Performance and complexity analysis of VLSI multi-carrier receivers for low-energy wireless communications

A high data rate multi-carrier receiver employing orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) for mobile communications requires joint low-power VLSI design optimization of the channel equalizer and demodulator. Although the multi-carrier receiver structure can be greatly simplified by use of the fast Fourier transform (FFT) for demodulation, the physical hardware complexity of the FFT is still significant. By introducing a powerful channel equalizer, reduction in FFT complexity can be achieved while maintaining sufficient reception quality. This paper analyzes the performance and hardware complexity of the receiver structure in a multipath communications environment.