Efficient decoder for perfect space-time codes

Perfect space-time block code (STBC) is one of the most excellent space-time codes (STC). An equivalent vertical Bell Laboratories layered space-time (V-BLAST) decoding model is proposed for perfect STBC decoding in this paper. Then, the decoder of minimum mean-square error decision feedback equalizer (MMSE-DFE) Fano-search (abbreviated as "MMSE-DFE-Fano"), which is regarded as one of the most efficient decoding schemes available for STC decoding, is simply modified by unbiased extending and by boundary controlling: Simulation results show that the modified decoder approaches maximum-likelihood (ML) decoding performance with considerably reduced complexity. Compared with "MMSE-DFE-Fano" decoder, the proposed decoder obtains about 2 dB gains with almost no complexity increase at a wide range of signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). In addition, the proposed decoder is robust to any antenna configurations and to arbitrary modulation constellations. With such efficient decoder, perfect STBC is a promising scheme for broadband data transmission over wireless channels.