Turbo coding for decision feedback equalized magnetic recording channels

Abstract

The application of iterative detection using turbo codes for signal detection in magnetic recording channels has recently become a topic of intense research. Interesting results have been reported for partial response equalized recording channels. This paper investigates the performance of turbo codes on decision feedback equalized (DFE) recording channels. The channel detector used is a soft-in soft-out parallel DFE (PDFE) detector. Simulation results shows a coding gain of more than 3 dB at a bit error rate of 10-6. Further, the error propagation in PDFE has been significantly minimized by the de-interleaver between PDFE and turbo decoder, and it does not influence the overall burst error performance.