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Syllabus

Course Description: VLSI Systems Design
This course provides the methodological and practical skills required for the design of complex digital systems, ranging from theoretical foundations to implementation on programmable logic devices. The program is structured into two integrated modules.

Module 1: Digital Systems and Architectures (7 ECTS)

This module introduces the principles of digital electronics and circuit synthesis methodologies.
Foundations of Digital Electronics: Course introduction; Boolean algebra and expression minimization techniques (SOP canonical forms and Karnaugh maps).
Combinational Logic Circuits: Analysis and design of standard functional blocks (adders, subtractors, comparators, encoders/decoders, multiplexers/demultiplexers, shifters, and multipliers).
Sequential Logic and Digital Systems: Study of memory elements (latches, flip-flops) and design of registers, counters, and Finite State Machines (FSMs). Design considerations and integration of building blocks for digital systems.
Programmable Logic Devices: Overview and architecture of programmable devices (PROM, PLA, PAL, CPLD, and FPGA).

Module 2: VHDL Design and Simulation (2 ECTS)

This module provides the practical tools for hardware description and verification.
VHDL Language: Introduction to the fundamental constructs of the language for digital system modeling.
Simulation and Design: Methodologies for the design and functional verification of digital systems through simulation tools.
Final Project: Development of a digital design project to be presented during the final examination.

updated: 24/04/2024