STUDY AND DESIGN OF A DUAL-MODE MICROSTRIP OPEN-LOOP RESONATORS AND FILTERS USING SONNET LITE SIMULATION SOFTWARE

SUBMITTED BY: NIK KHATIJAH BINTI NIK MUSTAFFA (HE100082)

SUPERVISOR: DR SAMSUL HAIMI BIN DAHLAN

DESIGNING A DUAL MODE MICROSTRIP OPEN LOOP RESONATORS AND FILTERS AT 5.7 GHZ FOR WLAN APPLICATIONS.

ABSTRACT

Bandpass filters play a significant role in wireless communication systems. Transmitted and received signals have to be filtered at a certain center frequency with a specific bandwidth. A dual mode microstrip open loop resonators and filter at 5.7 GHz for wireless local area network (WLAN) are designed using sonnet lite simulation software. Reflection coefficient and transmission coefficient of the filter are reported. The simulated and measured filter performance are presented.

CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION

1.1

BACKGROUND

With the rapid development of wireless and mobile communication systems, there is an increasingly demands for new technologies to meet the challenge for smaller size, high performance, multi-frequency and cheaper manufacturing cost. Filters are one of the most important components must be found in the transmitter or receiver. Filtering application is most crucial in a system as it will discriminate between wanted and unwanted signal frequencies. Bandpass filter is a passive component which is able to select signals inside a specific bandwidth at a certain center frequency and reject signals in another frequency regions, which have the potential to interfere the information signals. In designing the bandpass filter, we are faced the question, what is the maximal loss inside the pass region, and the minimal attenuation in the reject or stop regions, and how the filter characteristic must look like in transition region. Thus, filter size is one of the concern in the filter design. The filter is design to ensure that it can fit into the electronic devices. Besides, the losses of the filter are playing an important role because they will affect the performance of the filters. Microstrip filters is widely used and apply in many RF/microwave circuits and systems [1]. In general, microstrip bandpass filters can be designed using single or dual mode resonators. Band pass filter require precise transmission characteristics that allow a desired band of signals to pass through the two port network. Thus, between a transmitter and transmitting antenna, a band pass filter may be used to attenuate unwanted signals and harmonic components that may cause interference to other users of the electromagnetic spectrum. Conversely, between an antenna and a receiver, a band pass filter will reject out of band signals that may cause interference within the receiver, especially if they are at a high signal level in comparison with the desired signals. Dual mode resonators are attractive because each dual mode resonator can be used as a doubly tunable resonant circuit. Therefore the number of resonators in a filter can be reduced by half, thus resulting in a compact configuration. Various kinds of dual mode resonators have been investigated, including the circular ring
3

[2], square loop [3], and triangular patch [4]. Meanwhile, several new types of dual mode resonators [5] have been reported for filter applications recently. Practically, some special applications require high selectivity on only one side of the pass band, but less or none on the other side. In such cases, using filters with asymmetric frequency responses would be desirable [6].

In this project, the type of miniature microstrip dual-mode open loop resonator for filter applications is introduced. The dual-mode open loop resonator is developed. The openloop resonator is well known for its flexibility to design cross-coupled resonator filters, as well as its compact size. It will be shown that the proposed dual-mode open-loop resonator has a size that is the same as the single-mode open-loop resonator, which, however, is much smaller than the conventional dual-mode loop resonator [3]. The size of the dual-mode open-loop resonator is only approximately one-quarter of the dualmode loop resonator, which is a significant size reduction. There have some different of distinct characteristics between the dual-mode open-loop resonator and the conventional dual-mode loop resonator. The study of filter parameters and the effect to filter response was also presented. This information is important especially for circuit optimization work.

In this project bandpass filters based on dual-mode resonator are design at 5.7 GHz and verified using SONNET LITEPlus software to optimized and simulate the circuits with the microstrip calculator software to calculate related formulae for the design.

