VLSI Implementation of A Multi-Standard MIMO Symbol Detector for 3GPP LTE and WiMAX

In this paper, a low-complexity symbol detector is presented targeting the emerging 3GPP LTE and WiMAX standards. The detector is the VLSI implementation of a novel MIMO detection algorithm recently proposed. Compared to the design in the reference, the detector performs better while consumes less silicon area. Including a microcode controlled channel preprocessing unit and a pipelined detection unit, it is flexible enough to cover different standards and transmission schemes while maintaining the power and area efficiency. Implemented using 65 nm CMOS process, the detector can support real-time detection of 20 MHz bandwidth 3GPP LTE or 10 MHz WiMAX downlink physical channel.