The paper suggests that optimum Chebyshev filters present an excellent choice for microwave filter design, as this approximation offers minimum return loss in the half-power passband, provides a maximum cutoff slope, and maintains low sensitivity in the passband. A comparative analysis is conducted with the chained-function filters to demonstrate the efficacy of this approximation, since chained-function filters also utilize Chebyshev polynomials to shape the filter’s characteristic function. The optimum Chebyshev filter, along with two chained-function filters, each of the sixth-degree, are realized, simulated, and compared as lowpass stepped impedance filters with a half-power passband of 1 GHz. After a detailed comparison, it is concluded that the optimum Chebyshev filter outperforms, or at least matches, the performance of the chained-function filters. This suggests that the optimum Chebyshev filter can effectively replace chained-function filters in all applications, offering a superior solution.
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