EP1SGX25DF1020C6ES - Stratix GX FPGA, 25K LE, FBGA-1020 | Altera
MPN: EP1SGX25DF1020C6ES ⚠ Last Time Buy| Qty | Unit Price | Extended |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $425 | $425.00 |
| 10 | $395 | $3,950.00 |
| 100 | $350 | $35,000.00 |
| 500 | $310 | $155,000.00 |
| 1,000 | $285 | $285,000.00 |
EP1SGX25DF1020C6ES Overview
An FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array) is a semiconductor integrated circuit whose logic, interconnect, and I/O behavior are defined by a user-supplied configuration bitstream rather than hard-wired mask layers. FPGAs sit within the broader hierarchy of programmable logic devices (PLDs) alongside CPLDs and are widely used for parallel processing, high-speed serial interfaces, and prototyping of ASIC designs before tape-out. The Stratix GX family specifically targets applications requiring embedded multi-gigabit transceivers, making it a power-management IC-adjacent building block in the broader system-on-chip design ecosystem.
Key features of the EP1SGX25DF1020C6ES include up to 25,660 logic elements, embedded transceiver channels suitable for gigabit serial links, dedicated RAM blocks, DSP blocks for hardware-accelerated arithmetic, and a PLL-rich clock management network. The device supports configuration via passive serial, passive parallel, and JTAG modes, and is compatible with the Quartus II design toolchain. Its 1020-ball FBGA package provides the routing density required to escape the high I/O count while supporting modern PCB stack-ups.
Architecturally, the EP1SGX25DF1020C6ES integrates Logic Array Blocks (LABs), Embedded Memory Blocks (M512, M4K, M-RAM), Digital Signal Processing (DSP) blocks, PLLs, and multi-gigabit transceivers on a single die. The 130 nm process delivers a balance of logic density, speed, and power consumption that was industry-leading for high-end FPGAs at time of introduction. The embedded transceivers support common serial protocols at multi-gigabit rates, while DSP blocks enable efficient implementation of filters and transforms.
Typical applications include telecommunications backhaul and baseband processing, high-speed serial interface bridging (PCI Express, Serial RapidIO, Gigabit Ethernet), ASIC prototyping, broadcast video processing, and high-performance DSP pipelines such as radar and imaging. The Stratix GX family is also deployed in test and measurement equipment where parallel processing and high I/O bandwidth are required.
When designing with this device, engineers should follow Altera's recommended decoupling strategy, ensure adequate PCB layer count (typically 8+ layers) for BGA escape, and respect the JTAG configuration timing requirements. Thermal management via airflow or heatsink attachment is essential because the FBGA package's exposed pad requires thermal vias to inner copper planes for heat extraction.
This page synthesizes distributor pricing, drop-in same-package alternatives drawn from the Stratix GX family, and practical design considerations not consolidated in the manufacturer datasheet itself.
Drop-in alternatives for EP1SGX25DF1020C6ES — 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 EP1SGX25DF1020C6ES (same form factor and footprint) — differing in Package Type, Operating Temperature, Speed Grade, Package, RoHS Status.
Quick Comparison Tool — Select alternative parts for side-by-side comparison:
EP1SGX25DF1020C6
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$289 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP1SGX25DF1020C6BN
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$290 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP1SGX25DF1020C6B
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$175 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP1SGX25DF1020C5
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$1720 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP1SGX25DF1020C5N
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$650 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP1SGX25DF1020C5ES
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$171 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP1SGX25DF1020C6ES Maximum Ratings & Electrical Characteristics
| Family | Stratix GX |
| Logic Elements | 25660 cells |
| Configurable Logic Blocks (CLBs) | 2566 |
| Maximum User I/Os | 607 |
| Number of LABs/CLBs | 2566 |
| Operating Temperature | 0 C to 85 C |
| Supply Voltage (Core) | 1.5 V |
| Process Technology | 130 nm CMOS |
| Logic Family | CMOS |
| Package | FBGA-1020, 33 mm × 33 mm, 1.00 mm pitch |
| Mounting Type | Surface Mount |
| Lead-Free | Yes |
| Configuration Interface | JTAG / Passive Serial / Passive Parallel |
| Embedded Transceivers | Yes (multi-gigabit) |
| DSP Blocks | Yes |
EP1SGX25DF1020C6ES fbga-1020, 33 mm × 33 mm, 1.00 mm pitch Pin Configuration Guide
Pin configuration for EP1SGX25DF1020C6ES (fbga-1020, 33 mm × 33 mm, 1.00 mm pitch package). This digital IC includes GPIO, communication interfaces (UART, SPI, I2C), and power pins. Refer to the manufacturer datasheet for alternate pin functions and configuration options. Essential for embedded system design and PCB layout.
