Decision feedback equalization for a single carrier system with frequency domain equalization - an overall system approach

The wireless radio channel makes powerful equalization structures necessary, where in particular non linear structures such as decision feedback equalizers are promising candidates. Although the theory of these equalizers seems to be well developed, it is pointed out in this paper that it is inevitable to characterize them in an overall system approach which includes processing complexity, channel characteristics, error propagation, modulation schemes, channel coding and others before comparing them to linear equalizer structures. To reduce the signal processing complexity, our investigations are based on a single carrier system with frequency domain equalization (SC/FDE) which carries out the feed-forward equalization in the frequency domain. Furthermore, the specific structure of SC/FDE allows a better performance as compared to the classical DFE equalizer structures by reducing the effect of error propagation.