Patent ID: 7397325

Claim:
A microwave multiplexing network comprising: (a) a first channel filter having a top end and a first coupling element and a second channel filter having a top end and a second coupling element; (b) an interconnect having a top surface, a bottom surface, and a short circuit plate; (c) said first channel filter being associated with a first interconnect spacing value that represents the distance between the short circuit plate and the center of the first coupling element and a first filter to interconnect value that represents the distance between the center of the first coupling element of the first filter and the closer of the top and bottom surfaces of the interconnect; (d) said second channel filter being associated with a second interconnect spacing value that represents the distance between the center of the first coupling element and the center of the second coupling element, and a second filter to interconnect value that represents the distance between the center of the second coupling element and the closer of the top and bottom surfaces of the interconnect; and (e) each of said top ends of the first and second channel filters being coupled to the closer of the top and bottom surfaces of the interconnect according to the first and second interconnect spacing values and the first and second filter to interconnect values, wherein first and second interconnect spacing values and the first and second filter to interconnect values are determined for each of said first and second channel filters by: (i) selecting the first and second interconnect spacing values and the first and second filter to interconnect values to ensure that an additional real reflection zero is brought into the passband of the microwave multiplexing network and wherein the filter order is increased by one.