A class of frequency-reconfigurable input-reflectionless/absorptive RF/microwave filters is presented. They consist of tunable complementary-duplexer architectures that are composed of a main and an auxiliary channel with opposite filtering transfer functions. By loading the auxiliary channel with a reference-impedance resistor and by taking the output node of the main channel as the output terminal of the overall circuit, a filtering network of the same type of the main channel with theoretically perfect input-reflectionless behavior at all frequencies can be realized. This technique can be applied to design spectrally agile completely input-reflectionless filters with any kind of transfer function, such as low-pass, high-pass, and single/multiband bandpass/bandstop filters. The theoretical analysis of the first-order absorptive bandpass/bandstop filtering sections based on a coupling-matrix formulation is detailed. Furthermore, the synthesis of high-selectivity reflectionless filters either by cascading multiple first-order cells or using high-order channels in a single complementary duplexer is also described. For practical-demonstration purposes, frequency-tunable lumped-element and microstrip prototypes are manufactured and characterized. They correspond to first- and second-order bandpass/bandstop filters. In addition, their in-series cascade connection is used to implement a bandpass filter with spectrally controllable passband and out-of-band notches.

Microwave planar balanced single-/dual-band bandpass filters (BPFs) with symmetrical quasi-reflectionless differential-mode behavior are presented in this letter. They are made up of a direct single-/dual-band BPF branch with virtually short-ended stubs in differential-mode operation, whose input and output accesses are loaded with stub-loaded-type single-/dual-band bandstop filter (BSF) branches that are terminated with a resistor. These BSF branches exhibit a quasi-complementary transfer function with regard to the one of the BPF branch and absorb the differential-mode input-signal energy not transmitted by the filter to achieve quasi-reflectionless capabilities. The theoretical foundations of the proposed balanced quasi-absorptive single-/dual-band BPFs and synthesis examples are given. Furthermore, for experimental-demonstration purposes, microstrip prototypes of 3-GHz second-order single-band and 2.85/3.15-GHz first-order dual-band BPFs are manufactured and characterized.

This paper addresses the exploitation of signal-interference concepts for the realization of single/multi-frequency Wilkinson-type filtering power dividers in planar/lumped-element technologies. By embedding transversal signal-interference filtering sections into the arms of conventional Wilkinson-type power-divider topologies, RF/microwave power-distribution actions with intrinsic mono/multi-band bandpass filtering capabilities can be obtained. Analytical equations and rules for the theoretical synthesis of this dual-function device are derived. The generalization of the approach to multi-stage schemes for enhanced-performance designs or for the shaping of frequency-asymmetrical responses is also discussed. Furthermore, for practical demonstration, three prototypes are developed and characterized. They are a microstrip quad-band circuit for the 1-5 GHz range, a dual-band lumped-element device for the band of 0.2-0.6 GHz, and a new type of two-branch channelized active bandpass filter at 3 GHz that makes use of single-band versions of this dual-behavior component as signal-division/combination blocks.

RF/microwave bandpass filters (BPFs) are fundamental components in high-frequency RF transceivers. On the transmitter side, they limit the transmitted RF signal bandwidth by suppressing out-of-band spurious signals and intermodulation products, which are primarily generated by the nonlinear active stages and can affect other RF systems. On the other hand, in the receiver, they reject out-of-band interfering/jamming signals and noise. Whereas a large variety of microwave BPFs have been proposed in the technical literature for multiple technologies (e.g., [1] and [2]), most of these BPF devices achieve their filtering functionality by means of the frequency-selective power reflection processing of the RF input signal. This means that those RF signals allocated within the operational bandwidth of the BPF are transmitted to the output terminal (with some tolerable added in-band loss and reflective-type filter, hence decreasing the mixer conversion gain.

A coupling-matrix approach for the theoretical design of a type of input-reflectionless RF/microwave bandpass filters (BPFs) and bandstop filters (BSFs) is presented. They are based on diplexer architectures with arbitrary-order bandpass and bandstop filtering channels that feature complementary transfer functions. The transmission behavior of these reflectionless filters is defined by the channel that is not loaded at its output, whereas the input-signal energy that is not transmitted by this branch is completely dissipated by the loading resistor of the other channel. Analytical formulas for the coupling coefficients for the first-to-fourth-order filter designs are provided and validated through several synthesis examples. This theoretical design methodology, along with an optimization step, is also exploited to design input-quasi-reflectionless quasi-elliptic-type BPFs with a transmission-zero-(TZ)-generation cell in their bandpass filtering channel. In addition, the application of the proposed input-reflectionless BPF and BSF networks to input-quasi-reflectionless multiplexer design is approached. It is shown that a single resistively terminated multi-band BSF branch can absorb the input-signal energy not transmitted by the multiplexer channels in their common stopband regions to achieve quasi-reflectionless characteristics at its input. Moreover, experimental microstrip prototypes consisting of 2-GHz third-order BPF and BSF circuits, a 2-GHz sharp-rejection third-order BPF with two close-to-passband TZs, and a second-order diplexer device with channels centered at 1.75 and 2.1 GHz are developed and measured.

A type of symmetrical RF bandpass filters (BPFs) with quasi-absorptive functionality are presented. They are composed of a bandpass section that is loaded at its input/output ports with nearly complementary resistively terminated bandstop sections. In this manner, the input-signal energy that is not transmitted by the bandpass section is dissipated by the loading resistors of the bandstop sections to attain the quasi-reflectionless behavior. The theoretical analysis of the first-order symmetrical quasi-absorptive BPF stage is detailed. In addition, synthesis examples of higher attenuation and sharper rejection designs based on in-series-cascade arrangements, higher order realizations, and cross-coupling techniques are illustrated. A coupling-matrix-level loss analysis of the devised symmetrical quasi-reflectionless BPF configuration for uniform and nonuniform quality-factor (Q) distribution is also carried out. Furthermore, for experimental validation, 2.5-GHz microstrip BPF demonstrators consisting of an in-band linear-phase two-stage in-series-cascade circuit and a second-order prototype are manufactured and characterized.