Course syllabus for Design of digital electronic systems

Course syllabus adopted 2020-02-17 by Head of Programme (or corresponding).

Overview

  • Swedish nameKonstruktion av digitala elektroniksystem
  • CodeDAT094
  • Credits7.5 Credits
  • OwnerMPEES
  • Education cycleSecond-cycle
  • Main field of studyComputer Science and Engineering, Electrical Engineering
  • DepartmentCOMPUTER SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING
  • GradingTH - Pass with distinction (5), Pass with credit (4), Pass (3), Fail

Course round 1

  • Teaching language English
  • Application code 15118
  • Maximum participants48
  • Block schedule
  • Open for exchange studentsNo

Credit distribution

0120 Laboratory 7.5 c
Grading: TH		7.5 c

In programmes

Examiner

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Eligibility

General entry requirements for Master's level (second cycle)
Applicants enrolled in a programme at Chalmers where the course is included in the study programme are exempted from fulfilling the requirements above.

Specific entry requirements

English 6 (or by other approved means with the equivalent proficiency level)
Applicants enrolled in a programme at Chalmers where the course is included in the study programme are exempted from fulfilling the requirements above.

Course specific prerequisites

Basic courses in logic design and electronic circuits. Basic skills in hardware description languages (VHDL or Verilog).

Aim

The course combines an overview of design platforms with in-depth studies of selected topics to give the student practical insights into building advanced embedded electronic systems. The emphasis is on design of digital hardware based on hardware-description languages and similar tools and representations. The abstraction level ranges from designing small-scale combinational and sequential logic to managing data flow between larger modules. Non-functional requirements such as performance are founded at the electronic level.

Learning outcomes (after completion of the course the student should be able to)

- Specify hardware behavior using hierarchical and parameterized descriptions.

- Implement and verify digital parts of electronic systems in FPGAs using hardware description languages (HDLs) and simple design tools such as HDL simulators and synthesizers.

- Discuss how design decisions can affect costs for design, manufacturing, and use of digital electronic systems and components.

- Explain costs, performance, and other significant properties of common technology platforms (FPGA, ASIC, software on off-the-shelf processor, components on PCBs, ...).

- Discuss methods for communication and synchronization between hardware blocks; and choose a suitable method based on capacity and costs. 

Content

The course covers fundamental design aspects of digital electronic systems, with emphasis on modern HDL- and tool-based methods.  It builds on and extends undergraduate-level konowledge and skills.  The content is presented in four main themes:

- Combinational and sequential logic: gate-level and RTL descriptions; finite state machines; hardware description languages (HDLs).

- Hierarchy and arithmetic: instantiation and parameterization; HDL- and script-based parameterization; number representations.

- Non-functional aspects and cost measures: hardware amount / chip area; bandwidth, latency, power; pipelining, iteration bounds; hardware technology alternatives.

- Inter-block communication: buses, handshaking, protocols, metastability; networks-on-chip; FIFO buffers; clock domains.

The lab sessions are based on configurable hardware (FPGA) which is programmed in VHDL and C/C++/SystemC. 

Organisation

The main themes are each built from lectures, exercise sessions, homeworks and compulsory lab sessions.  Lab reports and other submissions are used for grading. 

Literature

VHDL literature is useful for the lab course and for subsequent courses in the EESD program.  We recommend the textbook Dally et al: "Digital Design Using VHDL: a Systems Approach", and the reference book Ashenden: "Designer's Guide to VHDL" (the latter is also available as an E-book at the Chalmers library). Other good VHDL books may also be used.  Research articles and other supplementary material will be made available during the course.

Examination including compulsory elements

Examination and grading is based on completion of compulsory lab sessions and on compulsory and optional submissions in each theme.  A passing grade for each theme is required to pass the course.