National Science Foundation Faculty Courses

DESIGNING MICROELECTRONIC SYSTEMS USING FIELD-PROGRAMMABLE GATE ARRAYS

5-Day Courses for Faculty Enhancement Sponsored by the National Science Foundation

  • Course Description

    These short courses were offered in 1993 and again in 1994 to introduce to faculty new techniques for designing microelectronic systems that can be rapidly prototyped using field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs). These courses were sponsored by the National Science Foundation for U.S. faculty only. The participants designed FPGA-based systems from initial specifications to working implementations thereby exercising all the steps in the design, simulation and testing cycle. Each participant received a "starter kit" containing class notes, reprints, sample completed projects and instructions on how to obtain discounted or donated vendor hardware and software.

    A user group of the participants was formed to facilitate communication of experiences and to share lessons learned.

  • Course Objectives

    Upon completion of this course, the participants should be able to: (1) understand the most educationally significant options in designing microelectronic systems using FPGAs, (2) acquire public-domain and commercial CAD software and educational materials, (3) understand the design process including architectural partitioning, logic design and synthesis using a hardware description language and schematics, simulation, physical placement/routing, functional testing using a rapid-prototyping breadboard, and (4) subsequently develop or refine curricula and materials for other FPGA-related courses.

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