On mismatch errors in analog-VLSI error correcting decoders

A new type of nonlinear analog transistor networks has recently been proposed for "turbo" decoding of error correcting codes. However, the influence of various nonidealities on the performance of such analog decoders is not yet well understood. The paper addresses the performance degradation due to transistor mismatch. Some analytical results are derived that allow to compare the accuracy of analog decoders with that of digital decoders. Moreover, these results enable to incorporate transistor mismatch into fast high-level simulations.