Intel® Quartus® Prime Standard Edition User Guide: Design Recommendations

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ID 683323
Date 9/24/2018
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Document Table of Contents
Document Table of Contents x
1. Recommended Design Practices 2. Recommended HDL Coding Styles 3. Managing Metastability with the Intel® Quartus® Prime Software A. Intel® Quartus® Prime Standard Edition User Guides
1. Recommended Design Practices x
1.1. Following Synchronous FPGA Design Practices 1.2. HDL Design Guidelines 1.3. Checking Design Violations 1.4. Use Clock and Register-Control Architectural Features 1.5. Implementing Embedded RAM 1.6. Recommended Design Practices Revision History
1.1. Following Synchronous FPGA Design Practices x
1.1.1. Implementing Synchronous Designs 1.1.2. Asynchronous Design Hazards
1.2. HDL Design Guidelines x
1.2.1. Optimizing Combinational Logic 1.2.2. Optimizing Clocking Schemes 1.2.3. Optimizing Physical Implementation and Timing Closure 1.2.4. Optimizing Power Consumption 1.2.5. Managing Design Metastability
1.2.1. Optimizing Combinational Logic x
1.2.1.1. Avoid Combinational Loops 1.2.1.2. Avoid Unintended Latch Inference 1.2.1.3. Avoid Delay Chains in Clock Paths 1.2.1.4. Use Synchronous Pulse Generators
1.2.2. Optimizing Clocking Schemes x
1.2.2.1. Register Combinational Logic Outputs 1.2.2.2. Avoid Asynchronous Clock Division 1.2.2.3. Avoid Ripple Counters 1.2.2.4. Use Multiplexed Clocks 1.2.2.5. Use Gated Clocks 1.2.2.6. Use Synchronous Clock Enables
1.2.2.5. Use Gated Clocks x
1.2.2.5.1. Recommended Clock-Gating Methods
1.2.3. Optimizing Physical Implementation and Timing Closure x
1.2.3.1. Planning Physical Implementation 1.2.3.2. Planning FPGA Resources 1.2.3.3. Optimizing for Timing Closure 1.2.3.4. Optimizing Critical Timing Paths
1.3. Checking Design Violations x
1.3.1. Validating Against Design Rules 1.3.2. Creating Custom Design Rules
1.3.2. Creating Custom Design Rules x
1.3.2.1. Custom Design Rule Examples
1.4. Use Clock and Register-Control Architectural Features x
1.4.1. Use Global Reset Resources 1.4.2. Use Global Clock Network Resources 1.4.3. Use Clock Region Assignments to Optimize Clock Constraints 1.4.4. Avoid Asynchronous Register Control Signals
1.4.1. Use Global Reset Resources x
1.4.1.1. Use Synchronous Resets 1.4.1.2. Using Asynchronous Resets 1.4.1.3. Use Synchronized Asynchronous Reset
1.4.3. Use Clock Region Assignments to Optimize Clock Constraints x
1.4.3.1. Clock Region Assignments in Intel® Arria® 10 and Older Device Families
2. Recommended HDL Coding Styles x
2.1. Using Provided HDL Templates 2.2. Instantiating IP Cores in HDL 2.3. Inferring Multipliers and DSP Functions 2.4. Inferring Memory Functions from HDL Code 2.5. Register and Latch Coding Guidelines 2.6. General Coding Guidelines 2.7. Designing with Low-Level Primitives 2.8. Recommended HDL Coding Styles Revision History
2.1. Using Provided HDL Templates x
2.1.1. Inserting HDL Code from a Provided Template
2.3. Inferring Multipliers and DSP Functions x
2.3.1. Inferring Multipliers 2.3.2. Inferring Multiply-Accumulator and Multiply-Adder Functions
2.4. Inferring Memory Functions from HDL Code x
2.4.1. Inferring RAM functions from HDL Code 2.4.2. Inferring ROM Functions from HDL Code 2.4.3. Inferring Shift Registers in HDL Code
2.4.1. Inferring RAM functions from HDL Code x
2.4.1.1. Use Synchronous Memory Blocks 2.4.1.2. Avoid Unsupported Reset and Control Conditions 2.4.1.3. Check Read-During-Write Behavior 2.4.1.4. Controlling RAM Inference and Implementation 2.4.1.5. Single-Clock Synchronous RAM with Old Data Read-During-Write Behavior 2.4.1.6. Single-Clock Synchronous RAM with New Data Read-During-Write Behavior 2.4.1.7. Simple Dual-Port, Dual-Clock Synchronous RAM 2.4.1.8. True Dual-Port Synchronous RAM 2.4.1.9. Mixed-Width Dual-Port RAM 2.4.1.10. RAM with Byte-Enable Signals 2.4.1.11. Specifying Initial Memory Contents at Power-Up
2.4.3. Inferring Shift Registers in HDL Code x
