Design, performance, and extensions of the RAM-DFE architecture

An analog DFE for disk drives using a mixed-signal integrator

“…When this DFE is used with an analog forward equalizer, a high-speed ADC and digital equalizers are not needed, saving area and power. The use of the mixed-signal integrators reduces the die area as well as power dissipation when compared to previous work [2][3][4][5][6][7]. The performance of the analog DFE, in terms of BER, is comparable to previous DFE implementations.…”

“…The integer input is a binary signal with value ±1. This signal determines whether the counter should increment or decrement its current value according to the update equations in (2). Here, power dissipation and die area are saved by replacing the 6-b counter and DAC with a single analog integrator.…”

“…Recently, read channels that use an adaptive DFE have been reported. One such channel uses a RAM-DFE and does all the required computations in the digital domain [2,3]. An analog DFE-based read channel was recently presented [4].…”