The recent advances of high performance filters and multiplexers

Abstract

High-performance microwave and RF filters are used in a wide spectrum of communications systems, in particular communications satellites, earth stations, wireless base stations, and other point-to-point repeaters. Typically the quality factor is required to be larger than 1000, while in many applications, even 10000. The demand for such high-performance filters originated from the extraordinary price operators paid to acquire the spectrum rights and the high cost of sending a communication satellite into orbit. The history of high performance filters for wireless base stations and satellite payloads extends back many years with the invention of cross coupled filters, dual mode filters and dielectric resonator filters. As a result system architectures have evolved to the characteristics specific to these advances with ever increasing number of channels to form multiplexers and some flexibilities. The need for flexibility and mass/size reduction with ever increasing power demand is implicit for the rapidly emerging new communication systems. This talk overviews some recent key component developments primarily in the areas of passive filtering, addressing improvements in aspects such as miniaturization, flexibility, high power filtering, mass/size/insertion loss reduction. These new developments are key in advancing products to further enhance advanced communication system to provide competitive services in relevant markets.