhibits geometric symmetry:

fa , fb are any two frequencies (one above and one
below the passband) having equal attenuation.

low-pass to bandpass
Shunt elements of the low-pass
transformation prototype circuit become parallel
Resonating each low-pass element resonant circuits, and series
with an element of the opposite elements become series-resonant
type and of the same value. circuits.

32
RF Filter Design
BAND-PASS FILTER DESIGN
To complete the design, the
transformed filter is then frequency Design procedure
and impedance-scaled
1. Transform the bandpass
requirements into an equivalent
low-pass requirement.
2. Refer to the low-pass
attenuation curves provided in
parallel-resonant series-resonant order to find a response that
branches branches meets the requirements.
R = final load impedance, 3. Find the corresponding low-
B = 3dB bandwidth of the final design,
pass prototype.
fo = final geometric center frequency,
Ln = normalized bandpass inductor values, 4. Transform the low-pass
Cn = normalized bandpass capacitor values. network into a bandpass
configuration.
5. Scale the bandpass
+ denorm. to Ro
configuration in both impedance
and frequency
33
RF Filter Design
BAND-PASS FILTER DESIGN
EXAMPLE
Design a bandpass filter with fo = 75 MHz, a passband
ripple of 1dB, BW3dB = 7MHz, BW45dB = 35MHz, Rs =
50Ω and RL = 100Ω

Solution
BW45dB/BW3dB = 35MHz/7MHz = 5 → n = 3
(will provide about 50 dB of attenuation at an f /fc =5)

Rs/RL = 0.5 and n = 3, yields the low-pass prototype

circuit which is transformed into the bandpass
prototype circuit of the next figure.

Finally, the values are scaled to obtain the circuit of the

final figure.
C1 = 4.431/(2π*7MHz*100Ω) = 1007pF
L1 = 100Ω*7MHz/[2π*(75MHz)2*4.431] = 4.47nH

C2 = 7MHz/[2π*(75MHz)2*0.817*100Ω] = 2.4pF
L2 = 100Ω*0.817/(2π*7MHz) = 1.86μH

C3 = 504pF
L3 = 8.93nH
34
RF Filter Design
BAND-REJECTION FILTER DESIGN
The design approach is the same as the
procedure used for the bandpass design.

low-pass to band-rejection
transformation Shunt elements in the low-pass prototype
Resonating each element with one of circuit become shunt series-resonant
circuits, and series elements become
opposite type and the same value.
series parallel-resonant circuit

frequency
transformation
involved

𝐵𝐵𝐶𝐶𝑛𝑛 1 B = 3dB bandwidth,

𝐶𝐶 = 𝐶𝐶 = R = final load resistance,
𝑅𝑅𝑅𝜋𝜋𝑓𝑓𝑜𝑜 2 2𝜋𝜋𝜋𝜋𝑅𝑅𝑅𝑅𝑛𝑛
fo = final geometric center frequency,
𝑅𝑅 𝐵𝐵𝐵𝐵𝐿𝐿𝑛𝑛 Cn = normalized band-reject capacitor value,
𝐿𝐿 = 𝐿𝐿 =
2𝜋𝜋𝜋𝜋𝐿𝐿𝑛𝑛 2𝜋𝜋𝑓𝑓𝑜𝑜 2 Ln = normalized band-reject inductor value.

series-resonant parallel-resonant + denorm. to Ro

branches branches
35
RF Filter Design
THE EFFECTS OF FINITE Q
• All of the presented response curves are based on the assumption that the
inductors and capacitors used in the designs are lossless.
• Even though capacitors can be approximated as having infinite Q, inductors
cannot, so the effects of the finite-Q inductor must be taken into account.

The use of finite element Q elements effects

1. Insertion loss is increased whereas the final
stopband attenuation does not change (relative
attenuation between the two decreases).
2. In the vicinity of cutoff (fc), the response
becomes more rounded and usually results in an
attenuation greater than the 3dB originally
intended.
3. Ripple in the passband will be reduced (could be totally eliminated if the element Q
is sufficiently low).
4. For band-reject filters, the attenuation in the stop-band becomes finite and insertion
loss in the passband is increased (decreases the relative attenuation significantly).
36
RF Filter Design
THE EFFECTS OF FINITE Q
It is possible to design filters, using the approach outlined in this chapter, that very
closely resemble the ideal response of each network. The key is to use the highest-
Q inductors available for the given task.

37
The End

38