EP1SGX40DF1020C6BN - Stratix GX FPGA 41K LE 624 I/O 1020-FBGA | Intel
MPN: EP1SGX40DF1020C6BN ✗ End of Life| Qty | Unit Price | Extended |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $285 | $285.00 |
| 10 | $262 | $2,620.00 |
| 25 | $245 | $6,125.00 |
| 100 | $215 | $21,500.00 |
| 500 | $188 | $94,000.00 |
EP1SGX40DF1020C6BN Overview
A Field-Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) is a reconfigurable semiconductor device in which the logic fabric, interconnect, and I/O behavior are defined by user-supplied configuration bitstreams rather than by fixed mask layers. FPGAs sit at the top of the programmable logic hierarchy: FPGA -> programmable logic device (PLD) -> logic IC -> integrated circuit -> semiconductor. The Stratix GX family specifically adds multi-gigabit transceivers (MGTs) alongside the general-purpose logic, making the category hypernym a "transceiver-equipped FPGA" or "high-speed serial FPGA."
Key differentiating features include 4,125 LABs/CLBs, 41,250 logic elements, dedicated 18x18 multiplier blocks for DSP pipelines, Stratix GX multi-gigabit transceivers supporting backplane and chip-to-chip serial links, 3,423,744 bits of embedded RAM, and 624 general-purpose I/O pins. The 1020-ball FBGA package exposes the full user-I/O complement and integrates dedicated clock-management circuitry, including PLLs and a global clock network.
The architecture combines a logic-array block (LAB) fabric built from 4-input look-up tables (LUTs), embedded TriMatrix memory blocks, DSP blocks, and high-speed transceivers. Configuration is stored in SRAM cells, requiring a configuration device or controller for bitstream loading on power-up. JTAG (IEEE 1149.1) boundary-scan and configuration interfaces are exposed as standard I/O banks.
Typical applications include 10 Gbps backplane interfaces, SONET/SDH framer designs, multi-gigabit serial-link aggregation, high-speed test and measurement instrumentation, and protocol-bridge ASIC replacements. Engineers select this device when they need integrated multi-gigabit transceivers and high logic density on a single die.
When designing with this part, plan the PCB for the 1020-ball FBGA land pattern with controlled-impedance transceiver lanes, match-length differential pairs, and a robust decoupling network near each power pin. The Altera/Intel Quartus II design suite is required for synthesis, place-and-route, and bitstream generation; legacy project archives may need migration to Quartus II service packs still available on the Intel FPGA legacy support portal.
This page synthesizes distributor pricing, drop-in same-family alternatives, and practical Stratix GX design notes that are not consolidated in any single manufacturer document.
Drop-in alternatives for EP1SGX40DF1020C6BN — 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 EP1SGX40DF1020C6BN (same form factor and footprint) — differing in Speed Grade, Operating Temperature, Package, RoHS Status, Mounting Type.
Quick Comparison Tool — Select alternative parts for side-by-side comparison:
EP1SGX40DF1020C6
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$1620 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP1SGX40DF1020C5N
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$210 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP1SGX40DF1020C5
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$3650 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP1SGX40DF1020C5ES
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
Contact for price
View Datasheet →EP1SGX40DF1020C
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$1950 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP1S25FF1020C6BN
✅ Drop-In📋 Reference alternative (not in catalog)
EP1SGX40DF1020C6BN Maximum Ratings & Electrical Characteristics
| Series | Stratix GX |
| Number of LABs/CLBs | 4125 |
| Number of Logic Elements | 41250 |
| Total RAM Bits | 3423744 |
| Number of I/O | 624 |
| Package | 1020-BBGA (FineLine BGA) |
| Operating Temperature | 0C to +85C (Commercial) |
| Speed Grade | 6 |
| Configuration Memory | SRAM-based (volatile) |
| Multi-Gigabit Transceivers | Yes (Stratix GX MGTs) |
| DSP / Multiplier Blocks | Embedded 18x18 multipliers |
| Mounting Type | Surface Mount |
| RoHS Status | Compliant (per distributor listings) |
| Lead-Free | Yes |
EP1SGX40DF1020C6BN 1020-bbga (fineline bga) Pin Configuration Guide
Pin configuration for EP1SGX40DF1020C6BN (1020-bbga (fineline bga) 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 EP1SGX40DF1020C6BN.
