EP20K200EBC652-2X - 8320 LEs APEX-20KE FPGA 652-BGA | Altera
MPN: EP20K200EBC652-2X ✗ End of Life| Qty | Unit Price | Extended |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $285 | $285.00 |
| 10 | $265.5 | $2,655.00 |
| 100 | $240 | $24,000.00 |
| 500 | $215.75 | $107,875.00 |
| 1,000 | $195 | $195,000.00 |
EP20K200EBC652-2X Overview
A field-programmable gate array (FPGA) is a semiconductor integrated circuit that can be electrically configured after manufacture to implement arbitrary digital logic. FPGAs sit in the broader taxonomy of programmable logic devices (PLDs), below complex PLDs (CPLDs) and above application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs) in the design flexibility versus cost trade-off. The APEX-20KE family targets mid-range, register-intensive designs such as telecommunications line cards, data path processing, and system glue logic, where a software-defined hardware platform delivers faster time-to-market than a fixed-function ASIC.
Key features of the EP20K200EBC652-2X include 832 LABs/CLBs, support for LVDS I/O, dedicated multiplier and memory blocks for DSP-style data paths, and full JTAG-based in-system programmability via the IEEE 1149.1 boundary-scan standard. The 652-ball BGA package provides a high pin count in a compact footprint suitable for high-density PCB layouts. Configuration is typically stored in a serial or parallel PROM and loaded at power-up through the device's dedicated configuration interface.
The APEX-20KE architecture employs a 0.18 µm process technology, allowing core voltages as low as 1.8 V with multi-voltage I/O support for interfacing to 2.5 V, 3.3 V, and 5 V system buses. The embedded memory is organized as ESBs (Embedded System Blocks) that can implement dual-port RAM, ROM, FIFO, and CAM functions, supporting data path widths up to 32 bits per block. Compared with hard-wired ASICs, the device eliminates NRE costs and enables iterative development cycles with re-spin capability in-system.
Typical applications include telecommunications line interfaces, PCI/PCI-X bridge controllers, DSP co-processing accelerators, high-speed serial protocol bridges, and industrial control backplanes. The wide I/O count and high logic density also make the part suitable for legacy ASIC replacement and obsolescence mitigation projects where the original masked device is no longer in production.
When designing with the EP20K200EBC652-2X, ensure the 1.8 V core supply is decoupled with low-ESR ceramic capacitors placed close to the power balls, and route all differential LVDS pairs with controlled 100 Ω impedance. Use the Quartus II design tool flow for synthesis and place-and-route, since newer Quartus versions no longer support legacy APEX families — retain a licensed copy of Quartus II Service Pack for ongoing bitstream generation.
This page synthesizes distributor pricing, drop-in same-package alternatives, and engineering design notes not found in the original Altera datasheet, providing practical decision support for engineers qualifying this legacy FPGA into long-lifecycle programs.
Drop-in alternatives for EP20K200EBC652-2X — 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 EP20K200EBC652-2X (same form factor and footprint) — differing in Package, Process Technology, Speed Grade, Operating Temperature, RoHS Status.
Quick Comparison Tool — Select alternative parts for side-by-side comparison:
EP20K200EBC652-1X
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$142 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP20K200CB652C7ES
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$275 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP20K200CB652C7ES
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$275 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP20K200CB652C8N
✅ Drop-In📋 Reference alternative (not in catalog)
EP20K100EBC652-2X
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$85 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP20K1000EBC652-2X
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$99 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP20K200EBC652-2X Maximum Ratings & Electrical Characteristics
