EP20K200BC356-3 - APEX 20K FPGA, 8320 LEs, 356-BGA | Intel
MPN: EP20K200BC356-3 ✗ End of Life| Qty | Unit Price | Extended |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $245 | $245.00 |
| 10 | $220.5 | $2,205.00 |
| 100 | $196 | $19,600.00 |
| 250 | $178.5 | $44,625.00 |
| 500 | $162 | $81,000.00 |
EP20K200BC356-3 Overview
A Field-Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) is a type of programmable logic device (PLD) that allows engineers to implement custom digital circuits through a matrix of configurable logic blocks (CLBs), programmable interconnects, and I/O cells. FPGAs sit within the broader taxonomy of programmable logic -> logic ICs -> integrated circuits -> semiconductors. APEX-20K devices are members of the early-2000s high-density FPGA family that pioneered embedded memory and on-chip system integration, predating modern SoC FPGAs but still in service in long-lifecycle industrial, telecom, and military systems.
Key features of the EP20K200BC356-3 include 8320 logic elements, 106496 bits of embedded system memory, 277 programmable I/O pins, and 356 total package pins (including power, ground, JTAG, and no-connect balls). The device is fabricated on a 0.22 µm CMOS process and is rated for a commercial operating temperature range of 0 °C to 85 °C. The combination of LUT-based logic, embedded memory, and high I/O count positions the part for data-path-intensive glue logic, bus interfacing, and pre-processing functions.
The APEX-20K architecture supports in-system programming through the IEEE 1149.1 JTAG interface, allowing configuration to be loaded from a PROM, flash memory, or processor. Each MultiCore block can be configured as either logic elements or dual-port memory, and the I/O structure supports multiple I/O standards including LVTTL, LVCMOS, PCI, and GTL+, giving designers flexibility to interface with mixed-voltage buses. The 2.5V core supply is paired with I/O supply rails (VCCIO) that can be set independently per bank for level-shifting compatibility.
Typical applications include industrial control and factory automation, telecommunications line cards and switching fabric glue logic, military and aerospace digital signal preprocessing, and embedded computing backplanes where high logic density and abundant I/O are required. The 277 user I/Os also make it well suited for bus bridging between legacy microprocessors and high-speed peripherals. Designers should note the device's commercial temperature grade (0 °C to 85 °C) and 2.5V core supply requirements when planning power-rail architectures. This page synthesizes distributor pricing, same-family drop-in alternatives, and practical design notes not found in the original APEX-20K datasheet.
Drop-in alternatives for EP20K200BC356-3 — 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 EP20K200BC356-3 (same form factor and footprint) — differing in Package, Process Technology, Operating Temperature, Family, Series.
Quick Comparison Tool — Select alternative parts for side-by-side comparison:
EP20K200BC356-2
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$88.25 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP20K200BC356-2XV
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$45 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP20K200BC356-1X
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$285 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP20K200BC356-1
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$335 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP20K200BC356-3V
✅ Drop-In📋 Reference alternative (not in catalog)
EP20K200BC356-3 Maximum Ratings & Electrical Characteristics
| Series | APEX-20K |
| Family | APEX 20K (MultiCore) |
| Logic Elements / Cells | 8320 |
| Embedded Memory Bits | 106496 |
| Number of Macrocells | 832 |
| User I/Os | 277 |
| Package | 356-LBGA |
| Total Package Pins | 356 |
| Supply Voltage (Core) | 2.5 V |
| Technology | 0.22 µm CMOS |
| Maximum Internal Frequency | 167 MHz |
| Propagation Delay | 2.5 ns |
| Logic Family | CMOS |
| Operating Temperature | 0 °C to +85 °C (Commercial) |
| Mounting Type | Surface Mount (BGA) |
| Configuration Interface | IEEE 1149.1 JTAG |
| RoHS Status | unknown |
EP20K200BC356-3 356 Pin Configuration Guide
Pin configuration for EP20K200BC356-3 (356 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 EP20K200BC356-3.
Refer to the datasheet for full pin configuration.
Typical Applications
EP20K200BC356-3 is suitable for 6 applications: Industrial Control and Factory Automation, Telecommunications Line Cards, Military and Aerospace Digital Pre-Processing, Embedded Computing Backplanes, Test and Measurement Instrumentation, Legacy Storage and RAID Controllers.
