A novel threshold technique for minimizing error propagation in MDFE read channel

MDFE (multi-level decision feedback equalization) is an excellent detector for magnetic recording channels using (1,k) codes. However, being a decision feedback based scheme, MDFE also suffers from the phenomenon of error propagation. In this paper, a novel threshold approach is proposed for detection and partial suppression of error propagation in MDFE. A theoretical analysis of this approach is presented to quantify the probability of false detection of error propagation. Computer simulations performed over different user densities show that the proposed technique reduces error propagation significantly. In particular, the decay rate of cumulative error burst-length distribution has been almost doubled by this approach.