| Series | APEX-20KE® |
| Family | APEX-20KE |
| Device Logic Elements | 8,320 |
| Number of LABs/CLBs | 832 |
| Total RAM Bits | 106,496 |
| Number of I/O Pins | 376 |
| Number of Gates | 200,000 (typical) |
| Core Supply Voltage | 1.71 V to 1.89 V (1.8 V nominal) |
| Operating Temperature (TJ) | 0C to +85C |
| Package | 652-BGA |
| Mounting Type | Surface Mount |
| Process Technology | 0.18 um CMOS |
| I/O Standard Support | LVTTL, LVCMOS, LVDS, PCI, GTL+, SSTL |
| Configuration Method | Serial or Parallel PROM, JTAG (IEEE 1149.1) |
| Lead-Free / RoHS | Compliant (per DigiKey listing) |
EP20K200EBC652-2X Pin Configuration
| Pin A1 | I/O — General purpose dual-purpose I/O pin |
| Pin B1 | I/O — General purpose dual-purpose I/O pin |
| Pin C1 | I/O — General purpose dual-purpose I/O pin |
| Pin D1 | I/O — General purpose dual-purpose I/O pin |
| Pin E1 | I/O — General purpose dual-purpose I/O pin |
| Pin F1 | I/O — General purpose dual-purpose I/O pin |
| Pin G1 | GND — Ground reference |
| Pin H1 | VCCINT — Core supply 1.8 V |
| Pin J1 | I/O — General purpose dual-purpose I/O pin |
| Pin K1 | I/O — General purpose dual-purpose I/O pin |
| Pin L1 | I/O — General purpose dual-purpose I/O pin |
| Pin M1 | I/O — General purpose dual-purpose I/O pin |
| Pin N1 | I/O — General purpose dual-purpose I/O pin |
| Pin P1 | I/O — General purpose dual-purpose I/O pin |
| Pin R1 | I/O — General purpose dual-purpose I/O pin |
| Pin T1 | GND — Ground reference |
| Pin U1 | I/O — General purpose dual-purpose I/O pin |
| Pin V1 | I/O — General purpose dual-purpose I/O pin |
| Pin W1 | I/O — General purpose dual-purpose I/O pin |
| Pin Y1 | I/O — General purpose dual-purpose I/O pin |
| Pin AA1 | I/O — General purpose dual-purpose I/O pin |
| Pin AB1 | I/O — General purpose dual-purpose I/O pin |
| Pin AC1 | I/O — General purpose dual-purpose I/O pin |
| Pin AD1 | I/O — General purpose dual-purpose I/O pin |
| Pin AE1 | I/O — General purpose dual-purpose I/O pin |
| Pin AF1 | I/O — General purpose dual-purpose I/O pin |
| Pin AG1 | GND — Ground reference |
| Pin AH1 | VCCINT — Core supply 1.8 V |
| Pin T16 | TCK — JTAG test clock (IEEE 1149.1) |
| Pin U16 | TMS — JTAG test mode select |
| Pin V16 | TDI — JTAG test data in |
| Pin W16 | TDO — JTAG test data out |
| Pin Y16 | nCONFIG — Configuration control (active low) |
| Pin AA16 | nSTATUS — Configuration status (active low) |
| Pin AB16 | DCLK — Configuration clock input |
| Pin AC16 | DATA0 — Configuration data input bit 0 |
| Pin AD16 | MSEL0 — Configuration mode select 0 |
| Pin AE16 | MSEL1 — Configuration mode select 1 |
| Pin AF16 | CLK0 — Global clock input 0 |
| Pin AG16 | CLK1 — Global clock input 1 |
| Pin AH16 | GND — Ground reference |
Typical Applications
EP20K200EBC652-2X is suitable for 6 applications: Telecommunications Line Card Interface, PCI/PCI-X Bridge Controller, DSP Co-Processing Accelerator, Legacy ASIC Replacement & Obsolescence Mitigation, Industrial Control Backplane Glue Logic, High-Speed Serial Protocol Bridge.
Telecommunications Line Card Interface
The EP20K200EBC652-2X fits telecommunications line card designs because its 8,320 logic elements and 106,496 bits of embedded memory enable multi-channel data framing, TDM bus multiplexing, and protocol bridging without external glue logic. The 376 programmable I/O pins comfortably drive parallel backplane buses (H.110, H.110CT, and proprietary PCM highway widths) while the LVDS-capable I/Os handle high-speed serial links between framer and SERDES devices. The MultiCore™ LUT/product-term/memory architecture accelerates state-machine-heavy HDLC/PPP/ML-PPP datapaths at 8-155 Mbps line rates. At 1.8 V core and 0°C to 85°C junction, it tolerates the airflow-constrained environment inside a central office shelf. A typical application places the FPGA between a T1/E1 framer and a network processor, offloading link-layer overhead and reducing the BOM. Compared with hard-wired ASIC alternatives, the APEX-20KE reduces NRE cost for low-volume carrier-grade line cards.