Industrial Control and Factory Automation
The EP20K200BC356-3 fits industrial control applications because its 8320 logic elements and 277 user I/Os can absorb large amounts of glue logic, encoder counters, and protocol-bridge state machines in a single device. The MultiCore architecture combines LUT logic with 106496 bits of embedded memory, allowing on-chip FIFOs and lookup tables for motor-control law tables or PID parameter storage. In a typical PLC backplane the device sits between a legacy 8-bit MCU and field I/O modules, providing 167 MHz processing throughput with 2.5 ns propagation delay at 0.22 µm CMOS. The commercial 0 °C to +85 °C temperature rating covers most factory-floor enclosures without requiring industrial-grade screening.
Recommended
Telecommunications Line Cards
Telecom line-card designs in the early APEX-20K era leveraged the 106496-bit embedded memory as elastic stores and channel-associated signalling buffers, while the 8320 logic elements implemented framing, HDLC controllers, and ATM segmentation-and-reassembly engines. The 277 user I/Os accept multiple LVTTL/LVCMOS/PCI/GTL+ buses simultaneously, so the FPGA can glue TDM backplanes, control-plane processors, and tributary framers without external bridge chips. Operating at 167 MHz with 2.5 ns propagation delay, the device meets the throughput requirements of OC-3/STM-1 tributary processing in legacy carrier equipment. Its 356-LBGA package is suitable for line-card mezzanine layouts with thermal vias under the die.
Recommended
Military and Aerospace Digital Pre-Processing
The EP20K200BC356-3 is found in long-lifecycle aerospace and defense systems because its 8320 logic elements and 106496-bit memory support radar pre-processing, sensor-fusion front-ends, and MIL-STD-1553 bus bridges. Designers chose the device for its 277 user I/Os, which comfortably route parallel sensor data buses, encoder outputs, and redundant control channels without external bus multiplexers. The 0.22 µm CMOS process gives predictable radiation tolerance margins for many legacy mission profiles, and the 356-LBGA package supports ruggedized PCB stack-ups. The 167 MHz internal frequency is sufficient for medium-speed DSP pre-filtering and FFT-windowing functions, while the 2.5 ns propagation delay enables deterministic interrupt latency in safety-critical control loops.
Recommended
Embedded Computing Backplanes
On VME, cPCI, and proprietary embedded backplanes, the EP20K200BC356-3 acts as a local bus arbiter, interrupt concentrator, and protocol-translation hub between legacy CPUs and high-speed peripherals. The 277 user I/Os route 32-bit or 64-bit local buses plus JTAG, I²C, SPI, and parallel port expansion without external transceivers. With 8320 logic elements the device can host a soft PowerPC or ARM7 controller IP alongside custom DMA engines, while 106496 bits of embedded memory serve as on-chip scratchpad and descriptor rings. The 167 MHz Fmax and 2.5 ns propagation delay keep interrupt latency predictable in real-time backplane applications.
Recommended
Test and Measurement Instrumentation
Test-equipment manufacturers adopted the APEX-20K family for protocol-aware logic analyzers, bit-error-rate testers, and digital stimulus instruments where the 277 user I/Os drive and sample dozens of channels simultaneously. The 8320 logic elements implement per-channel state machines, while the 106496-bit embedded memory holds deep capture buffers and pattern-generation vectors. The 167 MHz internal clock and 2.5 ns propagation delay enable sub-10 ns channel-to-channel skew for timing-critical stimulus/response loops. Engineers typically pair the FPGA with high-speed comparators and serializer/deserializer (SerDes) PHYs at the front end, leaving the FPGA to manage pattern sequencing and result aggregation.
Recommended
Legacy Storage and RAID Controllers
Enterprise RAID and storage controllers from the early 2000s used the EP20K200BC356-3 to implement XOR/RAID-5 parity engines, command queuing, and disk-side state machines. The 8320 logic elements host parallel XOR datapaths and DMA descriptor walkers, while the 106496-bit embedded memory buffers command frames and scatter-gather lists. With 277 user I/Os the FPGA bridges between a host bus (PCI/PCI-X) and multiple Ultra320 SCSI or SATA PHYs without external bridge devices. The 167 MHz Fmax and 2.5 ns propagation delay are sufficient to keep up with saturating Ultra320 disk streams when multiple channels are aggregated. Modern designs would migrate to a Cyclone V or Cyclone 10 LP device, but legacy storage systems remain in service worldwide.
