EP20K200EBC356-1N - APEX 20KE 200K Gates 8320 Cells FPGA BGA-356
MPN: EP20K200EBC356-1N ✗ End of Life| Qty | Unit Price | Extended |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $285 | $285.00 |
| 10 | $256.5 | $2,565.00 |
| 100 | $228 | $22,800.00 |
| 500 | $199.5 | $99,750.00 |
| 1,000 | $171 | $171,000.00 |
EP20K200EBC356-1N Overview
An FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array) is a semiconductor device built around an array of configurable logic blocks (CLBs), programmable interconnects, and I/O cells, allowing engineers to implement arbitrary digital logic that is re-programmable in-circuit. FPGAs sit hierarchically above ASICs in design flexibility and below microcontrollers in per-unit cost for low-volume production, and are commonly used as system-on-a-programmable-chip (SOPC) integration platforms. The APEX 20KE family specifically targets high-density, high-bandwidth applications with on-chip memory and MultiVolt I/O support.
Key features include 200K typical gates, 8,320 logic elements/cells, 271 user I/Os, propagation delay of approximately 2.5 ns, internal maximum frequency near 367 MHz, 0.22 um CMOS process technology, and a 1.8V core supply (1.71 V to 1.89 V). The MultiCore architecture integrates LUT-based logic and embedded system blocks (ESBs) that can be configured as RAM, ROM, or content-addressable memory. MultiVolt I/O supports interfacing with 1.8 V, 2.5 V, 3.3 V, and 5.0 V logic families without external level shifters.
The device targets SOPC integration with embedded memory blocks and high I/O count, suiting applications such as telecommunications switching, broadband data path processing, and DSP front-end pre-processing. The 271 user I/Os and BGA-356 footprint allow high-density board-level designs that need hundreds of signal connections.
Typical applications include data communication equipment, custom DSP accelerators, industrial control glue logic, and legacy networking line-card designs. The APEX 20KE series was widely adopted in telecom and networking hardware in the early 2000s and remains in production for long-lifecycle defense and industrial systems.
When designing with this device, verify the Quartus II or MAX+PLUS II toolchain compatibility because the APEX 20KE family requires legacy Altera software flows. Confirm PCB thermal management: the 35x35 mm LBGA has a typical junction-to-ambient thermal resistance in the 12-15 C/W range with adequate copper.
This page synthesizes distributor pricing, drop-in same-package alternatives drawn from the Site MPN library, and practical design notes not found on the original manufacturer datasheet.
Drop-in alternatives for EP20K200EBC356-1N — 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 EP20K200EBC356-1N (same form factor and footprint) — differing in Operating Temperature, Process Technology, Package, Series, Family.
Quick Comparison Tool — Select alternative parts for side-by-side comparison:
EP20K200BC356-1
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$335 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP20K200BC356-2
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$88.25 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP20K200BC356-1X
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$285 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP20K200BC356-2XV
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$45 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP20K200EBC356-1
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$142 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP20K200EBC356-3
✅ Drop-In📋 Reference alternative (not in catalog)
EP20K200EBC356-1N Maximum Ratings & Electrical Characteristics
| Family | APEX 20KE |
| Series | APEX-20KE |
| Logic Elements / Cells | 8,320 |
| Typical Gates | 200,000 |
| Number of Macrocells | 832 |
| User I/Os | 271 |
| Propagation Delay | 2.5 ns |
| Internal Frequency (max) | 367 MHz |
| Process Technology | 0.22 um CMOS |
| Core Supply Voltage (VCCINT) | 1.71 V to 1.89 V (nominal 1.8 V) |
| I/O Supply Voltage | MultiVolt 1.8 V / 2.5 V / 3.3 V / 5.0 V |
| Package | 356-BGA (LBGA, 35 x 35 mm) |
| Operating Temperature | 0 C to +85 C (commercial) |
| Mounting Type | Surface Mount |
| MSL Level | 3 (168 hours) |
| Logic Family / Architecture | CMOS, MultiCore (LUT + embedded memory) |
| Configuration Method | SRAM-based, in-system programmable |
EP20K200EBC356-1N Pin Configuration
| Pin A1 | I/O — General-purpose user I/O (bank 1) |
| Pin A2 | I/O — General-purpose user I/O (bank 1) |
| Pin A3 | VCCIO1 — I/O bank 1 supply voltage |
| Pin B1 | I/O — General-purpose user I/O (bank 1) |
| Pin B2 | GND — Ground |
| Pin C1 | I/O — General-purpose user I/O (bank 1) |
| Pin D1 | TDI — JTAG test data input |
| Pin E1 | TCK — JTAG test clock |
| Pin F1 | TMS — JTAG test mode select |
| Pin G1 | TDO — JTAG test data output |
| Pin H1 | nCONFIG — Configuration control (active low) |
| Pin J1 | nSTATUS — Configuration status (active low) |
| Pin K1 | CONF_DONE — Configuration done indicator |
| Pin L1 | DCLK — Configuration clock input |
| Pin M1 | DATA0 — Configuration data input bit 0 |
| Pin N1 | VCCINT — Core supply voltage (1.8 V) |
| Pin P1 | GND — Ground |
| Pin R1 | I/O — General-purpose user I/O (bank 2) |
| Pin T1 | I/O — General-purpose user I/O (bank 2) |
| Pin U1 | I/O — General-purpose user I/O (bank 2) |
Typical Applications
EP20K200EBC356-1N is suitable for 6 applications: Telecommunications Line-Card Glue Logic, Industrial Control and Factory Automation, DSP Front-End Pre-Processing, Networking Switch and Router Backplane Controllers, Legacy Aerospace and Defense Avionics, Medical Imaging Pre-Processing Pipeline.
