Synthesizing HDL Using Leonardo

Prepared By:

Eng. Hossam El-Sayed Abdel-Fadeel

2011

Goal

• Illustrate How to Synthesis your design using LeonardoSpectrum Tool.

Outlines

• What is Synthesis?

• Basic synthesis process.

• Synthesis Tool flow.

• Synthesis stages.

• Getting Started with LeonardoSpectrum.

What is Synthesis?• Once the design has been entered, it must be synthesized.

• The process of synthesis involves converting the VHDL source files into a netlist.

• A netlist is simply a list of logical elements (things that combine, change, or store digital signals) and a list of connections describing how these elements are wired together.

• A netlist can be platform independent, that is, it can target any architecture from any vendor. (e.g. Mentor LS tool, Synopsys).

• Many development environments provide additional support tools such as Register Transfer Level (RTL) viewers (graphical representations of the source code) and/or netlist viewers (graphical representation of how the source code will be implemented in fabric).

• The Electronic Design Interchange Format (EDIF) is a more widely accepted format.

Basic synthesis process

Initial HDL description(technology independent)

RTL level

Logic level

Gate level

Final HDL description(technology dependent netlist)

Optimization

Optimization

Optimization

ASIC

PLD

Synthesisdirectives

Synthesis Tool flow

HDL Designer

Synplify Pro Leonardo Spectrum

Design

Synthesis

ImplementationTarget ASIC/FPGA Vendor

VHDL code

Netlist

Bitstream

Synthesis stages

High level synthesis

Technology

independent

Technologydependent

Low level synthesis

Compile Map Place & Route Implement

- Code analysis

- Derivation of main

logic constructions

- Technology

independent

optimization

- Creation of “RTL

View”

- Mapping of extracted logic

structures to device

primitives

- Technology dependent

optimization

- Application of “synthesis

constraints”

-Netlist generation

- Creation of “Technology

View”

- Placement of

generated netlist onto

the device

-Choosing best

interconnect structure

for the placed design

-Application of

“physical constraints”

- Bitstream

generation

- Burning device

Synthesis stages

High level synthesis Low level synthesis

Compile Map Place & Route Implement

Synplify Pro

Leonardo Spectrum

Technology

independent

Technologydependent

Getting Started with

Synthesis Wizard Tutorial• The following screens and four steps give you a tour of the

Synthesis Wizard. The steps ask you to apply example choices and to use defaults.– Step 1:Invoking LeonardoSpectrum

– Step 2: Load the technology library

– Step 3 - Input Files: *.vhd

– Step 4 - Global Constraints: *MHz

– Step 5 - Output File and Finish: *.edf (default)

Step 1:Invoking LeonardoSpectrum

• To start, invoke LeonardoSpectrum with Level 3

Main Window at Startup

Main Window at Startup

Main Window

Synthesis Bar

Toolbar

Device Settings

Step 2: Load the technology library

The Quick Setup Task Flow1. Set Technology

2. Set Working Directory

3. Open Design Files

4. Set Clock

5. Set the Optimization Effort

6. Verify the Name and Destination

7. Activate Place and Route8. “Click”

Step 3: Input Files

Set Working Library

Step 4: Global Constraints

Step 5: Output File and Finish