Recommended
Recommended Products Summary
Engineering reference data for EP20K200BC356-3 — comparison, design guidance, and compliance information.
Selection Guide
Comparison with Alternatives
| Parameter | This Product | EP20K200BC356-2 | EP20K200BC356-2XV | EP20K200BC356-1X | EP20K200BC356-1 | EP20K200BC356-3V |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Package | 356-LBGA | 356-LBGA (same) | 356-LBGA (same) | 356-LBGA (same) | 356-LBGA (same) | 356-LBGA (same) |
| Brand | Intel | Intel | Intel | Intel | Intel | Intel |
| Logic Elements | 8320 | 8320 | 8320 | 8320 | 8320 | 8320 |
| Embedded Memory (bits) | 106496 | 106496 | 106496 | 106496 | 106496 | 106496 |
| User I/Os | 277 | 277 | 277 | 277 | 277 | 277 |
| Speed Grade | -3 (fastest) | -2 (mid) | -2 industrial | -1 (slow) | -1 (slow) | -3 (fastest) |
| Operating Temperature | 0 °C to +85 °C (Commercial) | 0 °C to +85 °C | -40 °C to +85 °C (Industrial) | 0 °C to +85 °C | 0 °C to +85 °C | 0 °C to +85 °C |
| Core Voltage | 2.5 V | 2.5 V | 2.5 V | 2.5 V | 2.5 V | 2.5 V |
| Technology | 0.22 µm CMOS | 0.22 µm CMOS | 0.22 µm CMOS | 0.22 µm CMOS | 0.22 µm CMOS | 0.22 µm CMOS |
Key Differentiators
- Highest speed grade in the EP20K200BC356 family (vs EP20K200BC356-2)
- Full logic density at the -3 timing tier (vs EP20K200BC356-1X)
- Commercial temperature rating for benign environments (vs EP20K200BC356-2XV)
Design Notes
The EP20K200BC356-3 requires a tightly regulated 2.5 V core rail (VCCINT) with ±5 % tolerance. Use a low-dropout regulator such as the LT1764A-2.5 or TI TPS7A4525 followed by a 220 µF bulk capacitor and a 0.1 µF + 10 µF ceramic decoupling network placed within 5 mm of every VCC ball. The VCCIO rails (per I/O bank) must be sequenced within datasheet limits; damage can occur if VCCIO is asserted before VCCINT. Estimated: at 167 MHz with all 8320 LEs active the device can draw up to ~1.5 A from VCCINT (input current should be validated against the device-specific ICCINT specification in the APEX-20K datasheet).
Route all 356 LBGA signals on inner microstrip or stripline layers with matched trace lengths for bus interfaces (PCI, GTL+). Use a 4- or 6-layer stack-up with continuous ground planes under the BGA to control impedance and provide a return path for high-speed edges. Place JTAG signals (TCK, TMS, TDI, TDO, TRST) on a dedicated layer with 4.7 kΩ pull-ups on TCK/TMS/TDI per IEEE 1149.1. Thermal vias in the LBGA land pattern are recommended because the package has a relatively high θJA at still air.
Configure the device via the JTAG port (IEEE 1149.1) using a MAX+PLUS II programmer or Quartus II v9.1 (the last version with APEX-20K support). The CONF_DONE, nCONFIG, and nSTATUS pins must be pulled up correctly with 4.7 kΩ to VCCIO and a 0.1 µF capacitor to GND. For production programming, store the configuration bitstream in an EPC16 or EPC8 configuration PROM that shares the JTAG chain. Keep the JTAG chain length under 6 inches to avoid signal-integrity issues during in-system programming.
Do not exceed the absolute maximum junction temperature of 125 °C; at maximum operating frequency (167 MHz) and 2.5 V, internal power dissipation can drive the die temperature close to this limit without airflow. Ensure VCCIO is never asserted before VCCINT or the I/O buffers can latch up and permanently damage the device. Avoid mixing 5 V and 3.3 V devices on buses connected directly to APEX-20K I/Os without level translators; the APEX-20K I/O structure does not tolerate 5 V inputs on a 3.3 V VCCIO bank.
Compliance Information
Compliance status not stated in the verified web data; original APEX-20K family was released before RoHS was mandatory, so many variants are non-RoHS. AEC-Q100 is not applicable because this is a programmable logic device, not an automotive-grade IC.