Telecommunications Line-Card Glue Logic
The EP20K200EBC356-1N fits legacy telecom line-card designs because its 200K gates and 271 user I/Os let engineers consolidate multiple 74-series glue-logic packages into a single programmable device, simplifying board layout while preserving backward compatibility with installed infrastructure. With 8,320 logic elements and 832 macrocells, it can implement protocol bridges, framers, and clock-domain crossings between TDM buses and packet backplanes. The MultiVolt I/O bank interfaces directly to 5 V and 3.3 V legacy ASICs without level shifters, and the 356-ball LBGA routes hundreds of traces on a compact 35x35 mm footprint. Operating temperature range of 0 C to +85 C suits central-office deployments.
Recommended
Industrial Control and Factory Automation
The EP20K200EBC356-1N is well-suited for industrial control platforms because the high I/O count (271 user I/Os) interfaces directly to many discrete sensors, encoders, and actuator drivers on a factory floor without external bus expanders. The MultiCore architecture combining LUT logic and embedded memory simplifies state-machine and FIFO buffer implementation for motion control loops. Industrial users value the long-term supply stability for 10-15 year equipment lifecycles, and the 1.8 V core with MultiVolt I/O supports both modern low-voltage processors and legacy 5 V field devices. Designers should add watchdog logic in the FPGA fabric for safety-critical control paths.
Recommended
DSP Front-End Pre-Processing
In DSP front-end designs, the EP20K200EBC356-1N's 8,320 logic elements perform FIR filtering, FFT staging, and sample-rate conversion before handing data to a dedicated DSP or ASIC. The embedded memory blocks (ESBs) double as dual-port RAM for sample buffers and coefficient tables, eliminating external SRAM in many designs. With 367 MHz internal operation, the device sustains high sample rates in radar, sonar, and software-defined-radio preprocessing. The 356-ball LBGA supports high-fanout parallel buses to A/D converters. For higher throughput, designers can pipeline multiple EP20K200E devices in parallel on the same data path.
Recommended
Networking Switch and Router Backplane Controllers
The EP20K200EBC356-1N functions as a backplane controller in networking switches, implementing proprietary bus protocols, MAC address tables, and port-arbitration logic in a single device. The 200K-gate capacity handles full Layer-2 switching fabric glue logic for chassis-based routers. Its 271 user I/Os connect to multiple PHYs and switch ASICs in parallel, while the MultiVolt I/O banks interface to both 2.5 V GTL transceivers and 3.3 V control logic. Long product lifecycles in carrier-grade networking make this NRND part acceptable for sustaining legacy equipment where re-spin is uneconomical.
Recommended
Legacy Aerospace and Defense Avionics
The EP20K200EBC356-1N supports long-lifecycle defense and avionics programs where qualification, certification, and form-fit-function continuity outweigh the benefits of newer FPGA families. The APEX 20KE silicon is on qualified-parts lists for several defense platforms and remains supported by configuration bitstream archives. Its 35x35 mm 356-ball LBGA drops into existing board designs with no PCB rework, and the MultiCore architecture supports MIL-STD-1553, ARINC 429, and other legacy avionics bus protocols. Program offices continue to purchase this part for sustaining engineering rather than new development.
