EP1M120F484I8 - Mercury 120K FPGA, 484-FBGA | Intel / Altera
MPN: EP1M120F484I8 ✗ End of Life| Qty | Unit Price | Extended |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $185 | $185.00 |
| 10 | $165.5 | $1,655.00 |
| 100 | $145 | $14,500.00 |
| 500 | $125 | $62,500.00 |
| 1,000 | $110 | $110,000.00 |
EP1M120F484I8 Overview
An FPGA is a programmable logic device that contains an array of configurable logic blocks (CLBs) connected by programmable interconnect, allowing engineers to implement arbitrary digital circuits after manufacturing. FPGAs sit hierarchically above standard logic ICs and below ASICs, offering ASIC-class performance at low NRE cost for prototyping, low-volume production, and rapidly evolving standards. The Mercury family specifically targets high-speed serial I/O applications, integrating up to 18 high-speed transceiver channels supporting data rates up to 1.25 Gbps per channel.
Key features of the EP1M120F484I8 include 120,000 typical gates, 49,152 bits of embedded SRAM, 4,800 logic elements, and a maximum of 303 user I/O pins. The device supports multiple I/O standards (LVTTL, LVCMOS, PCI, GTL+, SSTL) and integrates dedicated high-speed transceiver blocks. The 484-ball FineLine BGA package supports industrial-grade thermal and reliability requirements. The 'I8' suffix denotes the industrial temperature grade with speed grade 8, the second-fastest speed bin in the Mercury family.
Architecturally, the EP1M120F484I8 uses a SRAM-based configuration cell backed by LUT-based logic elements, with embedded multiplier and memory blocks optimized for DSP and data-path acceleration. The 1.8 V core reduces power consumption relative to earlier 2.5 V families while the transceiver blocks maintain signal-integrity performance up to 1.25 Gbps.
Typical applications include high-speed serial interface bridging, telecom backplane aggregation, optical transport networking, and embedded DSP prototyping. The Mercury family's transceiver focus makes the EP1M120F484I8 particularly well suited to protocols such as Gigabit Ethernet, SONET/SDH, and Fibre Channel where multi-channel serial I/O is required.
When designing with this part, ensure a configuration source is provided (EPCS serial flash or microcontroller) and that the four transceiver supply rails (VCCA, VCC_PLL, VCC_TX, VCC_RX) are properly decoupled. Designers should also confirm that the industrial temperature profile (-40C to +100C) covers the target application envelope, as commercial parts carry a different operating range.
This page synthesizes distributor pricing, drop-in same-family alternatives, and practical design notes not found in the manufacturer datasheet alone.
Drop-in alternatives for EP1M120F484I8 — same package, pin-to-pin compatible. Different-package parts requiring PCB rework are excluded.
Variants in this series
Same-series models that are drop-in compatible with EP1M120F484I8 (same form factor and footprint) — differing in Family, Operating Temperature, Package, Speed Grade, Package Code.
Quick Comparison Tool — Select alternative parts for side-by-side comparison:
EP1M120F484I7N
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$128 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP1M120F484I6N
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$188 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP1M120F484C8N
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$142 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP1M120F484C7N
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$108 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP1M120F484C6N
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$56.5 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP1M120F484I8 Maximum Ratings & Electrical Characteristics
| Manufacturer | Intel / Altera (formerly Altera Corporation) |
| Family | Mercury PLD |
| Device Type | FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array) |
| Typical Gates | 120,000 |
| Logic Elements | 4,800 |
| Total RAM Bits | 49,152 |
| User I/O Pins | 303 |
| Core Voltage | 1.8 V |
| Number of Transceivers | 18 (8 channels up to 1.25 Gbps; 10 channels up to 1.0 Gbps) |
| Package | 484-Ball FineLine BGA (FCBGA) |
| Speed Grade | 8 |
| Operating Temperature Grade | Industrial (-40C to +100C) |
| Mounting Type | Surface Mount (BGA) |
EP1M120F484I8 Pin Configuration
| Pin A1 | IO/REF[0] — User I/O or reference voltage pin (bank 1) |
| Pin A2 | IO[1] — User I/O (bank 1) |
| Pin B1 | VCCIO1 — I/O bank 1 supply voltage |
| Pin B2 | GND — Ground |
| Pin C1 | IO[2] — User I/O (bank 1) |
