Scribd
Upload
48 views

Carrera de Ingeniería Electrónica Arquitectura de Computadores

This document provides an introduction to VHDL (VHSIC Hardware Description Language). It discusses how digital systems can be implemented using general-purpose hardware with custom software, custom hardware, or a combination. VHDL is introduced as a hardware description language used to formally document, simulate, and synthesize digital circuits. Key aspects of VHDL covered include its ability to capture the concurrent and timing aspects of digital hardware. A brief history of VHDL is given, noting it was standardized by IEEE in 1987 and has been revised several times since.

Uploaded by

Mario Sebastian Rubio Toro
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
48 views

Carrera de Ingeniería Electrónica Arquitectura de Computadores

This document provides an introduction to VHDL (VHSIC Hardware Description Language). It discusses how digital systems can be implemented using general-purpose hardware with custom software, custom hardware, or a combination. VHDL is introduced as a hardware description language used to formally document, simulate, and synthesize digital circuits. Key aspects of VHDL covered include its ability to capture the concurrent and timing aspects of digital hardware. A brief history of VHDL is given, noting it was standardized by IEEE in 1987 and has been revised several times since.

Uploaded by

Mario Sebastian Rubio Toro
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 15

Facultad de Ingeniería

Departamento de Electrónica y Ciencias de la Computación

Carrera de Ingeniería Electrónica


Arquitectura de Computadores

VHDL Intro
Agosto 2013

Tek
VHDL Intro
System Representation (Gajski's Y Diagram)
VHDL Intro
How to implement a digital system

• No two applications are identical and every one needs certain amount
of customisation.

• Basic methods for customisation:


– “General-purpose hardware” with custom software
• General-Purpose Processor: e.g., performance-oriented
processor (e.g., Xeon), cost-oriented processor (e.g., PIC
micro-controller)
• Special purpose processor: with architecture to perform a
specific set of functions: e.g., DSP processor (to do
multiplication-addition), network processor (to do buffering
and routing), “graphic engine” (to do 3D rendering)
– Custom hardware
– Custom software on a custom processor (known as hardware-software co-
design)

• Trade-off between Programmability, Coverage, Cost, Performance, and


Power consumption

• A complex application contains many different tasks and use more than
one customisation methods
VHDL Intro
Efficiency versus Flexibility
VHDL Intro
Cost Comparison of Three Viable Technologies
VHDL Intro
Summary of Technology
VHDL Intro
Development Flow
VHDL Intro
Traditional Programming Language

• Modelled after a sequential process

– Operations performed in a sequential order


– Help human's thinking process to develop an algorithm step by step
– Resemble the operation of a basic computer model
VHDL Intro
Hardware Description Language

• Characteristics of digital hardware


– Connections of parts
– Concurrent operations
– Concept of propagation delay and timing

• Characteristics cannot be captured by traditional Pls

• Require new languages: HDL


VHDL Intro
Use of an HDL program

• Formal documentation

• Input to a simulator

• Input to a synthesiser
VHDL Intro
Modern HDL

• Capture characteristics of a digital circuit:


– entity
– connectivity
– concurrency
– timing

• Cover description
– at Gate level and RT level
– in structural view and behavioural view
VHDL Intro
Two HDLs used today

• VHDL and Verilog

• Syntax and “appearance” of the two languages are very


different

• Capabilities and scopes are quite similar

• Both are industrial standards and are supported by most


EDA vendors:

– VHDL: IEEE-1076-1987 IEEE-1076-2008

– Verilog: IEEE-1364-1995 IEEE-1364-2005


VHDL Intro
VHDL

• VHDL: VHSIC (Very High Speed Integrated Circuit) HDL


– Initially sponsored by DoD as a hardware
documentation standard in early 80s
– Transferred to IEEE and ratified it as IEEE standard
1076 in 1987 (known as VHDL-87)
•

• Revised continuously:
– 1076-1993. Major revision.
– 1076-2000. Add mutual exclusion semantics to the
shared variable feature in VHDL.
– 1076-2002. Syntax, vocabulary and semantics for
describing electronic systems.
– 1076-2008. Address design verification methodologies
that have developed in industry.
VHDL Intro
VHDL

• Current Extensions:
– 1076.1-2007. IEEE Standard VHDL Analog and Mixed-Signal
Extensions. (VHDL-AMS).
– 1076.4-2000. IEEE Standard VITAL (VHDL Initiative Towards
ASIC Libraries) ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit)
Modeling Specification.
– 1076.6-2004. IEEE Standard for VHDL Register Transfer Level
(RTL) Synthesis.

• Not longer endorsed by IEEE


– 1076.2 VHDL Mathematical Packages
– 1076.3 Synthesis Packages
– 1076.5 Standard VHDL Language Utility Library
– 1164 Multivalue Logic System for VHDL Model
Interoperability
– 1029 VHDL Waveform and Vector Exchange to Support
Design and Test Verification (WAVES)
Further Reading
• CHU, Pong P. RTL Hardware Design Using VHDL – Coding for
Efficiency, Portability, and Scalability. IEEE – John Wiley &
Sons, Inc., 2006. Chapter 1.

You might also like