Proceedings of International Symposium on Signals, Systems and Electronics (ISSSE2010)

A Novel Sharp Cutoff Ka Band Waveguide Filter

Xiaoke Kang, Guiqiang Zheng, Yueling Liu
Institute of Electronic Engineering, China Academy of Engineering Physics
Mianyang Sichuan 621900，China

Abstract-In this letter, a novel sharp cutoff Ka band
waveguide filter is presented and fabricated for transmitting and
receiving isolation of an application system, which stop band
frequency deviates from pass band only 3% relative bandwidth.
The proposed filter’ stop band frequency is verified by good
agreement between simulation and measurement results. The
measurement results show less than 1 dB insertion loss in pass
band, and more than 70 dB suppression in stop band.
Index Terms-Waveguide filter, Ka band, Sharp cutoff
This structure is belonged to the problem of discontinuation.
The electromagnetic wave scats in the section. It can be refined
calculated by Modal Analysis [7], and determinates its field
structure. On the other hand, this method is too complex to
actually design. It becomes a feasibility analytical method
simplifying the structure to equivalent circuit as Fig.2.

I. INTRODUCTION
Waveguide filter is widely used in microwave and
millimeter wave system due to it has merits such as low
insertion loss, large power capability and high-Q values. It has
characteristic of allowing transmission at frequencies within
Fig 2. Equivalent circuit of the filter
the pass band of the filter, and attenuation within the stop band Obviously the circuit is a simple pass band filter which can
of the filter. Common waveguide filter can be divided to low- be designed by Chebyshev distribution. Since this method
pass, band-pass, high-pass and band stop. In lately decades, a based on lumped circuit can’t accurately correspond to actual
type of diplexer or multiplexer is presented. Actually it is waveguide filter, electromagnetic field simulating and
multi-pass band filter. All of those have mature designing calculating is used. The first step is to design a band pass
method. The academicians have turn their steps to improving waveguide filter to be prototype. It carries out elementary pass
filter’s selectivity, miniaturization and novel type filters such band and stop band. Then the size of waveguide reduced broad
as surface plasmon filter[1]-[3], filter based on SIW[4-6] and side can be made certain by certain stop band frequency.
so on.
The work is to satisfy with an actual system for restraining II. SIMULATION AND DESIGN
stray signals which is closed to the operating frequency. It’s
pass band is from 30GHz to 31GHz. The frequency range A. Design of Band Pass Filter
lower than 29GHz is stop band, and the inhibition must be Fig.3 shows the model of a ripple band pass rectangular
greater than 70dB. waveguide filter. It is a ninth order filter. After optimizing, we
The qualification above is very difficult to realize. Many get a set of data shown in Fig.4.
filters can reach the pass band qualification but hasn’t sharp
sideband characteristic. Cross-couple filters have this
characteristic based on cavities’ cross-coupling and resonant,
which band is too narrow. This paper presents a novel
waveguide filter used the features of ripple band pass
rectangular waveguide filter and certain length rectangular
waveguide reduced broadside. Its fabric diagram is illustrated
in Fig.1.

d1=d3=d5=d9=1mm, d2=d8=3.2mm, d4=d6=3.6mm

a1=a9=5.52mm, a3=a7=4.72mm, a5=4.52mm
a2=a4=a6=a8=a=7.12mm

Fig.3. Model of a ripple band pass rectangular waveguide filter.

Fig 1. Fabric diagram of novel filter

978-1-4244-6355-8/10/$26.00 ©2010 IEEE

 In evidence, the speed of insertion loss adding increases as
length. The edge frequency is 29.7GHz.
We attempt only to use this type to realize the goal. The
result is shown in Fig.7.

