Minimum mean-squared error multiuser decision-feedback detectors for DS-CDMA

Multiuser decision-feedback detectors (DFDS) for direct-sequence code-division multiple access, based on the minimum mean-squared error (MMSE) performance criterion, are described. Both successive and parallel feedback (interference cancellation) with hard decisions are considered. An iterative DFD is presented, which consists of cascaded DFDs, each performing successive cancellation. The two-stage DFD achieves the single-user bound in the absence of error propagation, and performs significantly better than an MMSE DFD with parallel feedback. The filter structures are generalized to include finite impulse response feedforward and feedback matrix filters, which account for asynchronous users and intersymbol interference. The effect of error propagation is illustrated through simulation. Both uncoded and coded performance results are presented. Although error propagation can significantly degrade performance, the DFDs still offer a significant performance gain relative to linear MMSE detection.