1.2

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES

There are several objectives that have been outline to complete this analysis of dual mode microstrip open loop resonators and filters at 5.7 GHz. This project designs a dual-mode microstrip open loop resonators and filters at 5.7 GHz by using SONNET Lite simulation software. This objective helps to gain fundamental knowledge in microstrip filter. This project also to simulate and analyze the performance of bandpass filter operating at frequency range of 5 GHz to 6 GHz and to measure the
frequency responses of the dual mode resonator and filter.

The project aims to design a microstrip bandpass filter which is simple and easy to fabricate. The design filter must be a dual mode bandpass device that resonates in the frequency range of 5 GHz to 6 GHz.

On the other hand, this project aims to design a dual-mode microstrip open loop

resonators and filters at 5.7 GHz where the filter will be unique, simple, and highperforming. Through this project, we will have a better understanding of the microstrip bandpass filter properties.

1.3

PROJECT MOTIVATION

The project motivation is to design the microstrip bandpass filters that are to fulfill the masters project requirement. After completing the literature review throughout the journals, knowledge in filter design has widen. The goal of this project is to design a simple, high performing, and small size microstrip bandpass filter that has results comparable to those published.

CHAPTER 2

LITERATURE REVIEW

2.1 Microstrip Filter

In modern wireless and mobile communication systems, Radio Frequency (RF) and microwave filter are important and essential components. No doubt, filters are playing an important role in the RF and microwave applications. Filters with smaller size, lighter weight, higher performance, and lower insertion loss are of high demand. Microstrip filters can fulfil the requirements stated above. Besides wireless and mobile communication systems, low-temperature co fired ceramics (LTCC), high temperature superconductor (HTS), monolithic microwave integrated circuits (MMIC), micro electromechanic system (MEMS) and micromachining technology, have driven the rapid development of the new microstrip filter than other microwave and RF filters.

Microstrip filters can be designed in various patterns depending on different requirements. Each microstrip filter consists of its individual properties and characteristics. The common microstrip designs that available in market are such as rectangular patch filter, circular patch filter, triangular patch filter and etc.

2.1.1 Microstrip Lines

Microstrip is a planar transmission line that basically consists of a thin-film strip in intimate contact with one side of a flat dielectric substrate, with a similar thin-film ground-plane conductor on the other side of the substrate. It is similar to stripline and coplanar waveguide, and it is possible to integrate all three on the same substrate. According to Encyclopedia, microstrip was developed by ITT laboratories by Grieg and Engelmann in December 1952 as a competitor to stripline. According to Pozar, the early microstrip work used fat substrates, which allowed non-TEM7 waves to propagate which makes results unpredictable. In the 1960s the thin version of microstrip started became popular. Microstrip can be fabricated using printed circuit board (PCB) technology and is used to convey microwave frequency signals. It consist of a conducting strip separate from a ground plane by a dielectric layer which known as substrate.

Microstrip can be used to design antennas, couplers, filters, power dividers and etc. The material costs are lower than the traditional waveguides since the entire microstrip is just a patterned metal and a ground plane only, and it also much lighter and more compact than the waveguides. Since microstrip is not enclosed as a waveguide, it is susceptible to crosstalk and unintentional radiation. Unlike stripline, microstrip can mount all the active components on top of the board. However, the disadvantages are that microstrip generally has lower power handling capacity and higher losses. External shield may be needed for circuits that require higher isolation such as switches. In this project, microstrip has been chosen for the filter design because it is a proven technology and the shielding problem can be solved easily by encapsulating the filter in a metallic box. Besides, crosstalk and unintentional radiation are not an issue in this project as well.

2.1.1.1 Dielectric Constant

Microstrip can be fabricated on different substrates based on the requirement of the design. For a lower cost, microstrip devices can be built on the ordinary Duroid 6006 substrate. Dielectric constant is a measure of the extent to which it concentrates electrostatic lines of flux. For example, FR-4 has a dielectric constant of 4.4 and R6006 duroid has 6.15 at frequency of 10 GHz. And by definition, the dielectric constant of vacuum is equal to 1. Dielectric constant is frequency dependent.

