Programa del congreso

In the design and fabrication of ceramic filters, the quality of metallization is crucial for minimizing resistive losses and ensuring optimal resonator performance. This work presents the design and fabrication of a fully canonical dual-mode monoblock filter, based on BaTiO3 ceramics, operating at S-band frequencies. Sputtering deposition was used to create a 5 nm gold seed layer, on which a 30 μm copper metallization is grown through electroplating. This method guarantees high conductivity in the resonator coating, and the test results demonstrated that the fabricated device offers outstanding filtering performance with a minimal insertion loss of 0.73 dB.

We present a Low Noise Amplifier (LNA) implemented in Silicon-Germanium Heterojunction Bipolar Transistor (SiGe HBT) technology for Band C applications. This SiGe LNA is broadband, covering the frequency range of 4-8 GHz, and achieves a gain of 28 dB. The Noise Figure (NF) of the LNA is 1.5-3.5 dB across the band of interest and an output 1-dB compression point of 10 dBm. The MMIC LNA was mounted and measured to test the similarity with simulations.

RF/Microwave systems require high-speed switches, lower power consumption, smaller footprints, better power handling, and high integration. In this regard, non-volatile switches emerge as a suitable alternative to CMOS- or MEMS-based technologies, mainly due to their ability to maintain a given state without power consumption. In this article, RF memristive switches based on HfO₂ with different active area sizes were developed, fabricated, and characterized. The DC and RF cycling behavior up to 50 GHz was measured and analyzed for various configurations. An 8.1 GHz cutoff frequency was achieved for switches with a 9 µm² active area, and insertion loss lower than -2.1 dB across the entire analyzed frequency range.

Direct synthesis has been shown to provide complete control over the transfer function both in-band and out-of-band. However, finding physically realizable topologies has always been a challenge. This work introduces a methodology to assist in this process, which involves transforming the transversal matrix into a target topology, systematically progressing from the source to the load while applying step-by-step conditions to ensure a manufacturable outcome. User-friendly tools are employed, such as similarity transformations, null eigenvalue splitting, and conditions that allow isolating asymmetries outside the main path of the filter topology to extract the circuital elements. Additionally, the methodology allows for the exploration of an infinite number of possible solutions for a given topology, providing flexibility in the selection of elements to achieve a desired response.

Finding a solution for a given topology in parallel-connected filters can be challenging, particularly due to the existence of multiple possible solutions. This paper introduces a method to handle this solution multiplicity in high-order filters by focusing on the restructuring of the coupling matrix (CM). Unlike traditional approaches that analyze the entire network, this method examines each filter branch separately, where the available solutions are determined by the grouping of eigenvalues within each branch. It is further shown that the analysis may be performed for an inner transversal sub-network by first reconfiguring the N+2 transversal CM to a transversal CM of lower order than N+2. To verify the proposed approach, the results are compared against all known solutions using verification software based on the Numerical Interval Newton Algorithm (NINA), ensuring the global convergence of all solutions. As a demonstration, a 7th-order topology is presented as an example.

This paper presents the design, fabrication and characterization of a Dual-Input Load Modulated Balance Amplifier (LMBA), targeting the efficiency of the amplifier over a wide frequency range (1.4 – 2.1 GHz). This amplifier utilizes load modulation techniques to dynamically adjust the impedance seen by the transistors, ensuring high efficiency even under the amplitude variations typical of modern telecommunications systems, such as those employing QAM modulation. The prototype delivers a saturated power over 39 dBm to the load by both branches with 6 W transistors on RO4003C substrate with ε_r = 3.55 and h = 813 μm. Measurements demonstrate that at saturation, the amplifier achieves 47.7–56.2% Power Added Efficiency (PAE) in saturation and >25% at 9 dB back-off across the 1.4–2.1 GHz band.