OFDM Basics for

Wireless
Communications

Institute of
Microelectronic
Systems

Darmstadt
University of
Technology

Single Carrier vs. Multicarrier

Single Carrier

Data
bits

Data
bits

Noise

MOD
MOD

TX
TX
Filter
Filter

e.g., QAM

h(t,
h(t,))

RX
RX
Filter
Filter

DEMOD
DEMOD

Wireless Channel

Multicarrier
Data
bits
1

MOD
MOD

TX
TX
Filter
Filter

Noise

MOD
MOD

TX
TX
Filter
Filter

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RX
RX
Filter
Filter

DEMOD
DEMOD

RX
RX
Filter
Filter

DEMOD
DEMOD

Data
bits

h(t,
h(t,))

Wireless Channel

L.D. Kabulepa

Multicarrier Transmission

Basic principle:
Split the transmision bandwidth
into many narrow subchannels
which are transmitted in parallel

FSC

| h()

(Ideally) Each subchannel is

narrow enough so that it
experiences a flat fading
although the overall radio
propagation environment is
frequency-selective.

Tsymb, SC

f
FSC

F= N

Multicarrier
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|2

| h(f) |2

The time dispersion effects

are less significant as the
symbol duration increases

Single Carrier (SC)

| h(f) |2

t
TS = N Tsymb, SC

L.D. Kabulepa

Benefit of Multicarrier Transmission

The multicarrier transmission allows to achieve high data rate
in frequency-selective radio propagation environment
By assuming the same data rate:
Single-Carrier

1
Tsymb,SC

> BC

Distortion, interference (ISI)

Large amount of signal processing

required in the equalizer
Multicarrier

1
N Tsymb,SC
(BC = Coherence bandwidth)
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< BC

No interference

- Data rate can be increased by using

a larger number of subcarriers
- Less equalization effort (as ISI is reduced
by a factor N)
L.D. Kabulepa
4

Benefit of Multicarrier Transmission: Example

A data rate of 10 Mbit/s is targeted in a multipath radio environment by
using the BPSK modulation. Maximum spread delay = 5 s
5 Mbit/s with BPSK

Bandwidth = 5 MHz

Single Carrier Scenario

Tsymb,SC = 0.2 s

max = 25 Tsymb,SC

Intersymbol-Interference (ISI) is extended over 25 symbols

Multicarrier Scenario
Number of subcarriers: 128

Symbol duration = N Tsymb,SC

ISI significantly reduced

VLSI_Comms WS03-04/Generalities

max = 0.039 NTsymb,SC

L.D. Kabulepa

Orthogonal Multicarrier

Frequency

Orthogonality between the sub

-carriers allows their overlapping
while disabling the occurrence of
crosstalks.
Thus, a significant power saving
can be achieved by using an
orthogonal multicarrier technique

Bandwidth saving

Frequency

VLSI_Comms WS03-04/Generalities

L.D. Kabulepa

Orthogonal Multicarrier (contd)

The orthogonality between the subcarriers can be achieved by letting the
transmit filters gi(t) and the receive filters ri(t) fulfill the following conditions
(i {1, ... , N})
1. Matched filter condition

ri (t ) = K g i (T0 t )
2. Convolution condition

c j,n (t = 0 ) =

g j ( ) h n (t ) d

1 ,
= g j ( ) g (t ) d = j,n =
=
0 ,
+

j=n
j n

(Assumption: Perfect synchronization, T0 = 0, K = 1)

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L.D. Kabulepa

Conventional OFDM
OFDM = Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing
In a conventional OFDM system, the orthogonality between the subcarriers
is achieved by means of the discrete Fourier transform (DFT)
Baseband OFDM signal

N 1

s(t) = a k

j2 k f t

k =0

Passband OFDM signal

N 1
s(t) = Re a k
k =0

j2 (f C + k f ) t

,0 t T

,0 t T

ak = complex-valued modulated symbols (e.g., QAM)