2.1.1.2 Effective Dielectric Constant

In general, the dielectric constant of the substrate will be different (and greater) than air, so the wave is travelling in an inhomogeneous medium. In consequence, the propagation velocity is somewhere between the speed of radio waves in the substrate, and the speed of radio waves in air. This behaviour is commonly described by stating the effective dielectric constant of the microstrip. Effective dielectric constant is an equivalent dielectric constant of an equivalent homogeneous medium. As part of the fields from the microstrip conductor exists in air, the effective dielectric constant is less than the substrate's dielectric constant.

2.1.1.3 Characteristic Impedance

The characteristic impedance, Zo is important in microstrip lines design, it will affects the reflection loss, S11. The reflection loss is related to the characteristic impedance and also load impedance by formula, S11= . In order to minimize the reflection loss at the input port, the

characteristic impedance of microstrip must be equal to the input of the impedance. Most of the input ports are designed at 50 ohm to prevent any reflections. The characteristic impedance is also a function of height (H) and width (W) of microstrip lines. Note that effective dielectric constant value is required for the microstrip characteristic impedance calculation. The characteristic impedance of microstrip lines can be calculated by using formulas below.
8

When ( ) ( )

When ( )

)+

The very first step in this project is to design the microstrip lines that can achieve 50 ohm of characteristic impedance, calculation which are . From the formulas above, there are three variables in the Width (W) and Height (H). Since the and height is constant for

the substrate, the only variable is the width of the microstrip line.

Since the formula is quite complicated, we have to substitute different W value in order to get 50 ohm characteristic impedance. At first, it has to verify the ratio of W/H and determine which formula to be used. It is time consuming for the calculation on different substrate. Fortunately, some of the web application and software are able to calculate the width of the microstrip lines by entering the desire characteristic impedance, height of the substrate and dielectric constant of the substrate. Then the software will perform the calculation within seconds and shows the value. It has simplified the microstrip lines design work and most importantly consume less time. For instance, one of the useful software was used for characteristic impedance calculation in this project is microstrip calculator. The software is easy to control and able to get the width value easily by key in height of the substrate, thickness of the strip, and dielectric constant of the substrate. The microstrip width calculation will be cover in Methodology part.

2.1.2 Microstrip Resonators

Microstrip resonators can be designed in various patterns. Before designing the microstrip band pass filter, it has to do some literature studies through IEEE Xplore about the microstrip resonators. Besides, it is also to ensure that the effort spent in design has not been researched by others nor published in the IEEE Xplore before. The author has selected the common types of resonators to be discussed in the following chapters. The types of resonators that covered are dual mode microstrip open loop resonator.

2.1.2.2 Microstrip Open Loop Resonators

10

CHAPTER 3

METHODOLOGY

There are different method carrying out research in the field of RF/Microwave system, like experiment and simulation. The building of a design and the testing of it in practical experiment is an expensive and time-consuming method. To minimize time and cost, this research focus on simulation experiment based on Sonnet Lite simulation software in order to simulate frequency response for resonators and filters.

The Sonnet EM analysis is based on a method-of-moments technique. The circuit metal is first meshed into small subsections. The EM coupling between each possible pair of subsections is calculated and this fills a big matrix. The matrix is inverted, yielding all currents everywhere in the circuit metal. This, in turn, determines things like S-parameters, which can be used in other analysis programs.

The Sonnet analysis has very high accuracy because it calculates all couplings between subsections using a 2-D Fast Fourier Transform (FFT). In signal processing, application of the FFT requires uniform time sampling of a signal. In EM analysis, the FFT requires uniform space sampling across the two dimensions of the substrate surface. Thus the analyzed circuit metal falls on a uniform underlying FFT mesh. The FFT approach also requires the circuit to exist inside a conducting, shielding box. Approximations are available to include radiation. A common alternative technique requires a four dimensional numerical integration to calculate each pairwise coupling. This approach has the advantage of eliminating the underlying uniform mesh, however, it comes at the cost of sometimes extensive numerical integration time and the additional error involved in the numerical integration process. The FFT used by Sonnet quickly calculates all couplings to full numerical precision. In contrast to the FFT approach, numerical

11

integration requires an open environment allowing radiation while a shielded environment must be approximated.

