Miniaturized Dual-Band Power Splitter in LTCC for GNSS Applications

Global navigational satellite systems (GNSS) have received considerable attention in recent years, given their dual-band superiority over traditional single-band constellations. As such, there is new interest in compacting the RF front-ends of these systems and their corresponding devices. In this letter, the design and characterization of a low profile two-way equal power splitter operational over the lower- and upper-GNSS bands—1165–1295 MHz and 1560–1606 MHz—is proposed. Miniaturization was achieved by utilizing low temperature cofired ceramics (LTCC) as a 3-D integration method and substrate medium; yielding splitter dimensions of only
$3.9\times 6.23\times1.28$
mm
³
. Across both bands, measurements indicate return loss < 27 dB, insertion loss (IL) < 0.6 dB, output isolation < 16.9 dB, amplitude unbalance < 0.4 dB, and phase unbalance < 3.3°.