A new adaptive Decision Feedback Equalizer using hexagon eye-opening monitor for multi Gbps data links

This paper presents an adaptive Decision-Feedback Equalizer ADFE utilizing a proposed hexagon eye-opening monitor for multi Gbps serial links. The adaptation process of proposed ADFE depends on the error signals which are delivered from error detection unit EDU. The EDU employs a hexagon eye-opening monitor H-EOM to detect the violations of the received data signals after the comparison with three threshold voltage levels at two sampling points. The extracted error signals are then conveyed to the input of an adaptive engine. The adaptive engine updates the feedback tap coefficients of the DFE automatically based on these error signals. The examination of the comparison of the proposed DFE architect with the adaptive DFE architect employing a rectangular eye-opening monitor R-EOM shows that the proposed architect obtained better performance for providing convergence time and voltage, and identifying jitter violations. The effectiveness of the proposed architect is validated using the simulation results of a serial link designed in an IBM 130 nm 1.2V CMOS technology.