Decision feedback equalization with composite trellis slicer

A decision feedback equalizer system configured to equalize an input signal and to compensate for a phase factor component generated in the system such that an output signal decoded by the system reduces the influence by the phase factor component, the system comprising:

• a linear feed-forward filter circuit configured to provide a linearly filtered output signal based on the input signal, the linearly filtered output signal containing the phase factor component;
• a linear or non-linear feedback filter circuit configured to provide an output feedback filter circuit signal;
• and
• a composite trellis decoder circuit coupled to the linear feed-forward filter circuit, the composite trellis decoder circuit including a state metrics comparator and configured to:
• process a combined signal input into the composite trellis decoder circuit in accordance with state metrics generated by processing a composite trellis diagram relative to the combined signal in the state metrics comparator, the combined signal being based on a combination of at least the linearly filtered output signal and the output feedback filter circuit signal,
• provide a trellis-decoded output signal determined by a state metrics comparator output signal, the state metrics comparator output signal being produced by the state metrics comparator as a result of the processing a composite trellis diagram, wherein the trellis-decoded output signal is supplied as an input to the linear or non-linear feedback filter circuit, and
• generate a particular phase output of the combined signal, determined by the state metrics comparator output signal as the decoded output signal, wherein
• the linear or non-linear feedback filter circuit is coupled to the composite trellis circuit and configured to receive and process the trellis-decoded output signal from the composite trellis circuit, and wherein
• the processing the combined signal input into the composite trellis decoder circuit compensates for the phase factor component present in the linearly filtered output signal.