A Coupled-Line Coupling Structure for the Design of Quasi-Elliptic Bandpass Filters

A coupled-line coupling structure is proposed for the design of quasi-elliptic bandpass filters (BPFs). The coupled-line structure functions as the input coupling structure for a BPF and introduces one pair of symmetrical transmission zeros at around the cutoff frequencies. Equivalent circuit models play an important role in the design of microwave filters. Accordingly, this paper undertakes a major effort to develop the equivalent circuit of the coupling structure. The equivalent circuit is in a form that can be readily used in combination with a given direct-coupled filter. The coupling structure can serve as a basic building block for the design of quasi-elliptic BPFs. As demonstrated by the theoretical and experimental treatment, the coupling structure can be used to transform a Chebyshev filter into a quasi-elliptic filter.