Course objectives: This course is about the design of digital systems using a hardware description language, VHDL. Students will be taught about the building of the individual components of a computer such as ALU, register file, and RAM, and how to put them together in constructing a computer. Students will acquire practical working knowledge of creating digital circuits using commercial Computer-Aided-Design (CAD) tools.

Prerequisites: Minimal knowledge of computer logic design. The students who do not have the background can still take the course, but they should be prepared to spend additional time for learning them using the additional materials provided by the instructor.

Level of the Course: The course is designed for junior or senior undergraduates and first year graduate students.

Text Book: Fundamentals of Digital Logic with VHDL Design, Stephen Brown and Zvonko Vranesic, Mc-Graw-Hill (2nd edition). Book website: http://www.mhhe.com/engcs/electrical/brownvranesic/.

Reference Book: Designers guide to VHDL, Peter J. Ashenden, Morgan Kaufman Publishers.

Course Software: Students should have access to a computer to do the assignments and projects. The computer may be either one's own PC/laptop or a PC in general access laboratory. The student's edition free software from Altera (http://www.altera.com/), Xilinx (http://www.xilinx.com), etc. will be used. A student is free to choose anyone of them. In other words, a student can work on assignments and projects anytime, anywhere, using any useful software and computer.

Selected Topics:

1. Basics of digital design
2. Design of combinational functional blocks (e.g. decoders, multiplexers, adder, multipliers, etc.)
3. Design of sequential functional blocks (e.g. registers, counters, etc.)
4. Design of Memory elements
5. Building simple and pipelined datapaths (ALU, register file and their interconnection paths)
6. Sequencing and control -- hardwired control and microprogrammed control
7. Single-cycle computer, multi-cycle computer, a pipelined computer design