A decision feedback equalizer with channel-dependent power consumption for 60-GHz receivers

The design of a baseband decision feedback equalizer, featuring a continuous-time digital delay line, is discussed within the context of a wireless, Line-Of-Sight, communication scenario over the 60-GHz band. BER simulations advocate for a critical-tap cancellation scheme, which leads to the realization of an equalizer featuring a small number of taps. A two-step configurable architecture is suggested as the equalizer´s feedback path, in order to mitigate the loss of robustness that is caused by the absence of the clock. Simulations reveal the system´s channel-dependent power consumption character and a delay line power consumption reduction of 3 to 4 times, when compared with its clocked counterpart.