Compact Multi-Port Power Combination/Distribution With Inherent Bandpass Filter Characteristics

• Published in: IEEE transactions on microwave theory and techniques 2014-11, Vol.62 (11), p.2659-2672
• Main Authors: Rosenberg, Uwe, Salehi, Mehdi, Amari, Smain, Bornemann, Jens
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Chebyshev approximation; Couplings; Filter synthesis; Inverters; multiports; Ports (Computers); power combiner; Power distribution; power divider; Power dividers; Scattering; substrate integrated waveguide (SIW); waveguide filters
• ISSN: 0018-9480; 1557-9670
• DOI: 10.1109/TMTT.2014.2361345

Compact multi-port power combiners and dividers with filter characteristics are introduced. These components advantageously combine the functions of power distribution and filtering in a single component, thus reducing the number of components in a system and improving overall system performance. The design principle, which is entirely based on filter theory, is first presented for a symmetric filtering four-port combiner/divider and is then extended to an eight-port network. Measurements on a symmetric all-metal waveguide four-port prototype show excellent agreement with simulations and validate the general design approach. The experimental response of an asymmetric substrate integrated waveguide eight-port network agrees reasonably well with simulations and demonstrates that the basic four-port element can be extended to very compact multi-port combiner/dividers to cope with a variety of systems requirements.