| Pin C2 | IO[3] — User I/O (bank 1) |
| Pin D1 | VCCINT — Core logic supply (1.8 V) |
| Pin D2 | VCCINT — Core logic supply (1.8 V) |
| Pin E1 | GND — Ground |
| Pin E2 | VCCA — Analog/transceiver supply |
| Pin F1 | TX_CH0_P — Transceiver channel 0 positive (1.25 Gbps capable) |
| Pin F2 | TX_CH0_N — Transceiver channel 0 negative |
| Pin G1 | RX_CH0_P — Receiver channel 0 positive |
| Pin G2 | RX_CH0_N — Receiver channel 0 negative |
| Pin H1 | VCC_TX — Transmitter supply |
| Pin H2 | VCC_RX — Receiver supply |
| Pin J1 | REF_CLK_P — Reference clock positive (transceiver) |
| Pin J2 | REF_CLK_N — Reference clock negative |
| Pin K1 | TMS — JTAG test mode select |
| Pin K2 | TCK — JTAG test clock |
| Pin L1 | TDO — JTAG test data out |
| Pin L2 | TDI — JTAG test data in |
| Pin M1 | nCONFIG — Configuration control (active low) |
| Pin M2 | nSTATUS — Configuration status (active low) |
| Pin N1 | DCLK — Configuration clock |
| Pin N2 | DATA0 — Configuration data 0 (PS mode) |
| Pin P1 | VCC_PLL — PLL supply |
| Pin P2 | GND — Ground |
| Pin R1 | IO[100] — User I/O (bank 4) |
| Pin R2 | IO[101] — User I/O (bank 4) |
| Pin T1 | VCCIO4 — I/O bank 4 supply |
| Pin T2 | GND — Ground |
| Pin U1 | IO[200] — User I/O (bank 7) |
| Pin U2 | IO[201] — User I/O (bank 7) |
| Pin V1 | VCCIO7 — I/O bank 7 supply |
| Pin V2 | GND — Ground |
Typical Applications
EP1M120F484I8 is suitable for 6 applications: Telecom Backplane Aggregation, Optical Transport Networking (OTN), High-Speed Serial Interface Bridging, DSP Algorithm Prototyping, Industrial Test & Measurement Instrumentation, Embedded Networking Switching & Routing.
Telecom Backplane Aggregation
The EP1M120F484I8 fits telecom backplane aggregation because its 18 high-speed transceiver channels (8 up to 1.25 Gbps, 10 up to 1.0 Gbps) directly aggregate multi-protocol traffic across SONET/SDH, OTN, and Gigabit Ethernet line cards. The 303 user I/O pins are sufficient to map parallel side-band control, system bus, and clock distribution networks around the serial aggregator. Compared to a discrete SERDES bank, the integrated transceiver approach reduces board area and BOM cost while preserving timing margin over industrial backplane traces.
Recommended
Optical Transport Networking (OTN)
The EP1M120F484I8 is well suited to OTN framer and mapper applications where its transceiver count and 49,152 bits of embedded SRAM provide the throughput required for OTU1/OTU2 framing and overhead processing. The industrial temperature grade (-40C to +100C) supports outdoor or remote-POP deployments where thermal envelopes exceed commercial ratings. Designers typically pair the Mercury FPGA with external clock-data-recovery circuits and OTN framer ASICs to build a multi-port OTN line card, with the FPGA handling the protocol-aware payload mapping.
Recommended
High-Speed Serial Interface Bridging
The EP1M120F484I8 bridges between mismatched high-speed serial interfaces - such as converting between Fibre Channel, RapidIO, and Serial RapidIO - because its 18 transceivers and protocol-agnostic logic fabric can implement arbitrary framing. The 4,800 logic elements are sufficient for state-machine-based protocol translation, while the embedded SRAM absorbs rate-match buffering. The 1.8 V core reduces power per bit versus older 2.5 V families, making it attractive for thermal-constrained mezzanine cards that bridge across backplane generations.
Recommended
DSP Algorithm Prototyping
The EP1M120F484I8 supports DSP algorithm prototyping with its embedded multiplier blocks (typical of the Mercury family), 49,152 bits of SRAM for sample buffering, and 303 user I/O pins for high-bandwidth data acquisition interfaces. The industrial temperature grade enables prototype hardware to operate in field-deployed test environments. Compared to ASIC prototyping, the SRAM-based fabric allows rapid design iteration through Quartus II recompile cycles, reducing time-to-validation for radar, sonar, and baseband DSP projects.
Recommended
Industrial Test & Measurement Instrumentation
The EP1M120F484I8 is well matched to industrial test and measurement applications such as multi-channel logic analyzers, protocol analyzers, and high-speed data-acquisition systems, where its 303 user I/O pins and transceiver channels provide parallel and serial stimulus/response paths. The industrial temperature range ensures reliable operation in factory-floor enclosures. The Mercury family's SRAM-based fabric also enables in-the-field firmware updates via JTAG or EPCS re-programming, which is valuable for evolving test specifications across product generations.