N = number of subcarriers
fC = carrier frequency
Ts = sampling period, f = subcarrier spacing
f
The inverse DFT is used at the transmitter side
VLSI_Comms WS03-04/Generalities

1
1
= =
T N TS
L.D. Kabulepa

Conventional OFDM(contd)
1 subcarrier

6 subcarriers

The receiver is expected to compute the spectra values at those points

corresponding to the maxima of individual subcarriers
As a maximum of a subcarrier corresponds to zeros of other subcarrier,
each subcarrier can demolutated independently of the others (by assuming
a perfect synchronization)
VLSI_Comms WS03-04/Generalities

L.D. Kabulepa

Impact of a Wireless Channel

i-1

i+1

i+2

OFDM Symbol OFDM Symbol OFDM Symbol OFDM Symbol

t
Channel Power
Delay Profile

|h()|2
Interference

Symbol (i-1)

Symbol (i)

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10

L.D. Kabulepa

Cyclic Extension
Cyclic Extension

i-1
G OFDM Symbol

i+1

OFDM Symbol

OFDM Symbol

t
Channel Power
Delay Profile

|h()|2

Symbol (i-1)

Symbol (i)

Tg
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Interference induced by
the channel are canceled
by inserting a cylic extension
with Tg > max
(at the expense of the data
Rate)

T
11

L.D. Kabulepa

Circular Convolution
In the presence of interference induced by the channel

DFT {h(k) s(k)}N DFT{h(k)}N DFT{s(k)}N

The cyclic extension (with Tg > max) allows to apply the circular
convolution

DFT {h(k)
s(k)}N = DFT{h(k)}N
DFT{s(k)}N

= Circular Convolution
This property allows the use of a simple equalization scheme in the
receiver
between transmitted
y(n) = H(n) y(n) Relationship

and detected symbol
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12

L.D. Kabulepa

OFDM Transceiver
sk
sk

P/S

IDFT

xk

S/P

Transmitter

Transmit
Transmit
Filter
Filter

Channel
Multipath
Propagation
Environment

Receiver

+
S/P

DFT

Remove CP

P/S

yn

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AWGN

Receive
Receive
Filter
Filter

rk

13

L.D. Kabulepa

OFDM Drawbacks
1. High sensitivity to synchronization errors
Synchronization errors Interference, loss of orthogonality
Frequency

= 2 fC t

Timing Errors
FFT Window

Time

f (t t )

F (f ) e

j 2 f t

f f

Frequency Offset Errors

Frequency

fC
FFT Window
f f

Frequency

Time

f (t ) e

j 2 t f f

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f-1

f0

F (f ) (f f f )
14

f1

f2

L.D. Kabulepa

OFDM Drawbacks(contd)
2. Occurrence of very high peak values
Amplitude

Peak amplitude
RMS amplitude

time

CR =

Peak amplitude
RMS amplitude

CR: Crest Factor

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PAPR = CR2 =

A reduction of
the PAPR is highly
desirable. The higher
the PAPR, the lower
The efficiency of circuits
such as power amplifiers
and analog-to-digital
converters

Peak power
Average power

PAPR: Peak-to-Average Power Ratio

15

L.D. Kabulepa

OFDM Drawbacks(contd)
DLC
DLC
(MAC)
(MAC)

Append
Cyclic
Prefix

Tx
TxAnalog
Analog
Append
Preambles

Scrambling
Encoding
Interleaving

S/P

Mapping

InterInterpolation
polation

MPX
MPX

Shaping
Shaping
Filter
Filter

IFFT

P/S

DAC
DAC

Nonlinear effects generated

by the power amplifier
may introduce intercarrierinterfrence and thus destroy
the orthogonality

DAC
DAC
I/Q
I/Q
Mod.
Mod.
DAC
DAC

PA
LO1

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16

Transmit
Filter

LO2

L.D. Kabulepa