No detailed pinout data available for EP1SGX25DF1020C6ES.
Refer to the datasheet for full pin configuration.
Typical Applications
EP1SGX25DF1020C6ES is suitable for 6 applications: Telecommunications Backhaul, High-Speed Serial Interface Bridging, ASIC Prototyping and Emulation, Broadcast Video Processing, Test and Measurement Equipment, High-Performance DSP / Radar Pipeline.
Telecommunications Backhaul
The EP1SGX25DF1020C6ES fits telecom backhaul line cards because its 25,660 logic cells and embedded multi-gigabit transceivers deliver the parallel-processing throughput required for packet classification, traffic shaping, and SERDES bridging. Its 1.5 V core and 607 user I/Os expose enough SERDES channels for 4–8 lanes of Gigabit Ethernet or CPRI links to baseband units. Placed on a backhaul blade alongside external PHYs, it can sustain line-rate forwarding while the DSP blocks accelerate hashing and CRC operations. Compared with newer 28 nm Stratix V parts, the 130 nm Stratix GX consumes more power per LE, so engineers must budget thermal headroom carefully.
Recommended
High-Speed Serial Interface Bridging
The EP1SGX25DF1020C6ES targets PCI Express, Serial RapidIO, and XAUI bridge applications where the embedded multi-gigabit transceivers serialize and deserialize high-speed lanes without external PHYs. Its 25,660 logic cells provide sufficient fabric to implement protocol state machines, link-training logic, and application-layer packet processing in a single device. Deployed between a host ASIC and a backplane, it acts as a protocol-translating bridge while the DSP blocks handle lane deskew. This single-chip integration lowers BOM cost versus a two-chip (SERDES + bridge FPGA) solution common in the Stratix GX generation.
Recommended
ASIC Prototyping and Emulation
The EP1SGX25DF1020C6ES is well-matched to ASIC prototyping and pre-silicon validation because its 25,660 logic cells deliver enough capacity to map mid-complexity ASIC RTL while the abundant user I/Os (up to 607) and embedded transceivers expose the full ASIC I/O boundary at speed. Its Quartus II toolchain supports gate-level and RTL synthesis, enabling full-chip bring-up before committing to mask sets. Used in prototype platforms, it shortens verification cycles by allowing software teams to develop against the real ASIC I/O protocol weeks before silicon returns. Multiple EP1SGX25 devices can be tiled on a multi-FPGAb prototyping board for ASICs that exceed a single FPGA's logic capacity.
Recommended
Broadcast Video Processing
The EP1SGX25DF1020C6ES suits broadcast video processing cards (HD-SDI routers, format converters, multiviewers) because its embedded transceivers handle SDI at 270 Mb–1.485 Gb rates and its 25,660 logic cells implement pixel pipelines for de-interlacing, scaling, and color-space conversion. The 607 user I/Os support video DDR2/DDR3 memory interfaces and parallel pixel buses at rates typical of 1080p60. Placed on a video-processing PCIe card, it sustains multiple channels of HD-SDI simultaneously while leaving logic headroom for on-screen display overlay. The FBGA-1020 package's 1.0 mm pitch eases PCB escape for the wide memory bus.
Recommended
Test and Measurement Equipment
The EP1SGX25DF1020C6ES fits high-end oscilloscope, logic analyzer, and protocol-analyzer platforms because the 25,660 logic cells provide parallel channels of state-machine logic for triggering, decoding, and post-processing while the embedded transceivers capture high-speed serial buses. The 1.5 V core and 607 I/Os support deep acquisition memory at the bus speed typical of modern logic-analyzer probes. Deployed in a protocol analyzer, it triggers on multi-lane PCIe or USB 3.0 traffic in real time. The Stratix GX DSP blocks accelerate FFT and eye-diagram computation for serial-bus analysis, replacing external DSP co-processors.
Recommended
High-Performance DSP / Radar Pipeline
The EP1SGX25DF1020C6ES targets radar signal-processing pipelines because its DSP blocks deliver hardware-accelerated multiply-accumulate throughput that is essential for FIR filters, FFTs, and pulse-Doppler processing at radar sample rates. The 25,660 logic cells implement the state machine and control plane, while the dedicated DSP blocks process the data plane. Used in a phased-array radar front-end card, it can run 1024-point FFTs in real time while the embedded transceivers stream ADC data into the device. This single-FPGA DSP density replaces older DSP co-processor + FPGA two-chip solutions common in legacy radar designs.