When and if a serious planar numerical integration based EM tool becomes freely available, the user will find the relative advantages and disadvantages tend to compliment Sonnet's FFT based tool.

12

CHAPTER 4

DATA ANALYSIS AND RESULT

4.1 DESIGN OF THE DUAL MODE MICROSTRIP OPEN LOOP RESONATOR

In this project, all the simulation are done by Sonnet Lite software. The design and result of dual mode microstrip open loop resonator is shown in Figure 4.1 (a) and Figure 4.1(b) below. Figure 4 (a) shows the layout of a dual mode microstrip open loop resonator on a substrate with a relative dielectric constant of 10.8 and a thickness of 1.27 mm. All dimensions are in millimeters. A loading element with a variable parameter W is tapped from inside onto the open loop. When W varies, the modal resonant characteristic is changed. For the demonstration, we use a Sonnet Lite simulator to simulate the resonant frequency response of the proposed dual mode open loop resonator. To excite the resonator, two ports are weakly coupled to the resonator. The simulated result are plotted in Figure 4.1(b).

Figure 4.1 (a): Layout of a dual-mode microstrip open loop resonator

13

For a loading element, W= 9.3 mm, two modes exhibits the same resonant frequency. The simulated result are in Figure 4 (b). Two modes will split if W is increased or decreased from value W = 9.3 mm.

Specify unit for length and frequency where length is in mm and frequency in GHz.

Dielectric layer. Set the thickness 1.27 mm and relative dielectric constant 10.8

14

Box size and cell size setting.

Metal type

Specify Frequency from 1.04 GHz to 1.12 GHz.

15

Figure 4.1(b) : Graph S11 and S21.

Figure 4.1 (b) shows the modal resonant characteristic of the proposed dual mode microstrip open loop resonator for g=0.9 mm, d= 1.1 mm and w=9.3 mm. Figure 3.3 shows the simulated and measured return losses and insertion losses. Rrom the figure, the measured center frequency is 1.655 GHz, which is very close to the simulated value of 1.69 GHz (error 2.07%). The measured and simulated 3-dB bandwidths ( 11 S 10 dB) are given by 9.09% and 12.79%, respectively. Also shown in the figure are the simulated S11 and S21 by using the network model. With 30 reference to the figure, the measured center frequency is 1.65 GHz, which is very close to the simulated value of 1.69 GHz (error 2.37%). The measured 3-dB bandwidth ( 11 S 10 dB) by using network model is given by 10.40%. With reference to the figure, the models predict the S11 and S21 reasonably well. The error might caused by the gap distance. From the simulation design the capacitive coupling gap is 0.01 mm. However, such narrow gap is difficult to fabricate by the equipment in the laboratory. Few Duroid 6006 substrates have been fabricated and experiment. At the end of the day this is the best result the author able to collect.

16

Figure 4.2 (a): Layout of a dual-mode microstrip open loop resonator with W = 9.1 mm.

Figure 4: Graph S11 and S21 for w=9.10 The smaller W results in a mode being shifted to a higher frequency.

17

Figure 5: Layout of a dual-mode microstrip open loop resonator with W = 9.5 mm.

Figure 6: Graph for S11 and S21 The larger W shifts a mode to a lower frequency. In all the cases, only one modal resonant frequency is affected, while the other one is hardly changed. It is shows that the even mode is affect to the resonant frequency but the odd mode in unaffected to the resonant frequency. The tapping point of the loading element, W is a virtual ground for the odd mode. Hence, the loading element does not affect the odd mode
18

characteristic and its resonant frequency. The loading element is affected to the even mode where the change of W makes the resonant frequency of the even mode shifted. The transmission zero is allocated on the high side of the two modes when the even mode frequency is higher than the odd mode frequency. The transmission zero is allocated on the low side when the even mode frequency is lower than the odd mode frequency. The transmission zero is closely with the even mode. The unique property of the even mode will proposed the dual mode resonator for designing the filters. Another characteristic of the dual mode open-loop resonator is the two modes are not coupled to each other even after the modes are split. From the theory, if the two split mode frequencies are equal to the two self resonant frequency, respectively there is no coupling between the two resonators.

