Wideband bandpass filter design for X band horn antenna via numerical techniques

Design of an X band horn antenna and a wideband unit element microstrip bandpass filter (UEBPF) for this antenna are presented with satisfactory agreement between theoretical and simulation results. Numerical methods known as real frequency techniques (RFTs) have been utilized in Richards domain to yield optimum driving point Darlington input impedance function belonging to the UEBPF that enables a maximum RF power transmission between the designed horn antenna and an RF driving source. Using a high precision Richards immittance synthesis package in Matlab, characteristic impedance values of each UE, out of k number of commensurate (equal length) transmission lines forming the UEBPF, is extracted from the input impedance function. Theoretical design (Matlab of Mathworks Inc.) and simulation (ADS of Agilent Inc., HFSS of ANSYS Corp.) results are shown to be very promising and in a high degree of agreement with each other.