2.4.3.1. Simple Shift Register 2.4.3.2. Shift Register with Evenly Spaced Taps
2.5. Register and Latch Coding Guidelines x
2.5.1. Register Power-Up Values 2.5.2. Secondary Register Control Signals Such as Clear and Clock Enable 2.5.3. Latches
2.5.1. Register Power-Up Values x
2.5.1.1. Specifying a Power-Up Value
2.5.3. Latches x
2.5.3.1. Avoid Unintentional Latch Generation 2.5.3.2. Inferring Latches Correctly
2.6. General Coding Guidelines x
2.6.1. Tri-State Signals 2.6.2. Clock Multiplexing 2.6.3. Adder Trees 2.6.4. State Machine HDL Guidelines 2.6.5. Multiplexer HDL Guidelines 2.6.6. Cyclic Redundancy Check Functions 2.6.7. Comparator HDL Guidelines 2.6.8. Counter HDL Guidelines
2.6.3. Adder Trees x
2.6.3.1. Architectures with 4-Input LUTs in Logic Elements 2.6.3.2. Architectures with 6-Input LUTs in Adaptive Logic Modules
2.6.4. State Machine HDL Guidelines x
2.6.4.1. Verilog HDL State Machines 2.6.4.2. VHDL State Machines
2.6.4.1. Verilog HDL State Machines x
2.6.4.1.1. Verilog-2001 State Machine Coding Example 2.6.4.1.2. SystemVerilog State Machine Coding Example
2.6.4.2. VHDL State Machines x
2.6.4.2.1. VHDL State Machine Coding Example
2.6.5. Multiplexer HDL Guidelines x
2.6.5.1. Intel® Quartus® Prime Software Option for Multiplexer Restructuring 2.6.5.2. Multiplexer Types 2.6.5.3. Implicit Defaults in IF Statements 2.6.5.4. default or OTHERS CASE Assignment
2.6.5.2. Multiplexer Types x
2.6.5.2.1. Binary Multiplexers 2.6.5.2.2. Selector Multiplexers 2.6.5.2.3. Priority Multiplexers
2.6.6. Cyclic Redundancy Check Functions x
2.6.6.1. If Performance is Important, Optimize for Speed 2.6.6.2. Use Separate CRC Blocks Instead of Cascaded Stages 2.6.6.3. Use Separate CRC Blocks Instead of Allowing Blocks to Merge 2.6.6.4. Take Advantage of Latency if Available 2.6.6.5. Save Power by Disabling CRC Blocks When Not in Use 2.6.6.6. Initialize the Device with the Synchronous Load (sload) Signal
3. Managing Metastability with the Intel® Quartus® Prime Software x
3.1. Metastability Analysis in the Intel® Quartus® Prime Software 3.2. Metastability and MTBF Reporting 3.3. MTBF Optimization 3.4. Reducing Metastability Effects 3.5. Scripting Support 3.6. Managing Metastability 3.7. Managing Metastability with the Intel® Quartus® Prime Software Revision History
3.1. Metastability Analysis in the Intel® Quartus® Prime Software x
3.1.1. Synchronization Register Chains 3.1.2. Identify Synchronizers for Metastability Analysis 3.1.3. How Timing Constraints Affect Synchronizer Identification and Metastability Analysis
3.2. Metastability and MTBF Reporting x
3.2.1. Metastability Reports 3.2.2. Synchronizer Data Toggle Rate in MTBF Calculation
3.2.1. Metastability Reports x
3.2.1.1. MTBF Summary Report 3.2.1.2. Synchronizer Summary Report 3.2.1.3. Synchronizer Chain Statistics Report in the Timing Analyzer
3.2.1.1. MTBF Summary Report x
3.2.1.1.1. Typical and Worst-Case MTBF of Design 3.2.1.1.2. Synchronizer Chains 3.2.1.1.3. Increasing Available Settling Time
3.3. MTBF Optimization x
3.3.1. Synchronization Register Chain Length
3.4. Reducing Metastability Effects x
3.4.1. Apply Complete System-Centric Timing Constraints for the Timing Analyzer 3.4.2. Force the Identification of Synchronization Registers 3.4.3. Set the Synchronizer Data Toggle Rate 3.4.4. Optimize Metastability During Fitting 3.4.5. Increase the Length of Synchronizers to Protect and Optimize 3.4.6. Set Fitter Effort to Standard Fit instead of Auto Fit 3.4.7. Increase the Number of Stages Used in Synchronizers 3.4.8. Select a Faster Speed Grade Device
3.5. Scripting Support x
3.5.1. Identifying Synchronizers for Metastability Analysis 3.5.2. Synchronizer Data Toggle Rate in MTBF Calculation 3.5.3. report_metastability and Tcl Command 3.5.4. MTBF Optimization 3.5.5. Synchronization Register Chain Length
1. Recommended Design Practices
2. Recommended HDL Coding Styles
3. Managing Metastability with the Intel® Quartus® Prime Software
A. Intel® Quartus® Prime Standard Edition User Guides

