Filter circuit with a notch filter

Abstract

A filter circuit comprises in a signal line a band filter (BF) allowing to let pass a useful frequency band and a notch filter (NF) circuited in series to the band filter for filtering out a stop band frequency. The notch filter comprises a series circuit of a number of parallel shunt elements (SE1 . . . SE6) wherein each shunt element is shifted infrequency against the other shunt elements that the frequencies thereof are distributed (f1 . . . F6) over a notch band. All shunt elements may be realized as a SAW one-port resonator (TR.sub.NF) including regions with different pitches.

Claims

1. A filter circuit comprising, in a signal line: a band filter allowing to let pass a frequency band; and a notch filter circuited in series to the band filter for filtering out a stop band frequency, wherein the notch filter comprises: a single surface-acoustic-wave (SAW) resonator having a transducer with two bus bars and a number of transducer fingers alternatingly connected to one of the two bus bars, wherein: a finger distance between a center of two adjacent transducer fingers defines a portion of the stop band frequency within a notch band, the transducer of the SAW resonator comprises a number of different finger distances between elements with respective stop band frequencies, each shunt element of the number of different parallel shunt elements is shifted in frequency against the other shunt elements such that the respective stop band frequencies are distributed over the notch band, and the notch filter provides the notch band.

2. The filter circuit of claim 1, wherein the parallel shunt elements are chosen from resonators circuited in parallel to the signal line, and wherein each shunt element has a small admittance of about 1/n times the admittance of a normal notch filter where n is the number of shunt elements.

3. The filter circuit of claim 1, wherein the parallel shunt elements are chosen from resonators operating with acoustic waves.

4. The filter circuit of claim 1, wherein the transducer comprises each finger distance only one time.

5. The filter circuit of claim 1, wherein the SAW resonator is a one-port SAW resonator.

6. A power amplifier module integrated duplexer (PAMiD) frontend module, comprising: a filter circuit comprising, in a signal line; a band filter allowing to let pass a frequency band; and a notch filter circuited in series to the band filter for filtering out a stop band frequency, wherein the notch filter comprises: a single surface-acoustic-wave (SAW) resonator having a transducer with two bus bars and a number of transducer fingers alternatingly connected to one of the two bus bars, wherein: a finger distance between a center of two adjacent transducer fingers defines a portion of the stop band frequency within a notch band, the transducer of the SAW resonator comprises a number of different finger distances between transducer fingers of the transducer defining a number of different parallel shunt elements with respective stop band frequencies, each shunt element of the number of different parallel shunt elements is shifted in frequency against the other shunt elements such that the respective stop band frequencies are distributed over the notch band, and the notch filter provides the notch band, and a power amplifier and a matching circuit, wherein a further filter circuit operating in a neighboring band is part of the PAMiD frontend module or a different device operating together with the PAMiD frontend module and wherein the notch band is centered on the neighboring band.

7. The PAMiD frontend module of claim 6, wherein the filter circuit and the further filter circuit are band pass filters and are part of a duplexer or a multiplexer, and wherein the notch band assigned to the filter circuit is centered at the frequency band of the respective other filter circuit of the duplexer or multiplexer.

8. The PAMiD frontend module of claim 6, wherein the filter circuit is a transmitter filter of a duplexer wherein the notch band complies with the frequency band of a receiver filter of the same duplexer.

9. The PAMiD frontend module of claim 6, wherein the SAW resonator is a one-port SAW resonator.

10. The PAMiD frontend module of claim 6, wherein the parallel shunt elements are chosen from resonators circuited in parallel to the signal line, and wherein each shunt element has a small admittance of about 1/n times the admittance of a normal notch filter where n is the number of shunt elements.

11. The PAMiD frontend module of claim 6, wherein the parallel shunt elements are chosen from resonators operating with acoustic waves.

12. The PAMiD frontend module of claim 6, wherein the transducer comprises each finger distance only one time.

Description

(1) In the following the filter circuit is explained in more detail by reference to specific embodiments and the accompanied figures. The figures are schematic only and not to scale.

(2) FIG. 1 shows a filter circuit of the art;

(3) FIG. 2 shows the transfer curve of the filter circuit of FIG. 1;

(4) FIG. 3 shows a filter circuit according to an embodiment;

(5) FIGS. 4A and 4B show the transfer curve of the filter circuit of FIG. 3;

(6) FIG. 5 shows a transducer that can be used as a shunt resonator in the embodiment of FIG. 3;

(7) FIG. 6 shows a frontend module comprising a filter circuit according to FIG. 3.