19

FILTER APPLICATION

n-pole filter can be constructed using n/2 dual mode open loop resonators. Basic coupling structures of this filter can be found in [6] where no coupling between the even and odd modes has been implicated. To design this filter, needs to allocate the modal resonant frequencies within the desired passband. For a given center frequency, the perimeter of the open loop is approximately a half wavelength, which sets the resonant frequency of the odd mode. Once the loop size is found, the odd mode resonant frequency can be tuned to the desired one by varying the gap g of the dual mode open loop resonators.

When g is changed to the higher value, the odd mode resonant frequency is effectively shifted. The even mode resonant frequency is mainly determined by the size of the loading element and can easily be tuned by several parameters such as W and d. The W controls the capacitive loading so as to change the even mode resonant frequency. In addition, the even mode resonant frequency can be easily controlled by varying the dimension of d, when d is changed from 0.3 to 1.3 mm, the even mode resonant frequency is effectively shifted to the higher value, 0.983 to 1.152 GHz. The smaller d, results in a larger inductive loading and a lower resonant frequency for the even mode. The easy control of modal resonant frequencies allows one to control filter bandwidth because the separation of the modal resonant frequencies is proportional to the bandwidth.

20

Bandpass filter Figure 7 shows the filter where the characteristic of filter is a finite frequency zero on the low side of the passband. The filter use a single dual mode open loop resonator. The even mode frequency for filter B has to be lower than the odd mode frequency. Figure 10 shows the simulated performance of the filter. The measured center frequency of 0.95 GHz is slightly lower than the simulated 1.01 GHz and a normalized frequency axis is used for comparison. It can be seen that the measured frequency response is very similar to the simulated one. The filter exhibits a higher selectivity on the low side of the passband because of the finite frequency transmission zero. The first spurious does not occur at 2fo, but at a higher frequency.

Figure 7: Layout of filter B. W=10.9 mm. because the even mode frequency in order to place a desired transmission zero on the low side of the passband.

21

Figure 8: Measured and simulated frequency response of filter B in Figure 7. Filter higher order filter based on coupled dual mode open loop resonator. To prove that when two dual mode open loop resonator are coupled, there are only couplings between the same mode of resonator (odd mode resonator1=odd mode resonator 2), (even mode resonator 1=even mode resonator 2) For the purpose, an inter resonator coupling structure is proposed in Figure below. Where two identical dual mode open loop resonators are approximately placed in opposite orientations with a spacing s to facilitate the coupling.

22

Figure 9: Coupled dual mode open loop resonator.

Figure 10: resonant response of the coupled resonator structures

23

Four pole dual mode filter The coupling structure proposed in [6] for a multipole dual mode resonator filter is also applicable for the type of dual-mode resonator .In Figure 13, the filter has a very compact size and uses a resonator structure with a small offset of the two coupled resonator for a fine adjustment of the couplings. The simulated and measured performance of the filter are shown in Figure 14. The simulated performance is fo=?????.The filter shows a finite frequency zero on the high side of the passband, which is because the dual mode open loop resonator used have a higher even mode frequency. The above four pole filter exhibits a second order finite frequency transmission zero on one side of the passband for applications such as duplexers where asymmetric frequency selectivity is desired.

Figure 11: Four pole filter (n=4) composed of two identical dual mode open loop resonators is developed. The filter has a very compact size and uses a coupled resonator structure in figure 11, with a small offset of the two coupled resonator for a fine adjustment of the couplings.