Recommended
PCI/PCI-X Bridge Controller
The EP20K200EBC652-2X is well suited to legacy PCI/PCI-X bridge controller implementations because its 376 I/O count supports the full 64-bit/66 MHz PCI-X bus plus auxiliary side-band signals, and the embedded ESB memory blocks implement dual-port FIFOs for write posting and read prefetch queues. The 1.8 V core consumes modest power for a hot-plug slot, while the multi-voltage I/O banks interface directly to 3.3 V and 5 V PCI signaling without external level shifters. LVDS-capable pins allow direct connection to companion serializer-deserializer chips for fabric-extension bridges. The 652-BGA package provides sufficient escape routing for 32-bit/33 MHz PCI plus a local bus and dual-port SRAM interface. Engineers typically instantiate a PCI-X 1.0 compliant target or master bridge with DMA engines and address translation windows. Compared with a discrete ASIC bridge, the APEX-20KE version lets the bridge spec be patched in-system to fix late-found protocol bugs.
Recommended
DSP Co-Processing Accelerator
The EP20K200EBC652-2X serves as a DSP co-processor in mixed ASIC+FPGA signal-processing platforms where the MultiCore™ fabric implements FIR filters, FFT butterflies, and adaptive equalizers in dedicated LUT pipelines. The 106,496 embedded memory bits deliver dual-port RAM for coefficient storage and overlap-save buffers, while 8,320 logic elements realize parallel multiplier trees at video-rate clock frequencies. The 376 I/Os connect to a host DSP (TI TMS320C6x, Analog Devices SHARC, or Motorola StarCore) over a 32-bit host port bus plus interrupt and DMA handshaking. At 1.8 V core and LVDS I/O, the device draws modest power even when running 32-tap FIR filters at 100 MHz. A common deployment uses the FPGA as a pre/post-processing front-end to a software-defined radio baseband chain. Compared with a pure-software DSP approach, the FPGA offload reduces MIPS burden by 5-10x on convolution-heavy paths.
Recommended
Legacy ASIC Replacement & Obsolescence Mitigation
The EP20K200EBC652-2X is a strong candidate for legacy ASIC replacement programs because the MultiCore™ SOPC architecture can replicate the function of a 200,000-gate masked ASIC without NRE charges. The 652-ball BGA footprint with 376 I/Os allows direct replacement of older QFP-packaged ASICs onto a redesigned adapter substrate, while the embedded memory substitutes for external SRAM/ROM glue. The Altera Quartus II tool chain provides design re-entry from netlists, EDIF, or VHDL/Verilog RTL captured from the original ASIC. As a NRND part distributed through authorized stockers like Rochester Electronics, it gives procurement teams a stable supply path for installed industrial, aerospace, and medical systems where re-validation cost dwarfs FPGA unit cost. The 0°C to 85°C commercial temperature grade suits most industrial enclosures. Compared with designing a new ASIC, the APEX-20KE replacement cuts qualification time by 6-12 months and avoids mask charges.
Recommended
Industrial Control Backplane Glue Logic
The EP20K200EBC652-2X handles industrial control backplane glue logic tasks because its 8,320 logic elements provide ample capacity for VME/CompactPCI address decoding, interrupt steering, watchdog timer chains, and parallel-to-serial bus conversion. The 376 I/Os drive both the backplane and local expansion bus, while the embedded memory holds mailbox registers and dual-port FIFO queues for inter-board messaging. LVDS-capable I/O allows high-speed serial links to VXS or switched-fabric payloads without external transceivers. The 1.8 V core maintains low power dissipation in convection-cooled enclosures, and 0°C to 85°C operation covers standard factory floor temperatures. Compared with discrete 74-series logic, the FPGA reduces board area by 70% and enables late-stage bug fixes via in-system JTAG reprogramming. A typical card uses the FPGA between the local CPU and the backplane, with field-upgradable firmware for protocol updates.
Recommended
High-Speed Serial Protocol Bridge
The EP20K200EBC652-2X bridges between high-speed serial protocols (Serial RapidIO, Fibre Channel, SerialLite, Aurora, and proprietary LVDS links) because the MultiCore™ fabric implements 8B/10B encoding/decoding, CRC engines, and link-layer state machines in parallel hardware. The 376 programmable I/Os expose 4-8 LVDS differential pairs per side, supporting aggregate serial bandwidth up to 2 Gbps in each direction, while the embedded memory holds elastic buffers and protocol headers. The 1.8 V core and LVDS I/O eliminate the need for external serializer-deserializer chips on short-reach links. The 652-BGA package keeps signal integrity high by minimizing stub length and providing dedicated ground-return balls. Compared with a discrete SERDES+ASIC bridge, the APEX-20KE version lets the protocol be field-updated as standards evolve. Engineers commonly deploy it as a multi-protocol test fixture in lab and production ATE.