(8) FIG. 1A shows a known filter circuit according to the art comprising a band filter BF, and a notch filter NF circuited in series within a signal line SL. The band filter BF may be embodied as a band pass filter. The notch filter N comprises a shunt element SE circuited in parallel to the signal line SL. As shown in FIG. 1B the notch filter may comprise a one-port SAW resonator R having a resonance frequency f.sub.0. Due to circuiting the resonator R as a shunt element resonance frequency f.sub.0 complies with a single stop band frequency.

(9) FIG. 2 shows the transfer curve of the filter circuit of FIG. 1. In the example the band pass filter BF is a Tx filter and the pass band complies with the Tx band. The respective Rx band is located above the Tx band. In the figure the required Rx isolation of the Tx filter is depicted as rectangle. Graph 1 of FIG. 2 shows the transfer curve and the dotted line of graph 2 depicts a transfer curve of the same filter circuit but without a notch filter. It is shown that curve 2 is unsatisfactory and the required isolation like in curve 1 can only be achieved with a notch filter NF. However, the isolation below the pole created by the stop band frequency f.sub.0 of the notch could possibly be improved.

(10) FIG. 3 shows a filter circuit according to an embodiment of the invention. The filter circuit comprises a band filter BF, and a notch filter NF circuited in series within a signal line SL. Different to FIG. 1 the presented notch filter NF comprises a series of parallel shunt elements S1 to S6. Each of the shunt elements is assigned to a different stop band frequency f1 to f6. The notch filter can be construed by a series of small notches of low admittance each of which would be insufficient to create a useful pole in the transfer curve (admittance curve S21). However, when circuited together in parallel the total notch filter NF creates broad notch band NB3 as can be seen from curve 3 in FIG. 4B that is an enlarged cut-out of FIG. 4A in the Rx region. For reference only depicted curve 1 complies with a curve 1 achieved from a filter circuit according to FIG. 1 and shown in FIG. 2. As can be seen a new notch band NB3 is created being broader than the pole N.sub.f0 according to a “notch band” NB1 as achieved by a known filter according to FIG. 1.

(11) Curve 3 shows an improved isolation at frequencies below the pole of curve 1 according to the art. Thereby the isolation for the whole Rx band is improved as the maximum of the attenuation curve 1 (worst attenuation) is higher (worse) than the maximum of the attenuation curve 3. As a result the high attenuation of a single pole originating from a notch filter of the art is diminished if favor of broad attenuation with no disturbing maximum.

(12) FIG. 5 shows a transducer TR.sub.NF of a SAW one-port resonator R that can be used as a notch filter NF in the embodiment of the filter circuit of FIG. 3. The transducer has two bus bars with interdigitated transducer fingers alternatingly connected to the two bus bars. Each two adjacent transducer finger have a center to center finger distance d. The transducer TR.sub.NF comprises a series of n different finger distances d1 to dn and each occurring finger distance is assigned to a respective stop band frequency of the notch filter NF and creates a small pole in the transfer curve. The finger distances d1 to dn and the according stop band frequency thereof are mutually shifted by the same amount and hence are uniformly distributed.

(13) FIG. 6 shows a frontend module FEM comprising a filter circuit according to FIG. 3. Here, the band filter is embodied as a Tx filter TxF of a duplexer. The according Rx filter RxF is connected with the Tx filter TxF to form a duplexer operating in the according Rx and Tx band. The notch filter NF is placed between power amplifier PA and Tx filter TxF.

LIST OF USED TERMS AND REFERENCE SYMBOLS

(14) BF band filter d1, dx, dn finger distances between the centers of two adjacent transducer fingers f.sub.0 stop band frequency of single notch filter f.sub.1 to f.sub.6 stop band frequencies of SE1 to SE6 FEM PAMiD frontend module N notch NB notch band NF notch filter PA power amplifier R one port SAW resonator R resonator RxF Rx filter SE1 to SE6 shunt elements SL signal line TR transducer having TxF Tx filter 1 2 admittance of a common filter 3 admittance of a

(15) band pass filter

(16) bus bars

(17) duplexer or multiplexer

(18) filter circuit

(19) further filter circuit

(20) matching circuit

(21) neighbored band

(22) parallel shunt elements

(23) stop band frequency

(24) useful frequency band