A compact L-band bandpass filter based on SIR coaxial resonators with high multipactor threshold

This paper presents the design of a sixth-order cross-coupled L-band filter, specifically intended for space applications. The solution was based on the principle of stepped impedance coaxial resonators (SIRs), which allowed us to fulfill several electrical and size specifications and more particularly a high multipactor threshold. The degrees of freedom afforded by the proposed topology offer a wide choice of design configuration possibilities. Whatever the central frequency and required specifications, several compromises can be made in terms of volume, height, footprint, quality factor, multipactor threshold, harmonic rejection, etc. For instance, SIR coaxial topology is very well suited to small L-band filters when moderate quality factors and multipactor thresholds of around 4000 and 400 W, respectively, are requested. The design procedure is presented and simulations and measurements are compared and discussed.