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Single-Carrier FDE

Single-Carrier with Frequency Domain Equalization

A power-efficient modulation scheme delivering near-zero Peak-to-Average Power Ratio (PAPR) to maximize battery life and range in Sub-THz transmitters.

Technical Explanation

While multi-carrier OFDM offers flexible scheduling, it suffers from a high Peak-to-Average Power Ratio (PAPR), forcing power amplifiers to back off by 6-10 dB to avoid non-linear distortion. At Sub-THz frequencies where power amplifiers have very poor energy efficiency (<5%), this power back-off cripples transmission range. Single-Carrier Frequency Domain Equalization (SC-FDE) transmits a single carrier with zero PAPR fluctuations, allowing power amplifiers to operate at maximum efficiency while retaining simple FFT-based equalization at the receiver.

Key Functions

  • Extremely low Peak-to-Average Power Ratio (PAPR) maximizing transmitter power efficiency
  • Allowing mobile power amplifiers to operate at full saturation without non-linear clipping
  • Significantly extended transmission range and battery life in Sub-THz smartphones
  • Simple receiver frequency-domain equalization matching OFDM computational complexity
  • Standardized mode for 6G Sub-THz uplink and power-constrained satellite transmitters
Specifications
IEEE Transactions on Microwave Theory and Techniques, 3GPP Rel-19 Sub-THz Study
Interfaces
SCFDE-ModLowPAPR-PHY

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