Compact UWB bandpass filter using stub-loaded multiple-mode resonator

A compact microstrip-line ultra-wideband (UWB) bandpass filter (BPF) using the proposed stub-loaded multiple-mode resonator (MMR) is presented. This MMR is formed by loading three open-ended stubs in shunt to a simple stepped-impedance resonator in center,and two symmetrical locations, respectively. By properly adjusting the lengths of these stubs, the first four resonant modes of this MMR can be evenly allocated within the 3.1-to-10.6 GHz UWB band while the fifth resonant frequency is raised above 15.0 GHz. It results in the formulation of a novel UWB BPF with compact-size and widened upper-stopband by incorporating this MMR with two interdigital parallel-coupled feed lines. Simulated and measured results are found in good agreement with each other, showing improved UWB bandpass behaviors with the insertion loss lower than 0.8 dB, return loss higher than. 14.3 dB, and maximum group delay variation less than 0.64 ns in the realized UWB passband.