EP20K1500CF33C8ES - 1.5M Gate APEX FPGA 1020-FBGA | Intel
MPN: EP20K1500CF33C8ES ⚠ Last Time Buy| Qty | Unit Price | Extended |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $480 | $480.00 |
| 10 | $432 | $4,320.00 |
| 100 | $384 | $38,400.00 |
| 500 | $336 | $168,000.00 |
| 1,000 | $288 | $288,000.00 |
EP20K1500CF33C8ES Overview
Drop-in alternatives for EP20K1500CF33C8ES — 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 EP20K1500CF33C8ES (same form factor and footprint) — differing in Speed Grade, Family, Operating Temperature, Series, RoHS Status.
Quick Comparison Tool — Select alternative parts for side-by-side comparison:
EP20K1500CF33C8
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$1090 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP20K1500CF33C8N
✅ Drop-In📋 Reference alternative (not in catalog)
EP20K1500CF33C7ES
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$138 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP20K1500CF33C7
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$205 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP20K1000CF33C8ES
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$155 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP20K1000CF33I8N
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$210 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP20K1000CF672C8ES
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$285 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP20K1500CF33C8ES Maximum Ratings & Electrical Characteristics
| Series | APEX 20K (APEX 20KE family) |
| Manufacturer | Intel (formerly Altera) |
| System Gates | 1,500,000 |
| Maximum Gates (Equivalent) | 2,392,000 |
| Logic Elements | 51,840 |
| Embedded System Block (ESB) Bits | 442,368 |
| CAM Bits | 216 Kbit |
| Number of PLLs | 4 |
| Number of Clocks | 8 clock pins |
| Maximum User I/O | 808 (1020-FBGA) |
| Package | 1020-FBGA (FCBGA), 33x33 mm |
| Mounting Type | Surface Mount |
| Speed Grade | -1 (C8) |
| Voltage - Supply (Core) | 1.8 V nominal (multiVolt I/O supports 1.8/2.5/3.3/5.0 V) |
| I/O Standard Support | LVTTL, LVCMOS, PCI, SSTL, HSTL, LVDS (multiVolt) |
| JTAG / Boundary Scan | IEEE 1149.1 compliant |
| Programming Interface | ByteBlaster / MasterBlaster / Altera USB-Blaster |
| Sample Tier | ES (engineering sample) |
EP20K1500CF33C8ES 1020-fbga (fcbga), 33x33 mm Pin Configuration Guide
Pin configuration for EP20K1500CF33C8ES (1020-fbga (fcbga), 33x33 mm 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 EP20K1500CF33C8ES.
Refer to the datasheet for full pin configuration.
Typical Applications
EP20K1500CF33C8ES is suitable for 6 applications: Telecommunications Backplane Bridges, Network Switch / Router Packet Processing, Digital Signal Processing (DSP) Front-Ends, Industrial Control and Legacy Bus Interfacing, ASIC Prototyping and Logic Emulation, Medical Imaging Pipeline Acceleration.
Telecommunications Backplane Bridges
The EP20K1500CF33C8ES's 1,500,000 system gates, 808 user I/O pins, and four PLLs make it ideal for telecom backplane bridging designs. The 1020-FBGA package exposes enough I/O to handle 16+ parallel serializer/deserializer channels and TDM bus interfaces simultaneously. The 442,368 ESB RAM bits act as elastic FIFOs across clock-domain crossings, while the four PLLs synthesize the multiple frequencies required by SONET/SDH framers, T1/E1 transceivers, and clock-data recovery blocks. The APEX 20K multiVolt I/O directly interfaces 5V legacy buses alongside 3.3V/2.5V modern PHYs, eliminating external level shifters. Compared with discrete CPLD+SRAM solutions, the integrated fabric reduces board area and improves signal integrity at 100+ MHz bus speeds.