Recommended
Recommended Products Summary
Engineering reference data for EP1SGX25DF1020C6ES — comparison, design guidance, and compliance information.
Selection Guide
Comparison with Alternatives
| Parameter | This Product | EP1SGX25DF1020C6 | EP1SGX25DF1020C6BN | EP1SGX25DF1020C6B | EP1SGX25DF1020C5 | EP1SGX25DF1020C5N |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brand | Altera | Altera | Altera | Altera | Altera | Altera |
| Package | FBGA-1020, 33×33 mm, 1.0 mm pitch | FBGA-1020, 33×33 mm, 1.0 mm pitch - same | FBGA-1020, 33×33 mm, 1.0 mm pitch - same | FBGA-1020, 33×33 mm, 1.0 mm pitch - same | FBGA-1020, 33×33 mm, 1.0 mm pitch - same | FBGA-1020, 33×33 mm, 1.0 mm pitch - same |
| Logic Cells | 25660 | 25660 | 25660 | 25660 | 25660 | 25660 |
| Speed Grade | C6 (commercial, tier 6) | C6 | C6 | C6 | C5 (slower than C6) | C5 (slower than C6) |
| Temperature Grade | Commercial 0 to 85 C | Commercial 0 to 85 C | Commercial 0 to 85 C | Commercial 0 to 85 C | Commercial 0 to 85 C | Commercial 0 to 85 C |
| Ordering Suffix | ES (engineering sample variant) | no suffix (production) | BN (lead-free PbQ) | B (ball-finish variant) | C5 no N suffix | C5N (lead-free, slower speed) |
| Approx. Unit Price (qty 1) | $425 | ~$410 | ~$420 | ~$415 | ~$395 (slower grade discounts) | ~$400 |
Key Differentiators
- Same-density 25,660 logic cell option without ES suffix (vs EP1SGX25DF1020C6)
- Same-package lower speed-grade option for cost savings (vs EP1SGX25DF1020C5)
- Larger same-family density option for future-proofing (vs EP1SGX40F1020C6)
Design Notes
The EP1SGX25DF1020C6ES FBGA-1020 33×33 mm package with 1.0 mm ball pitch demands a high-layer-count PCB (typically 8 to 12 layers) for BGA escape. Use a dog-bone fanout under inner-row balls and via-in-pad for the center ball grid to maintain signal integrity on high-speed SERDES lanes. Thermal vias under the package center thermal pad are essential for heat extraction into inner copper planes. Estimated: with a 4-layer PCB the maximum SERDES data rate falls roughly 30–40% versus an 8-layer stack-up; use 8+ layers for designs approaching 3.125 Gb/s per lane.
Stratix GX devices require multiple supply rails: 1.5 V core (VCC), 1.5 V transceiver analog (VCCT), 1.2–3.3 V I/O bank supplies (VCCIO), and PLL analog supplies (VCC_PLL). Per the Stratix GX Device Family Data Sheet PowerPlay section, decouple every power pin with a 0.1 uF high-frequency ceramic placed within 100 mil of the pin, plus bulk decoupling on each rail. Power estimation should use the Quartus II PowerPlay tool before PCB layout to size regulators and copper area. Estimated: a fully utilized EP1SGX25 at 25,660 LEs and full SERDES activity can dissipate 8–15 W, requiring active airflow.
Common Stratix GX design pitfalls include: (1) leaving configuration pins (nCONFIG, MSEL[3:0], DATA0) floating instead of tying to known states for the desired configuration mode; (2) missing JTAG TCK pull-down or TMS pull-up which prevents boundary-scan chain initialization; (3) using a JTAG header without the recommended 10 kohm pull on TCK, causing configuration failures in noisy environments; (4) ignoring the I/O bank VCCIO constraints, which damages I/O buffers if VCCIO differs from the driven/received logic level; (6) failing to power-cycle POR after a failed configuration download — Altera recommends a 100 ms delay between CONFIG_DONE deassertion and reconfiguration attempts.
Compliance Information
Lead-free per part ordering code description. RoHS/REACH compliance should be confirmed against specific date code CoC because some early Stratix GX production runs pre-dated full RoHS transition. AEC-Q100 not applicable — this is a commercial-grade FPGA, not an automotive-qualified IC.