Fig 4. Result of band pass filter

We can find two problems in the fig above. The one is that (a)
the speed of the inhibition as frequency fall down at low side
band is slow. The other is the deformation at up side band. The
fact is determined by such filter’s character.
B. Calculation Sharp Cut-off Frequency
According to the theory of microwave, the barrier frequency
of the dominant mode-TE10 in the rectangular waveguide is
determined by the broadside and narrow side’s size. And the
size determines the upper frequency limit of single mode
operation. For standard rectangular waveguide-BJ320, the
relation can be written as
1 (b)
fc = (1) Fig 7. Attempt by simple transition
2a με
It can be found that the transfer characteristic becomes
If we want to obtain sharp cut-off less than 29GHz, we can deterioration near by edge frequency. The cause of it is that the
let a=5.05mm according to (1). Fig.5 shows the simulation transition from standard rectangular waveguide to reduced
result of the rectangular waveguide which broad side is broad side rectangular waveguide can’t be matched. This
5.05mm, and the length is 10mm. circumstance results in the useable bandwidth narrower.
C. Design of Sharp Cut-off Filter
Based on the results above, we get Fig.8 by integrating the
two types of filter.

Fig 5. Simulation result of rectangular waveguide reduced broad side

As the length is not enough, the suppression reaches 20dB at Fig 8. The model of integrating two types of filter
28GHz. Fig.6 shows the result of 30mm length. After optimizing a1, a2, d1, d2, it can be well matched the
discontinuation rectangular waveguide. Fig.9 shows the result.

Fig 6. Result of 30mm length

Fig 9. Sharp cutoff filter’s simulation result
 The demarcation point frequency is 29.7GHz in Fig.9. And
for 29GHz, the insertion loss reaches 70dB.
III. FABRICATION AND MEASUREMENT
Fig.10 is the filter’s photo. It’s length is 120mm.
Fig 10. The photo of filter
This fabric is very simple, and it can be conveniently used in
some system as standard rectangular waveguide. The
measurement result is shown in Fig.11.
Fig 11. The measurement result of the filter
In frequency range 29.7GHz to 30GHz, the reflection loss is
less than 11dB. The frequencies’ insertion loss below 29.7GHz
mushrooms.
IV. CONCLUSION
In this letter, a novel sharp cutoff filter is designed and
fabricated by inosculating ripple band pass waveguide filter
and certain length rectangular waveguide reduced broadside.
The filter’s low side band inhibition reaches 70dB, which
deviates from pass band only 3% relative bandwidth. The
insertion loss is less than 1 dB in pass band. It is verified by
good agreement between simulation and measurement results.
REFERENCES
[1] E. Ozbay, “Plasmonics: Merging photonics and electronics at nanoscale
dimensions,” Science, vol. 311, pp. 189–193, 2006.
[2] W. L. Barnes, A. Dereux, and T.W. Ebbesen, “Surface plasmon
subwavelength optics,” Nature (Lond.), vol. 424, pp. 824–830, 2003.
[3] M. Skorobogatiy and A. V. Kabashin, “Photon crystal waveguide-based
surface plasmon resonance biosensor,” Appl. Phys. Lett., vol. 89, pp.
143518-1–143518-3, 2006.
[4] K.Shen, G.-M. Wang, “Highly selective bandpass filter based on substrate
integrated waveguide”,Electronics Letters,2nd July 2009,vol.45.
[5] Y. Cassivi, L. Perregrini, P. Arcioni, M. Bressan, “Dispersion
characteristics of substrate integrated rectangular waveguide,” IEEE
Microw. Wireless Compon. Lett., vol. 12, no. 9, pp. 333–335, Sep. 2001.
[6] X.P. Chen and K.Wu, “Substrate integrated waveguide cross-coupled filter
with negative coupling structure,” IEEE Trans. Microw. Theory Tech.,
vol. 56, no. 1, pp. 142–149, Jan. 2008.
[7] A.Wexler.“Solution of Waveguide Discontinuation by Modal Analysis”.
IEEE Trans. on Microwave Theory and Tecniques., vol MTT-15,
Sep,1967.pp.508-517