Digital Predistortion for Multiuser Hybrid MIMO at mmWaves

Efficient mitigation of power amplifier (PA) nonlinear distortion in multi-user hybrid precoding based broadband mmWave systems is an open research problem. In this article, we carry out detailed signal and distortion modeling in broadband multi-user hybrid MIMO systems, with a bank of nonlinear PAs in each subarray, while also take the inevitable crosstalk between the antenna/PA branches into account. Building on the derived models, we adopt and describe an efficient closed-loop (CL) digital predistortion (DPD) solution that utilizes only a single-input DPD unit per transmit chain or subarray, despite crosstalk, providing thus substantial complexity-benefit compared to the state-of-the art multi-dimensional DPD solutions. We show that under spatially correlated multipath propagation, each single-input DPD unit can provide linearization towards every intended user, or more generally, towards all spatial directions where coherent propagation is taking place, and that the adopted CL DPD system is robust against crosstalk. Extensive numerical results building on practical measurement-based mmWave PA models are provided, demonstrating and verifying the excellent linearization performance of the overall DPD system in different evaluation scenarios.