Computer hardware description languages—A tutorial

Just as software designers use high level languages (HLL) to express the algorithms in terms of language statements, digital hard-ware designers use hardware description languages (HDL) to describe the system they are designing. Although HDL's were originated as a medium of precise yet concise description of digital hardware, they have found a variety of applications such as generating user manuals, teaching logic design, acting as an input medium for an automatic design system, etc. This tutorial paper introduces HDL's as useful tools for hardware design and documentation. The capabilities and limitations of HDL's are discussed, along with the guidelines to select an HDL. The directions for future work and an extensive bibliography are provided.