Transistor sizing for a 4-state current mode analog channel decoder in 65-nm CMOS

Analog decoders are constructed based on interconnecting CMOS Gilbert vector multipliers using transistors operating in the sub-VT region. They are seen as an interesting alternative to digital implementations with a low transistor count and a potential for a very low power consumption. Analog implementation makes the circuit sensitive to mismatch, requiring careful transistor sizing. A simulation technique combining Monte-Carlo analysis in Spectre with Matlab processing has therefore been used to investigate transistor sizing for an analog (7,5) convolutional decoder. The simulation results indicate that with a tail-biting trellis circle size 14 with transistor size W/L = 1.0µm/0.6µm, the decoder can offer close to maximum coding gain while operating on very low currents when implemented in 65-nm CMOS technology.