This paper presents a novel approach to the design of tunable dual-band bandpass filter with broadband harmonic suppression characteristics. The proposed filter structure offers the possibility of two tunable passbands, as well as a fixed first passband and controllable second passband. The tunable passband frequency usually causes a shift of the harmonics, which need to be suppressed to improve out-of the passband characteristics. In order to suppress the harmonics over a broad bandwidth, defected ground structures are used at input and output feeding lines without degrading the passbands characteristics. Both theory and experiment are provided to validate the proposed filter. From the experimental results, it is found that the proposed filter exhibits a first passband center frequency tunable range of 34.14% from 0.85 to 1.2 GHz with the almost constant 3-dB fractional bandwidth (FBW) of 13% and second passband center frequency tunable range of 41.81% from 1.40 to 2.14 GHz with the 3-dB FBW of 11%. The measured results of the proposed filters show a rejection level of 20 dB up to more than ten times of second passband frequency can be obtained, thereby ensuring broad harmonics rejection characteristics without degradation of passbands. The measurement data have good agreement with the simulation.
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