Efficient Implementation of Polar Decoder: Design and Performance Analysis

In this paper, we introduce and evaluate two novel methodologies for the efficient implementation of polar decoders. Polar decoders are integral components within contemporary 5G communication systems, specifically for error correction in control channels. Although polar codes offer significant advantages, their implementation often poses computational challenges, potentially impacting latency and throughput. To overcome these challenges, we present two innovative decoder designs: a component code-based approach and a specialized node-based design that identifies distinct bit patterns to mitigate decoding complexity. The 16-bit polar decoder, realized through our proposed designs, is synthesized and precisely simulated using Cadence Suite with TSMC 65nm CMOS process. Our findings highlight remarkable enhancements in latency, area, throughput, and power efficiency, rendering them highly suitable for cutting-edge communication systems. Notably, the specialized node-based decoder emerges as the top performer, exhibiting a minimal latency of 0.989 ns and an impressive throughput of 16.17 Gbps, all while occupying a compact area of 787.68 um² and consuming a power of  0.024 mW. The component code-based decoder also excels with a latency of 1.192 ns, a throughput of 13.42 Gbps, an area footprint of 1292.4 um², and a power consumption of 0.109 mW. These outcomes underscore the viability of our approaches for efficient polar decoding in advanced communication systems. Furthermore, these methodologies hold the potential to be scaled for higher order polar decoders, offering promising avenues for future research and application.