FPGA/SOPC Lab
FPGA/SOPC Lab
Field-Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs)
An FPGA is a semiconductor device consisting of a matrix of reconfigurable digital circuits. Unlike fixed-function Application-Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs) or microcontrollers, the hardware functions can be entirely updated after manufacturing
System-on-a-Programmable-Chip (SOPC)
SOPC technology represents an evolution in embedded systems where an entire processing system—including microprocessors, memory controllers, peripherals, and custom accelerators—is integrated into a single FPGA substrate
Objectives
- Understand the fundamental architecture of Field-Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs) and System-on-a-Programmable-Chip (SOPC)
- Familiarise with Hardware Description Languages (HDLs like Verilog/VHDL) and embedded system configuration tools (e.g., Altera/Intel Platform Designer / SOPC Builder or AMD/Xilinx Vivado IP Integrator).
- Master the standard hardware design flow, including design entry, simulation, synthesis, placing and routing, and bit stream deployment.
- Co-design a functional embedded system pairing hardware acceleration (programmable logic) with a soft-core or hard-core microprocessor.
