This course provides a comprehensive introduction to VHDL (VHSIC Hardware Description Language), the industry-standard language for designing, simulating, and synthesizing digital hardware. Students will progress from foundational language concepts through practical RTL design techniques, culminating in the synthesis and implementation of complete designs on Altera FPGA hardware using the Quartus Prime design environment.
The course blends lecture modules with lab exercises to reinforce each topic. By the end of the course, students will be able to write synthesizable VHDL for combinational and sequential logic, build hierarchical designs, write simulation test benches, apply IP cores, and understand how VHDL maps to FPGA architecture.
The course is structured to serve system architects who need design literacy, hardware engineers who will write and review RTL code, and software engineers transitioning into FPGA-based embedded development.