1.4.2. Use Global Clock Network Resources

Intel FPGAs provide device-wide global clock routing resources and dedicated inputs. Use the FPGA’s low-skew, high fan-out dedicated routing where available.

By assigning a clock input to one of these dedicated clock pins or with an Intel® Quartus® Prime assignment to assign global routing, you can take advantage of the dedicated routing available for clock signals.

In an ASIC design, you must balance the clock delay distributed across the device. Because Intel FPGAs provide device-wide global clock routing resources and dedicated inputs, there is no need to manually balance delays on the clock network.

Limit the number of clocks in the design to the number of dedicated global clock resources available in the FPGA. Clocks feeding multiple locations that do not use global routing may exhibit clock skew across the device leading to timing problems. In addition, generating internal clocks with combinational logic adds delays on the clock path. Delay on a clock line can result in a clock skew greater than the data path length between two registers. If the clock skew is greater than the data delay, you violate the timing parameters of the register (such as hold time requirements) and the design does not function correctly.

FPGAs offer low-skew global routing resources to distribute high fan-out signals. These resources help with the implementation of large designs with multiple clock domains. Many large FPGA devices provide dedicated global clock networks, regional clock networks, and dedicated fast regional clock networks. These clocks are organized into a hierarchical clock structure that allows multiple clocks in each device region with low skew and delay. There are typically several dedicated clock pins to drive either global or regional clock networks, and both PLL outputs and internal clocks can drive various clock networks.

To reduce clock skew in a given clock domain and ensure that hold times are met in that clock domain, assign each clock signal to one of the global high fan-out, low-skew clock networks in the FPGA device. The Intel® Quartus® Prime software automatically assigns global routing resources for high fan-out control signals, PLL outputs, and signals feeding the global clock pins on the device. To direct the software to assign global routing for a signal, turn on the Global Signal option in the Assignment Editor.

Note: Global Signal assignments only controls whether a signal is promoted using the specified dedicated resources or not, but does not control which or how many resources are used.

To take full advantage of the routing resources in a design, make sure that the sources of clock signals (input clock pins or internally-generated clocks) drive only the clock input ports of registers. In older Intel device families, if a clock signal feeds the data ports of a register, the signal may not be able to use dedicated routing, which can lead to decreased performance and clock skew problems. In general, allowing clock signals to drive the data ports of registers is not considered synchronous design and can complicate timing closure.

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