A modified design approach for compact ultra‐wideband microstrip filters

A modified design approach for compact ultra‐wideband microstrip filters with cascaded/folded stepped‐impedance resonators is described. The key feature of the proposed method is to facilitate stronger coupling between stepped‐impedance resonators and, at the same time, eliminate the requirement of extremely small gaps in coupled‐line sections, as found in traditional designs. Simulations and measurements demonstrate that the filters designed with this technique exhibit good reflection, insertion‐loss, and group‐delay performance within the 3.1–10.6 GHz band. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J RF and Microwave CAE 2010.