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Thinking Outside the Band: Absorptive Filtering

The reflectionless filter cell described in this article alleviates many system problems associated with excess out-of-band gain, impedance mismatches, and component interactions. The simplest filter cell exhibits a third-order Inverse Chebyshev response with 14.47 dB peak stopband attenuation, and several can be cascaded for additional attenuation as needed. They are simple to design and easy to use - for much like small fixed attenuators ("pads"), they can be placed anywhere in the signal path desired without fear of causing unwanted standing waves, and instead reducing them where they already exist beyond the intended frequency range. Compared to conventional filter topologies with similar cutoff frequencies, they exhibit an order of magnitude greater amplitude and phase stability, ensuring accurate and repeatable complex gain in calibrated systems. Finally, the component requirements are moderate in value and minimal in number, easing their implementation while improving design yield, and extending the applicability of a given component technology beyond the normal range, both above and below.