A 16-Gb/s NRZ Receiver With 0.0019-pJ/bit/dB 1-Tap Charge-Redistribution DFE

In this brief, a 16-Gb/s receiver with a charge-redistribution decision-feedback equalizer (CR DFE) is presented. The proposed CR DFE does not suffer from a voltage headroom issue because it uses charges on the capacitors rather than the current source. Hence, the power consumption is significantly reduced compared with the current-steering DFE. In addition, as the CR DFE tracks the signal and immediately compensates for the inter-symbol interference (ISI), the DFE loop delay is minimized. The equalized output maintains the input common-mode voltage level and signal swing. The CR DFE core fabricated in a 28-nm CMOS technology consumes only 0.38 mA from a 1-V supply at 16 Gb/s and compensates for a 12.5-dB ISI channel. An FoM of 0.0019 pJ/bit/dB was achieved, which is significantly better than the state-of-the-art technologies.