Reconfigurable Bandpass Filter With Resonators in Cul-De-Sacs for Producing Notches

We present a new design method for bandpass filters capable of adjusting center frequencies, bandwidths, and notches. For designing such filters, filter topologies employing frequency-tunable resonators in cul-de-sacs are developed. The cul-de-sac resonators are mainly responsible for constructing notches, while the resonators in main paths form passbands. For verifying the presented design method, we have designed two bandpass filters. Each filter consists of two different resonator types: microstrip-line resonators for forming passbands and substrate-integrated waveguide resonators for producing notches. The measured results of the two designed filters show that frequency-tunable notches can be placed next to the passbands without producing unwanted resonant peaks that are usually observed in bandpass-bandstop filter cascades. This indicates that the filters designed using the presented topologies can replace bandpass-bandstop filter cascades.