Refer to the datasheet for full pin configuration.
Typical Applications
EP1SGX40DF1020C6BN is suitable for 6 applications: Multi-Gigabit Serial Backplane Aggregation, SONET/SDH Framer and Mapper Designs, High-Speed Test and Measurement Instrumentation, ASIC Replacement for Bridging and Glue Logic, High-Definition Video Processing and Routing, Industrial Control and High-Speed Data Acquisition.
Multi-Gigabit Serial Backplane Aggregation
The Stratix GX family's integrated multi-gigabit transceivers (MGTs) operating at 1 Gbps to 3.125 Gbps make the EP1SGX40DF1020C6BN a natural fit for backplane aggregation line cards that fan-in multiple SFP/SFP+ links into a switch fabric ASIC. With 41,250 logic elements and 3,423,744 bits of embedded RAM, the fabric absorbs protocol-overhead logic, CRC engines, and statistical counters without external memory. The 1020-ball FBGA exposes all 624 user I/O so engineers can simultaneously drive multiple SFP cages plus a fabric-side parallel bus. Trade-off: MGTs require tightly matched-length differential pairs and AC-coupling capacitors on every lane.
Recommended
SONET/SDH Framer and Mapper Designs
Telecom OEMs historically selected Stratix GX for OC-48/STM-16 framer designs because the MGTs natively clock at 622 Mbps to 2.488 Gbps with 8B/10B encoding and word-alignment logic. The 41,250 logic elements of the EP1SGX40DF1020C6BN fit the framer state machine plus overhead processing for STS/AU pointers, and the 3.4 Mbit of embedded RAM absorbs de-skew FIFOs and path-overhead buffers. Designers typically instantiate two MGTs as protection pair plus a parallel overhead bus. Trade-off: SONET/SDH jitter compliance requires the MGT reference clock to come from a stratum-3/3E OCXO.
Recommended
High-Speed Test and Measurement Instrumentation
Test-equipment vendors use the EP1SGX40DF1020C6BN to build protocol analyzers, BERT (bit-error-rate testers), and logic-analyzer capture cards that sample multiple serial lanes simultaneously. The 624 user I/O feed directly into on-board comparator banks, while the MGTs capture 3.125 Gbps traffic in real time. Embedded TriMatrix memory (3.4 Mbit) acts as a circular capture buffer for trigger-and-store operation, and the 41,250 logic elements run protocol-decode engines in parallel. Trade-off: SRAM-based configuration means the FPGA must be re-loaded on every power-up, requiring an EPC configuration device on the same PCB.
Recommended
ASIC Replacement for Bridging and Glue Logic
The EP1SGX40DF1020C6BN is often deployed as an ASIC replacement where legacy bus-bridging, I/O expansion, or protocol-translation logic needs to be re-implemented in reconfigurable fabric. With 41,250 logic elements and 624 I/O, a single device absorbs 5+ legacy bridge ASICs and reduces PCB area. The MGTs provide built-in serial connectivity for modern host interfaces while the legacy parallel I/O banks preserve compatibility with existing backplane pin-out. Trade-off: Quartus II design-suite license is required for bitstream generation; engineer ramp-up on TimeQuest timing analysis is needed.
Recommended
High-Definition Video Processing and Routing
Broadcast video routers and format converters historically used the EP1SGX40DF1020C6BN to handle SDI/HD-SDI ingest at 1.485 Gbps or 2.97 Gbps through the MGTs and route to multiple parallel output buses. The 41,250 logic elements run color-space conversion, frame-rate adaptation, and audio-embedding pipelines, while the 3.4 Mbit of embedded RAM acts as line and frame buffers. The 624 I/O supports many simultaneous SDI outputs plus a parallel DSP companion bus. Trade-off: HD-SDI jitter compliance requires careful MGT reference-clock design and matched-length trace routing per the Altera Stratix GX handbook.
Recommended
Industrial Control and High-Speed Data Acquisition
Industrial OEMs adopt the EP1SGX40DF1020C6BN for high-channel-count data-acquisition backplanes where hundreds of analog inputs are digitized and packetized for transmission to a host processor. The MGTs aggregate digitized streams into 1 Gbps Ethernet or Aurora links, and the 41,250 logic elements run on-the-fly FFTs and digital filters per channel. The 624 I/O connect to parallel ADC/DAC banks, and the 1020-ball FBGA accommodates all the LVDS pairs needed for ADC data capture. Trade-off: commercial temperature range (0C to +85C) limits deployment; for industrial extended-temp designs choose EP1SGX40DF1020I-series parts instead.
