Tunable Bandpass Filter with Varactors Based on the CRLH-TL Metamaterial Structure

This paper presents a tunable bandpass filter based on the varactor-loaded composite rightand left-handed transmission line (CRLH-TL). The proposed filter is composed of one CRLH-TL unit cell, which corresponds to the third-order bandpass filter. The tunable bandpass filter is designed using only lumped-elements. The use of lumped elements saves space and lowers the fabrication cost. The size of the proposed tunable bandpass filter is 17 mm× 5 mm, neglecting the feed lines and DC lines. All of the varactors are controlled by one DC bias. The center frequency of the bandpass filter can be controlled by varying the value of the varactors. The tunable range of the center frequency is from 412.5 to 670 MHz. The insertion loss is less than 3 dB, the return loss is more than 10 dB in the passband.