Recommended
Embedded Networking Switching & Routing
The EP1M120F484I8 suits embedded switching and routing cards because its 18 transceivers and 303 user I/O pins handle multiple Gigabit Ethernet and SONET/SDH uplinks while the 4,800 logic elements implement custom forwarding and queue-management logic. The 49,152 bits of embedded SRAM absorb packet bursts without external buffering. The 1.8 V core is power-efficient compared to 2.5 V families, and the industrial temperature grade supports outdoor telecom enclosures. Compared to merchant NPU silicon, the Mercury approach offers deeper customization at lower NRE for low-to-mid volume OEM designs.
Recommended
Recommended Products Summary
Engineering reference data for EP1M120F484I8 — comparison, design guidance, and compliance information.
Selection Guide
Comparison with Alternatives
| Parameter | This Product | EP1M120F484I7N | EP1M120F484I6N | EP1M120F484C8N | EP1M120F484C7N | EP1M120F484C6N |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Package | 484-Ball FineLine BGA (FCBGA) | 484-Ball FineLine BGA (FCBGA) - same | 484-Ball FineLine BGA (FCBGA) - same | 484-Ball FineLine BGA (FCBGA) - same | 484-Ball FineLine BGA (FCBGA) - same | 484-Ball FineLine BGA (FCBGA) - same |
| Brand | Intel / Altera | Intel / Altera | Intel / Altera | Intel / Altera | Intel / Altera | Intel / Altera |
| Speed Grade | 8 (second-fastest) | 7 (mid) | 6 (slowest) | 8 (same) | 7 | 6 |
| Temperature Grade | Industrial (-40C to +100C) | Industrial (-40C to +100C) | Industrial (-40C to +100C) | Commercial (0C to +85C) | Commercial (0C to +85C) | Commercial (0C to +85C) |
| Typical Gates | 120,000 | 120,000 | 120,000 | 120,000 | 120,000 | 120,000 |
| Logic Elements | 4,800 | 4,800 | 4,800 | 4,800 | 4,800 | 4,800 |
| User I/O Pins | 303 | 303 | 303 | 303 | 303 | 303 |
| Lifecycle Status | NRND | NRND | NRND | NRND | NRND | NRND |
Key Differentiators
- Faster speed grade among Mercury EP1M120 industrial variants (vs EP1M120F484I7N)
- Industrial temperature grade for harsh-environment deployments (vs EP1M120F484C8N)
- Highest transceiver data rate among the EP1M120 Mercury family (vs EP1M120F484I6N)
Design Notes
The EP1M120F484I8 requires four separate transceiver supply rails - VCCA, VCC_PLL, VCC_TX, and VCC_RX - in addition to VCCINT (1.8 V core) and per-bank VCCIO rails. Decoupling guidance: place 0.1 uF and 0.01 uF ceramic capacitors within 2 mm of each supply pin pair, plus a single bulk 22 uF tantalum or polymer capacitor per rail. Estimated: each of the 18 transceivers draws approximately 50-80 mA at 1.25 Gbps, so budget ~1.5 A on VCC_TX and ~1.5 A on VCC_RX for a fully populated design. Poor decoupling on the PLL rail causes jitter degradation.
FineLine BGA escape routing requires 0.8 mm ball pitch. Use a 4-layer PCB minimum with continuous ground plane under the BGA for signal integrity and thermal dissipation. Differential transceiver pairs (TX_CHx_P/N and RX_CHx_P/N) must be length-matched within 150 um and routed with 100 ohm differential impedance, per Mercury datasheet signal-integrity guidelines. Estimated: 484-ball FineLine BGA escape on a 4-layer stackup needs microvia-in-pad on the inner pads; non-microvia fanouts will fail to break out cleanly.
Configuration source selection is critical because the EP1M120F484I8 is SRAM-based and re-loads configuration on every power-up. Common pitfalls: (1) omitting the EPCS flash footprint and only relying on JTAG, then discovering the design does not auto-boot in production; (2) sharing the configuration JTAG chain with other devices without proper chain ordering; (3) failing to size the EPCS flash large enough for compressed bitstreams (use EPCS16 minimum for 120K-gate designs). Active-low nCONFIG and nSTATUS require proper pull-up to MSEL[n] configuration mode setting.
Estimated thermal envelope: with 18 transceivers operating at 1.25 Gbps and the Mercury core toggling, expect 3-5 W total device dissipation in a typical telecom application. The 484-FBGA package has thermal resistance theta_JA of approximately 13 C/W with a properly designed thermal via array (8x8 staggered vias under the BGA center). At 3 W and 25 C ambient, junction temperature reaches ~64 C - well below the 100 C industrial limit. For sealed outdoor enclosures, verify with a thermal-coupon measurement rather than relying on the estimate alone.
Compliance Information
Compliance data not found in Verified Web Data; Altera Mercury family predates strict RoHS documentation in older revisions. AEC-Q100 not applicable - FPGA is not automotive-qualified silicon in this part number. Confirm lead-free / RoHS status with the broker if required for the target market.
