Hybrid Wideband Staircase Filters in Rectangular Waveguide With Enhanced Out-of-Band Response

The objective of this article is to describe the design of a new family of wideband filters in a rectangular waveguide based on hybrid couplings and a staircase configuration. The use of E-plane T-junctions and E-plane folded structures is also discussed, in order to enhance the out-of-band response and the selectivity of the filter with respect to the current state of the art. The design of several hybrid filter prototypes is discussed in detail, including manufacturing sensitivity and high-power analysis. Finally, simulations and measurements for an eight-pole filter prototype are also compared, showing very good agreement, thereby fully validating both the design procedure and the new filter topology that we propose.