Recommended
Network Switch / Router Packet Processing
The EP20K1500CF33C8ES enables high-density Layer 2/3 switching fabric implementations in legacy network equipment. With 51,840 logic elements, it can implement forwarding tables, CAM lookups, and QoS classifiers in a single device. The 216 Kbit of embedded CAM hardware-accelerates MAC/VLAN address lookups at wire speed, while the 442,368 bits of ESB RAM buffer packet headers across pipeline stages. The 1020-FBGA package's 808 user I/O pins support multiple 10/100 Ethernet MAC interfaces, SPI-4.2 POS-PHY links, and management bus connections concurrently. Compared with discrete ASIC solutions, the FPGA fabric allows field upgrades to new protocols without board respins - critical for legacy switch platforms that must be maintained beyond their original product cycle.
Recommended
Digital Signal Processing (DSP) Front-Ends
The EP20K1500CF33C8ES serves as a high-density DSP pre-processing engine in radar, sonar, and software-defined radio front-ends. The 51,840 logic elements implement multi-channel FIR filters, FFT butterfly stages, and digital down-converters with deterministic timing. The 442,368 ESB RAM bits hold convolution taps and FFT twiddle factors in distributed memory, eliminating external SRAM fetches that would bottleneck throughput. Four PLLs generate the multiple sample-rate clocks required for parallel-channel DSP pipelines. The APEX 20KE fabric allows latency optimization that is harder to achieve in microcontrollers or DSP processors. Compared with legacy DSP processor chips, the parallel hardware architecture of the FPGA delivers deterministic sub-microsecond latency for closed-loop control applications like phased-array beam steering.
Recommended
Industrial Control and Legacy Bus Interfacing
The EP20K1500CF33C8ES bridges legacy industrial buses (VME, ISA, PCI) to modern processors in long-lifecycle factory automation equipment. The multiVolt I/O supports 5V TTL and 3.3V LVCMOS on the same die, allowing direct connection to legacy 5V peripherals without external buffers. 808 user I/O pins accommodate parallel backplane connectors with hundreds of signals, while 51,840 logic elements implement custom protocol state machines for proprietary industrial protocols. The IEEE 1149.1 JTAG interface simplifies board-level boundary-scan testing in manufacturing test fixtures. Compared with discrete 74-series glue logic, the APEX 20K device replaces dozens of legacy packages with one programmable device, reducing board real estate and BOM cost for industrial controllers that must remain in production for 15-20 year lifecycles.
Recommended
ASIC Prototyping and Logic Emulation
The EP20K1500CF33C8ES provides 2,392,000 equivalent gates suitable for ASIC prototyping and logic emulation of medium-complexity gate-array designs. The 51,840 logic elements combined with 442,368 ESB RAM bits can map an entire ASIC netlist onto a single APEX 20K device for pre-silicon validation. Designers compile ASIC RTL into the FPGA using synthesis tools, then run production firmware against the emulated design at near-ASIC speeds. The 808 user I/O pins provide ample bring-out for boundary signals during emulation, while JTAG enables single-step debugging. Compared with hardware-emulator platforms, the APEX 20K offers a cost-effective in-house validation path for ASIC teams who do not require million-gate capacity but still need pre-silicon verification of complex designs.
Recommended
Medical Imaging Pipeline Acceleration
The EP20K1500CF33C8ES accelerates image-processing pipelines in ultrasound, CT, and MRI equipment where latency and deterministic timing are critical. The 51,840 logic elements and 442,368 ESB RAM bits implement real-time filters, edge detection, and beam-forming operations on streaming pixel data. Four PLLs synthesize the multiple pixel-clock domains required by sensor arrays, ADCs, and display drivers. The 1020-FBGA package's 808 user I/O pins accept parallel data from multiple sensor channels simultaneously, while the IEEE 1149.1 JTAG enables production board-test integration. Compared with GPU-based image processing, the FPGA fabric delivers deterministic sub-frame latency required for real-time medical imaging, with no operating-system jitter or memory-bandwidth contention affecting patient-safety-critical timing paths.
Recommended
Recommended Products Summary
Engineering reference data for EP20K1500CF33C8ES — comparison, design guidance, and compliance information.
