Differential Evolution-Based Adaptation Algorithm for Multistage Continuous-Time Linear Equalizer

This letter presents the adaptation algorithm for setting the parameters of a multistage continuous-time linear equalizer (CTLE) in serial link applications. A differential evolution (DE)-based adaptation algorithm has been proposed in lieu of the existing genetic algorithm (GA) to reduce the computation time. A three-stage CTLE having 12 tuning parameters has been adapted with the DE algorithm to compensate for a channel loss of 20 dB at the Nyquist frequency of 50 Gb/s for non-return-to-zero (NRZ) and pulse amplitude modulation 4 (PAM-4) level signaling. Simulations show that DE-based adaptation is almost
$2\times $
faster than GA-based adaptation algorithm for a given population size.