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This paper presents a design methodology that significantly increases the peak power handling capability (PPHC) of microstrip filters. The PPHC is limited in microstrip technology by the corona effect: a physical phenomenon caused by the ionization of the air in the presence of strong electric fields around the planar circuit. Microstrip filter with low electric field strength in the air increases the corona threshold level, resulting in high PPHC. Conventional stepped impedance (SI) filters, which consist of cascaded step-shaped elements, exhibit sharp discontinuities. These geometric edges amplify the electric field strength in the air, consequently reducing the corona threshold. Our research group has recently reported a new synthesis technique that introduces a smooth-profile (SP) conductor strip. This SP strip eliminates any sharp discontinuities and significantly reduces the strength of the electric field. This paper focuses on the examination of the high power performance of 7th-order SP and SI low-pass filters. The cut-off frequency (fc) for both types of filters is set at 447.45 MHz, while the frequency for maximum stop-band rejection (fo) is 1 GHz. The findings indicate that the SP filter shows a notable enhancement in peak power handling capability (PPHC), with gains of 2.48 dB and 4.80 dB observed at critical pressure and ambient pressure, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we present an exact analytical solution for the inverse scattering problem formulated by using the coupled-mode theory in the microwave range, assuming single-mode operation. The solution is a series that gives the required coupling coefficient for the microwave device as a function of the target frequency response. A clear physical meaning for the terms of the series is discussed, and several useful properties for the synthesis are given, thus providing a deep understanding of the synthesis mechanics. The method allows for the design of microwave devices with arbitrary frequency response only constrained by principles of causality, passivity, and stability. The resulting device is, in general, a nonuniform waveguide that features a continuously varying profile, e.g., a nonuniform microstrip line with continuously varying strip width. As an example of the potential of the synthesis method, a matched filter for ultra-wideband applications is finally designed in microstrip technology and successfully tested. Index Terms--Coupled-mode theory, filter synthesis, inverse scattering, matched filter, microstrip technology.

The main aim of this paper is to demonstrate the potentiality of sub-wavelength resonators, namely, split-ring resonators, complementary split-ring resonators, and related structures to the suppression of undesired spurious bands in microwave filters, a key aspect to improve their rejection bandwidths. The main relevant characteristics of the cited resonators are their dimensions (which can be much smaller than signal wavelength at resonance) and their high-Q factor. This allows us to design stopband structures with significant rejection levels, few stages, and small dimensions, which can be integrated within the filter active region. By this means, no extra area is added to the device, while the passband of interest is virtually unaltered. A wide variety of bandpass filters, implemented in both coplanar-waveguide and microstrip technologies, have been designed and fabricated by the authors. The characterization of these devices points out the efficiency of the proposed approach to improve filter responses with harmonic rejection levels near 40 dB in some cases. It is also important to highlight that the conventional design methodology for the filters holds. For certain configurations, the presence of the resonators slightly lowers the phase velocity at the frequencies of interest with the added advantage of some level of reduction in device dimensions. Index Terms--Complementarity, coplanar-waveguide (CPW) technology, metamaterials, microstrip, microwave filters, split-ring resonators (SRRs).

In this paper, a new approach for the development of planar metamaterial structures is developed. For this purpose, split-ring resonators (SRRs) and complementary split-ring resonators (CSRRs) coupled to planar transmission lines are investigated. The electromagnetic behavior of these elements, as well as their coupling to the host transmission line, are studied, and analytical equivalent-circuit models are proposed for the isolated and coupled SRRs/CSRRs. From these models, the stopband/passband characteristics of the analyzed SRR/CSRR loaded transmission lines are derived. It is shown that, in the long wavelength limit, these stopbands/passbands can be interpreted as due to the presence of negative/positive values for the effective and [micro] of the line. The proposed analysis is of interest in the design of compact microwave devices based on the metamaterial concept. Index Terms--Duality, metamaterials, microwave filters, split-ring resonators (SRRs).

We report on a time-domain analog in microwave lines to the spatial Fraunhofer (far-field) diffraction in paraxial conditions. Microstrip lines are used to design filtering configurations acting as spectrum analyzers. They are based on linearly chirped distributed Bragg coupling between the fundamental microstrip mode and the same but counterpropagating mode. Linearly chirped continuous impedance modulation in a microstrip line with varying upper plane strip-width will be shown to yield a mode-coupling location and group delay linearly distributed in frequency. Under the condition of a temporal equivalent to the spatial Fraunhofer inequality, the energy spectral density of the input signal is directly recoverable from the average output (reflected) power. It is only necessary to take into account a linear axis-change, given by the dispersion coefficient (group-delay slope) of the structure, from time to Fourier frequency. Both pulsed and nonpulsed RF signals are studied. Sequential time-gated segments of the input have to be processed in the nonpulsed case. The maximum frequency resolution achievable in this situation is discussed. The devices developed here could have important potential applications in the field of temporal signal processing, such as filtering using time-division techniques. Other application areas could be frequency-shift estimations using time-delay measurements in reflection, as well as the translation of path differences (temporal separation of signals) into frequency changes of an oscillatory interference pattern at the output. Index Terms--Characteristic impedance modulation, chirped Bragg coupling, dispersive delay line, Fourier-transform (FT) processors, microstrip technology, quadratic-phase filter.

In this paper, we present a new parallel-coupled-line microstrip bandpass filter with suppressed spurious passband. Using a continuous perturbation of the width of the coupled lines following a sinusoidal law, the wave impedance is modulated so that the harmonic passband of the filter is rejected while the desired passband response is maintained virtually unaltered. This strip-width perturbation does not require the filter parameters to be recalculated and, this way, the classical design methodology for coupled-line microstrip filters can still be used. At the same time, the fabrication of the resulting filter layout does not involve more difficulties than those for typical coupled-line microstrip filters. To test this novel technique, order-3 Butterworth bandpass filters have been designed at 2.5 GHz with a 10% fractional bandwidth and different values of the perturbation amplitude. It is shown that for a 47.5% sinusoidal variation of the nominal strip width, a harmonic rejection of more than 40 dB is achieved in measurement while the passband at 2.5 GHz is almost unaltered. Index Terms--Bandpass filter, coupled-line filter, harmonic suppression, microstrip.