Recommended
Medical Imaging Pre-Processing Pipeline
In medical imaging systems such as ultrasound and CT scanners, the EP20K200EBC356-1N implements beamforming, image reconstruction pre-processing, and sensor-fanout control before data is forwarded to a host CPU or DSP array. The high logic density (8,320 LEs) supports multi-channel parallel processing pipelines, while the embedded memory blocks provide line-buffer and lookup-table storage for tone-map correction. The 271 user I/Os connect to multiple analog front-end ADCs in parallel, and the MultiVolt I/O simplifies interfacing to both 1.8 V ADCs and 3.3 V host processors. Sustained throughput benefits from the 367 MHz internal clock rate on critical paths.
Recommended
Recommended Products Summary
Engineering reference data for EP20K200EBC356-1N — comparison, design guidance, and compliance information.
Selection Guide
Comparison with Alternatives
| Parameter | This Product | EP20K200BC356-1 | EP20K200BC356-2 | EP20K200BC356-1X |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brand | Intel | Intel | Intel | Intel |
| Package | 356-BGA (LBGA, 35x35 mm) | 356-BGA (LBGA, 35x35 mm) - same | 356-BGA (LBGA, 35x35 mm) - same | 356-BGA (LBGA, 35x35 mm) - same |
| Family | APEX 20KE | APEX 20K (no 'E') | APEX 20K (no 'E') | APEX 20K (no 'E') |
| Logic Elements | 8,320 | 8,320 | 8,320 | 8,320 |
| User I/Os | 271 | 271 | 271 | 271 |
| Speed Grade | -1N (fastest commercial) | -1 | -2 (slower) | -1 (X packaging suffix) |
| Core Voltage | 1.8 V (1.71-1.89 V) | 1.8 V (1.71-1.89 V) | 1.8 V (1.71-1.89 V) | 1.8 V (1.71-1.89 V) |
| MultiVolt I/O | Yes (1.8/2.5/3.3/5.0 V) | No (3.3 V only on APEX 20K) | No (3.3 V only on APEX 20K) | No (3.3 V only on APEX 20K) |
| Lifecycle Status | NRND | NRND | NRND | NRND |
Key Differentiators
- MultiVolt I/O support for 1.8/2.5/3.3/5.0 V logic (vs EP20K200BC356-1)
- 271 user I/Os for high-density board designs (vs EP20K200CF484C8)
- Long-term supply availability for sustaining legacy systems (vs EP20K100EBC356-3N)
Design Notes
Estimated: at 0.22 um CMOS with 1.8 V core and typical 60% toggle rate, the EP20K200EBC356-1N dissipates approximately 1.5-2.5 W. The 35x35 mm LBGA package has theta_JA of approximately 12-15 C/W with adequate PCB copper (4-layer, 2 oz inner). Confirm thermal margin in your application by either (a) running a junction-temperature simulation in Quartus PowerPlay or (b) measuring case temperature in a worst-case workload. Add a heatsink or thermal via array for sustained high-utilization designs.
Use a 4-layer or 6-layer PCB stackup with continuous power and ground planes directly under the 356-ball LBGA. Decouple each VCCINT pin with a 0.1 uF X7R ceramic plus a 10 uF bulk capacitor within 5 mm of the package. Each VCCIO bank needs its own 0.1 uF + 10 uF pair. Route JTAG (TCK, TMS, TDI, TDO) as a short, daisy-chained bus with 4.7 kohm pull-ups on TCK/TMS/TDI. Maintain 50 ohm impedance on high-speed clocks (CLK0-CLK3) feeding the dedicated clock input balls.
Do NOT use modern Intel Quartus Prime (20.1 or later) - the APEX 20KE family is NOT supported. You must use the legacy Quartus II 9.0 SP2 Web Edition toolchain (still available from the Intel FPGA legacy downloads archive) or MAX+PLUS II. Configuration bitstreams are NOT compatible across APEX 20K and APEX 20KE silicon because the 'E' enhanced I/O adds MultiVolt bank programming bits. Verify your .pof / .sof targets the correct device by checking the device ID before programming.
Allocate at least 4 PCB layers for the 356-ball LBGA breakout. Use 0.5 mm ball pitch with microvia stackups (laser-drilled microvias on the top layer to escape the inner-row balls). Maintain at least 0.2 mm clearance between BGA balls and adjacent components. Route differential pairs (LVDS on dedicated clock inputs) with 100 ohm differential impedance and length matching within 0.5 mm. Avoid routing high-speed signals under the BGA shadow to minimize crosstalk with the internal power plane stitching.
Compliance Information
RoHS and lead-free status depend on date code and tray suffix. Original leaded APEX 20KE variants were typically Pb-bearing; later 'X' or 'N1' suffixes are typically lead-free. Confirm with distributor for the specific lot before RoHS-restricted assembly.