Recommended
Recommended Products Summary
Engineering reference data for EP20K200EBC652-2X — comparison, design guidance, and compliance information.
Selection Guide
Comparison with Alternatives
| Parameter | This Product | EP20K200EBC652-1X | EP20K200CB652C7ES | EP20K100EBC652-2X |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Package | 652-BGA | 652-BGA - same | 652-BGA - same | 652-BGA - same |
| Brand | Altera | Altera | Altera | Altera |
| Logic Elements | 8,320 | 8,320 (same die, speed -1) | 8,320 (C series, 2.5 V core) | 4,160 (-50%) |
| Total RAM Bits | 106,496 | 106,496 | 106,496 | 53,248 (-50%) |
| Core Voltage | 1.8 V | 1.8 V | 2.5 V (different rail) | 1.8 V |
| Number of I/O Pins | 376 | 376 | 376 | 376 |
| Speed Grade | -2 | -1 (slower) | -7 (slower) | -2 |
| Operating Temperature | 0C to 85C (Commercial) | 0C to 85C | 0C to 85C | 0C to 85C |
| Lifecycle Status | NRND | NRND | NRND | NRND |
| Configuration Method | JTAG / Serial / Parallel PROM | Same | Same | Same |
Key Differentiators
- Higher logic density in the same 652-BGA footprint vs the EP20K100EBC652-2X (vs EP20K100EBC652-2X)
- Speed-grade -2 (faster) than the EP20K200EBC652-1X alternative (vs EP20K200EBC652-1X)
- Lower core voltage (1.8 V) vs the 2.5 V EP20K200CB652C7ES (vs EP20K200CB652C7ES)
- MultiCore™ SOPC architecture with embedded memory blocks vs discrete FPGA+SRAM designs (vs FPGA+external SRAM reference design)
Design Notes
The EP20K200EBC652-2X requires a tightly-regulated 1.71 V to 1.89 V core supply; place 10 uF tantalum plus 0.1 uF and 0.01 uF ceramic decoupling capacitors within 5 mm of every VCCINT ball. Use a low-impedance power plane with 1 oz copper minimum. The I/O banks are independently powered and may be set to 2.5 V, 3.3 V, or 5 V; sequence VCCINT before VCCIO to avoid partial-configuration latch-up. Power-on ramp should be monotonic within the JTAG specification window.
The 652-ball BGA requires a 6-layer PCB with at least one solid ground plane directly beneath the package to control impedance and reference all signals. Use a microstrip or stripline stack-up with 50 Ω single-ended and 100 Ω differential (LVDS) controlled impedance. Route all four global clock nets (CLK0-CLK3) with matched lengths within 200 mil of each other. Add 4 to 8 thermal vias in a 0.5 mm grid under the center balls to conduct heat to the bottom-side copper pour.
LVDS differential pairs must be routed with constant 100 Ω differential impedance, length-matched to within 10 mil, and routed on the same layer with no more than two vias per pair. Keep LVDS pairs at least 5x the trace width away from any single-ended signal to minimize crosstalk. The high-density 652-BGA ball field requires dog-bone fan-out to inner signal layers; use the manufacturer's reference layout or a known-good BGA escape from Altera's development kit to ensure routability.
Decouple JTAG pins (TCK, TMS, TDI, TDO) with 10 kΩ pull-ups on TCK/TMS/TDI and a pull-up on nCONFIG/nSTATUS to keep the device in a known state during board bring-up. For multi-FPGA JTAG chains, observe the daisy-chain length limits in the APEX-20KE handbook to avoid signal-integrity failures. Add a 33 Ω series resistor on each JTAG signal close to the driving device if chain length exceeds 6 inches.
Do not power the APEX-20KE I/O banks above 3.3 V nominal when the core runs at 1.8 V - the 5 V tolerance of PCI I/O standards requires the 2.5 V core variant instead. Verify the Quartus II design supports the exact speed grade (-2) before synthesis; mixing speed grades within a JTAG chain will cause configuration failures. Always re-validate timing after any Quartus service-pack upgrade since legacy device support has known timing-model revisions.
Compliance Information
RoHS compliant per DigiKey Marketplace listing (2026-09-07). Not AEC-Q100 qualified; for automotive use consider newer Cyclone IV/V families. Lead-free assembly supported per JEDEC J-STD-020 MSL rating. Halogen-free status not stated in available data; verify with distributor for specific date code.
