List decode circuits

A device, comprising:

• first and second polynomial evaluation circuits to respectively evaluate first and second polynomial outputs from a Berlekamp-Massey algorithm for a plurality of values in a finite field in parallel, each of the plurality of values in the finite field corresponding to a possible error location in an error correction codeword;
• a field division circuit to generate a plurality of speculative discrepancy values for an additional iteration of the Berlekamp-Massey algorithm based on the evaluations of the first and second polynomial outputs;
• a discrepancy filter circuit to identify, as potentially valid discrepancy values, speculative discrepancy values that occur in the generated plurality of speculative discrepancy values a quantity of times equal to a quantity of correctable errors in the error correction codeword;
• a queuing circuit to:
• pass a first potentially valid discrepancy value to an enhanced error locator polynomial (ELP) circuit;
• and
• place remaining potentially valid discrepancy values in a queue with an assigned pipeline state;
• and
• the enhanced ELP circuit to generate an enhanced ELP using the potentially valid discrepancy values and the first and second polynomial outputs.

A device, comprising:

• first and second polynomial evaluation circuits to respectively evaluate first and second polynomial outputs from a Berlekamp-Massey algorithm for a plurality of values in a finite field in parallel, each of the plurality of values in the finite field corresponding to a possible error location in an error correction codeword;
• a field division circuit to generate a plurality of speculative discrepancy values for an additional iteration of the Berlekamp-Massey algorithm based on the evaluations of the first and second polynomial outputs;
• a discrepancy filter circuit to identify, as potentially valid discrepancy values, speculative discrepancy values that occur in the generated plurality of speculative discrepancy values a quantity of times equal to a quantity of correctable errors in the error correction codeword;
• an enhanced error locator polynomial (ELP) circuit, comprising:
• an enhanced ELP generation circuit to generate an enhanced ELP using the potentially valid discrepancy values and the first and second polynomial outputs in the additional iteration of the Berlekamp-Massey algorithm;
• and
• a selection circuit to select either the first polynomial evaluation output from the Berlekamp-Massey algorithm or the generated enhanced ELP for use in locating and correcting the errors in the error correction codeword.