Selection Guide
Comparison with Alternatives
| Parameter | This Product | EP20K1500CF33C8 | EP20K1500CF33C8N | EP20K1500CF33C7ES | EP20K1500CF33C7 | EP20K1000CF33C8ES |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brand | Intel (Altera) | Intel (Altera) | Intel (Altera) | Intel (Altera) | Intel (Altera) | Intel (Altera) |
| Package | 1020-FBGA (33x33 mm) | 1020-FBGA (33x33 mm) - same | 1020-FBGA (33x33 mm) - same | 1020-FBGA (33x33 mm) - same | 1020-FBGA (33x33 mm) - same | 1020-FBGA (33x33 mm) - same |
| System Gates | 1,500,000 | 1,500,000 | 1,500,000 | 1,500,000 | 1,500,000 | 1,000,000 (-33%) |
| Logic Elements | 51,840 | 51,840 | 51,840 | 51,840 | 51,840 | ~38,880 (-25%) |
| Speed Grade | -1 (C8) | -1 (C8) | -1 (C8) | -2 (C7) - faster | -2 (C7) - faster | -1 (C8) |
| Sample Tier | ES (engineering sample) | Production (no suffix) | Production (N) | ES | Production (no suffix) | ES |
| Lifecycle Status | Last Time Buy (ES tier) | Last Time Buy | Last Time Buy | Last Time Buy | Last Time Buy | Last Time Buy |
| Maximum User I/O | 808 | 808 | 808 | 808 | 808 | 808 |
| Number of PLLs | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
Key Differentiators
- Largest APEX 20KE density in 1020-FBGA package (vs EP20K1000CF33C8ES)
- Engineering sample tier with relaxed characterization (vs EP20K1500CF33C8N)
- Same -1 speed grade as production-tier variant (vs EP20K1500CF33C7ES)
Design Notes
The 1020-FBGA package at 33x33 mm requires careful thermal management for industrial-temperature operation. Estimated: at typical 1.5W core dissipation, junction-to-ambient thermal resistance of approximately 15-20 C/W (per APEX 20K datasheet guidance) results in 23-30 C rise above ambient. For enclosed industrial enclosures, provide at least 4-layer PCB with continuous ground pour under the BGA to spread heat. Do not rely solely on convection cooling for the -1 (C8) speed grade in sealed enclosures - add thermal vias beneath the central ground balls.
Route the EP20K1500CF33C8ES 1020-FBGA using micro-via or via-in-pad technology with 1.0 mm ball pitch. Per the APEX 20K datasheet, all 808 user I/O pins plus dedicated clock, JTAG, and configuration pins must be routed out - typically requiring 6-8 PCB signal layers with controlled impedance for high-speed LVDS/HSTL interfaces. Place decoupling capacitors (0.1uF X7R) within 5 mm of every power ball, with bulk 10-47uF tantalum capacitors on each voltage rail. Use the JTAG chain order with TMS/TCK pulled up at the chain end to avoid floating TAP state errors.
Do not confuse the EP20K1500CF33C8ES (engineering sample, -1 speed grade, ES tier) with EP20K1500CF33C8N (production tier) or EP20K1500CF33C7ES (faster -2 speed grade). According to the Altera naming convention, the ES suffix explicitly marks engineering-sample qualification - ES parts have relaxed datasheet characterization and should not be used in production without re-validation. The C7/C8/C9 mid-suffix indicates speed grade (-2/-1/-3 respectively), not voltage or temperature grade. Verify both speed grade and tier suffix when cross-referencing substitutes.
Configure EP20K1500CF33C8ES using ByteBlaster II, MasterBlaster, or USB-Blaster download cables via the JTAG 1149.1 interface. The configuration file (.sof for SRAM, .pof for EPROM) is loaded at power-up through the dedicated configuration pins. Per the APEX 20K datasheet, drive nCONFIG high with a 10k pull-up after VCC reaches specification, and route the dedicated configuration clock pin (DCLK) with impedance-matched trace. For multi-device JTAG chains, assign TDI/TDO order carefully and add series termination on long JTAG traces to prevent ringing at fast TCK rates.
Compliance Information
Compliance status for EP20K1500CF33C8ES engineering-sample variant not confirmed in available data. The APEX 20K family was launched in 1999, predating RoHS standardization; engineering samples may not be RoHS compliant. Verify with distributor or Intel/Altera PCN documentation before use in RoHS-required applications. AEC-Q100 is not applicable - APEX 20K is not an automotive-qualified FPGA.