24

Figure 12: The filter shows a finite frequency zero on the high side of the passband, which is because the dual mode open loop resonators used have a higher even mode frequency. A four pole filter design to produce two transmission zeros, each on the one side of the passband, leading to a symmetric frequency response is required.

25

Figure 13: Layout of the for pole dual mode filter

Figure 14: Symmetric passband with the two desired transmission zero.
26

As a matter of fact, a four pole filter can also be designed to produce two transmission zeros, each on the one side of the passband, leading to a symmetric frequency response if required. In this case, the two dual mode resonators without any direct couplings between them are cascaded through the two nonresonating nodes, as indicated. The two dual mode resonator are also not the same as shown, one will produce a zero on the high side of the passband, while the other will produce a zero on the low side of the passband. The result is plotted Figure 16, showing a symmetric passband with the two desired transmission zeros.

CONCLUSION A miniature dual mode open loop resonator has been proposed for filter applications. The characteristics of this new type of microstrip dual mode resonator has been investigated. It has been shown that the loading element inside the open loop resonator does not affect the odd mode characteristic and the two modes of this type of dual mode resonator do not couple even with a mode split. It has also shown that a finite frequency transmission zero is inherently associated with the even mode. This makes it much easier to design bandpass filters with an asymmetric response, as no cross coupling is required to generate the transmission zero. The two pole filters of this type with opposite asymmetric responses have been demonstrated. To this end, a compact four pole filter using filter using two dual mode open loop resonators has been demonstrated with a promising performance. In addition, by implementing nonresonating nodes, it has been shown that the four pole filter can actually produce two separated transmission zeros, each on one side of the passband.

27

The expectation outcomes of this project are: 1. Dual Mode Microstrip Open Loop Resonators can be used like a filters 2. Varying of length gap between two resonators can be effect of the filter responses.

REFFERENCE [1] Jia Sheng Hong, Hussein Shaman, Young Hoon Chun (2007), Dual Mode Microstrip Open Loop Resonators and Filters, IEEE. [2] J.-S. Hong and M. J. Lancaster, Microstrip Filters for RF/Microwave Applications. New York: Wiley, 2001. [3] I. Wolff, Microstrip bandpass filter using degenerate modes of a microstrip ring resonator, Electron. Lett., vol. 8, no. 12, pp. 302303, Jun. 1972. [4] J.-S. Hong and M. J. Lancaster, Bandpass characteristics of new dualmode microstrip square loop resonators, Electron. Lett., vol. 31, no. 11, pp. 91892, Nov. 1995. [5] J. A. Curitis and S. J. Fiedziuszko, Miniature dual mode microstrip filters, in IEEE MTT-S Int. Microw. Symp. Dig., 1991, pp. 43446.
28

[6]

R. R. Mansour, Design of superconductive multiplexers using singlemode and dual-mode filters, IEEE Trans. Microw. Theory Tech., vol. 42, no. 7, pp. 411 1418, Jul. 1994.

[7]

J. S. Hong and S. Li, Theory and experiment of dual-mode microstrip triangular patch resonators and filters, IEEE Trans. Microw. Theory Tech., vol. 52, no. 4, pp. 12371243, Apr. 2004.

[8]

C. Lugo and J. Papapolymerou, Bandpass filter design using a microstrip triangular loop resonator with dual-mode operation, IEEE Microw. Wireless Compon. Lett., vol. 15, no. 7, pp. 75477, Jul. 2005.

[9]

R. Wu and S. Amari, New triangular microstrip loop resonators for bandpass dual-mode filter applications, in IEEE MTT-S Int. Microw. Symp. Dig., 2005, pp. 41944.

[10]

J.-S. Hong and M. J. Lancaster, Couplings of microstrip square open-loop resonators for cross-coupled planar microwave filters, IEEE Trans. Microw. Theory Tech., vol. 44, no. 11, pp. 20992109, Nov. 1996.

[11]

EM Users Manual, ver. 10, Sonnet Softw. Inc., Syracuse, NY, 2005

29