Coupling Matrix-Based Design of Waveguide Filter Amplifiers

This paper extends the conventional coupling matrix theory for passive filters to the design of “filter-amplifiers,” which have both filtering and amplification functionality. For this approach, extra elements are added to the standard coupling matrix to represent the transistor. Based on the specification of the filter and small-signal parameters of the transistor, the active N+3 coupling matrix for the “filter-amplifier” can be synthesized. Adopting the active coupling matrix, the last resonator of the filter (adjacent to the transistor) and the coupling between them are modified mathematically to provide a Chebyshev response with amplification. Although the transistor has a complex impedance, it can be matched to the filter input by the choice of the coupling structure and the resonator frequency. This is particularly useful as the filter resonators can be of a different construction (e.g., waveguide) to the amplifier (e.g., microstrip). Here, an X-band filter-amplifier is implemented as an example, but the technique is general.