Recommended
Recommended Products Summary
Engineering reference data for EP1SGX40DF1020C6BN — comparison, design guidance, and compliance information.
Selection Guide
Comparison with Alternatives
| Parameter | This Product | EP1SGX40DF1020C6 | EP1SGX40DF1020C5N | EP1SGX40DF1020C5 | EP1SGX40DF1020C5ES | EP1SGX40DF1020C | EP1S25FF1020C6BN |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brand | Intel | Intel | Intel | Intel | Intel | Intel | Intel |
| Package | 1020-BBGA | 1020-BBGA - same | 1020-BBGA - same | 1020-BBGA - same | 1020-BBGA - same | 1020-BBGA - same | 1020-BBGA - same |
| Logic Elements | 41,250 | 41,250 | 41,250 | 41,250 | 41,250 | 41,250 | 25,660 (-38%) |
| Series | Stratix GX | Stratix GX | Stratix GX | Stratix GX | Stratix GX | Stratix GX | Stratix (non-GX) |
| Speed Grade | 6 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 5 | C | 6 |
| Multi-Gigabit Transceivers | Yes (GX MGTs) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No (Stratix non-GX) |
| Lifecycle Status | Obsolete | Obsolete | Obsolete | Obsolete | Obsolete | Obsolete | Obsolete |
Key Differentiators
- Lead-free / RoHS terminal finish specified (vs EP1SGX40DF1020C6)
- Speed grade 6 (production-timing) instead of speed grade 5 (vs EP1SGX40DF1020C5N)
- Stratix GX with multi-gigabit transceivers (vs EP1S25FF1020C6BN)
- Highest density in the EP1SGX40 family (vs EP1SGX25 family parts)
Design Notes
The 1020-ball FineLine BGA requires a 6+ layer PCB with dedicated ground and power planes. Use the Intel/Altera-recommended land pattern (1.00 mm ball pitch) and via-in-pad with filled-and-capped vias to maximize BGA breakout channel routing. All multi-gigabit transceiver (MGT) lanes must use matched-length differential pairs with 100 ohm differential impedance, AC-coupling capacitors placed close to the FPGA receive pins, and a continuous reference ground plane beneath the entire MGT routing channel.
Stratix GX devices require multiple supply rails: VCCINT (core), VCCIO (I/O banks), VCCA (PLL analog), and VTT for MGT termination. Per the Stratix GX handbook, VCCINT decoupling needs at least 22 x 0.1 uF MLCC + 4 x 10 uF bulk capacitors placed within 100 mils of the BGA balls. Use a sequencer or voltage-tracking controller to enforce VCCINT-before-VCCIO power-up; reverse sequencing can damage the device or cause inrush latch-up.
SRAM-based Stratix GX devices lose their configuration on every power-down, so a configuration memory device (EPC16 or EPC64 family) must be present on the PCB or JTAG programming must be performed at every boot. MGT reference-clock jitter must stay below the device-specific limit (typically 1 ps RMS for 3.125 Gbps operation) - never route an MGT reference through a long trace or non-dedicated PLL output. Finally, the -6 commercial suffix means 0C to +85C only; for industrial temperature ranges select the -I (industrial) ordering code, not the -C (commercial) variant.
MGT transmit pre-emphasis and receive equalization settings must be tuned for the specific backplane or cable loss profile; default Quartus II settings target short chip-to-chip links. For channels exceeding 20 dB insertion loss at 1.5 GHz, increase pre-emphasis tap weights or activate the receiver adaptive equalization. IBIS-AMI models are available from Intel/Altera legacy support for system-level channel simulation in HyperLynx or ADS.
Compliance Information
RoHS compliance indicated by trailing -N suffix and confirmed by distributor listings (Jotrin, components-store.com). Halogen-free status and conflict-minerals declaration not explicitly stated in the verified distributor data - set to unknown pending Intel/Altera documentation retrieval. AEC-Q100 not applicable because the part is commercial-temperature grade (0C to +85C).