Diversity processing WCDMA cell searcher implementation

In this paper algorithmic and implementation innovations for a novel diversity processing based WCDMA synchronization system are presented. The system employs a dual antenna front end system and a three stage pipelined synchronization technique to achieve slot, frame and code synchronization. The slot boundary section employs a hybrid matched filter/correlator approach for maximum flexibility and to minimize power consumption. The secondary stage section employs a novel maximum likelihood algorithm to perform frame boundary identification, while the third and final stage shares the RAKE engine correlators to perform code identification. The system was implemented in a 0.18 μm CMOS process with 1 poly and 6 metal layers. The total standard cell count is 28k implemented in 1mm². The average power consumed over a full frame is 2 mW from a 1.8 V supply.