Compact Lowpass Filters With Sharp and Expanded Stopband Using Stepped Impedance Hairpin Units

This letter presents a novel compact lowpass filter with two transmission zeros. By tap-connecting the stepped-impedance hairpin unit, two transmission zeros can be generated when an interdigital structure is introduced between the two low-impedance sections. Further, the two transmission zeros can be adjusted easily to obtain a larger zero separation without the need to change the stepped-impedance unit. Therefore, a sharp transition, an expanded stopband, a low insertion loss, and a compact size can be obtained simultaneously. Two filters with single and two asymmetric units are designed, fabricated, and tested. The measured results demonstrate good performance: compact size, low passband insertion loss, broad stopband, and sharp skirt characteristic.