EP20K200EBC652-3 - 200K LEs APEX-20KE FPGA 652-BGA | Intel / Altera
MPN: EP20K200EBC652-3 ✗ End of Life| Qty | Unit Price | Extended |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $285 | $285.00 |
| 10 | $265 | $2,650.00 |
| 100 | $245 | $24,500.00 |
| 500 | $225 | $112,500.00 |
| 1,000 | $210 | $210,000.00 |
EP20K200EBC652-3 Overview
A Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) is a type of programmable logic device (PLD) that combines the architectural depth of gate arrays with on-the-fly configurability, occupying the high-end branch of the programmable logic hierarchy. FPGAs sit between simple CPLDs and full-mask ASICs in terms of integration density and unit cost. The APEX-20KE family pioneered multi-vendor logic (MVL) via embedded Look-Up Tables (LUTs), embedded product-term logic, and dedicated memory blocks called ESBs (Embedded System Blocks), making it suitable for designs that blend datapath, control, and on-chip buffering on a single die.
Key features include 8,320 LEs (each with 4 inputs), 832 Logic Array Blocks (LABs), 106,496 RAM bits distributed across ESBs, four PLLs for clock multiplication and phase shifting, and multi-voltage I/O support with bank-by-bank reference voltages. Boundary-scan (IEEE 1149.1 JTAG) and in-system programmability via the dedicated configuration pins allow reconfiguration without removal from the board.
The APEX-20KE architecture combines a fine-grained LUT fabric with a coarse-grained ESB memory fabric, allowing large datapath and small control functions to coexist on the same device. Each LE is paired with a carry chain for efficient arithmetic, while ESBs can be configured as either dual-port or single-port RAM, ROM, or CAM (Content Addressable Memory). The four PLLs and multiple clock-tree networks make the device a strong fit for source-synchronous interfaces.
Typical applications include telecommunications line cards, multiprocessor bridge logic, high-speed serial-channel aggregation, industrial protocol conversion, and legacy replacement of masked gate-array designs. The wide I/O count makes it attractive for designs that need to drop multiple buses onto a single device. This page synthesizes distributor pricing, drop-in alternatives, and practical design notes that complement the manufacturer datasheet and signal-integrity guides.
Drop-in alternatives for EP20K200EBC652-3 — 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 EP20K200EBC652-3 (same form factor and footprint) — differing in Package, Operating Temperature, Process Technology, Speed Grade, Total RAM Bits.
Quick Comparison Tool — Select alternative parts for side-by-side comparison:
EP20K200EBC652-2X
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$195 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP20K200EBC652-1X
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$142 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP20K1500EBC652-1X
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$175 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP20K1000EBC652-2X
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$99 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP20K100EBC652-2X
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$85 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP20K200EBC652-3 Maximum Ratings & Electrical Characteristics
| Family | APEX-20KE |
| Logic Elements (LEs) | 8,320 |
| Logic Array Blocks (LABs) | 832 |
| Total RAM Bits | 106,496 |
| Maximum User I/O Pins | 376 |
| Embedded System Blocks (ESBs) | Yes (dual-port RAM / ROM / CAM) |
| PLLs | 4 |
| Package | 652-ball FineLine BGA (top-side, 1.27 mm pitch) |
| Mounting Type | Surface Mount |
| Operating Temperature | 0C to +85C (EBC - Enhanced Commercial) |
| Speed Grade | -3 |
| Configuration Mode | JTAG / PS / Passive-serial / Passive-parallel |
| RoHS Status | Not RoHS (non-lead-free variant) |
| Lifecycle Status | Obsolete - last time-buy period closed |
EP20K200EBC652-3 652-ball fineline bga (top-side, 1.27 mm pitch) Pin Configuration Guide
Pin configuration for EP20K200EBC652-3 (652-ball fineline bga (top-side, 1.27 mm pitch) 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 EP20K200EBC652-3.
Refer to the datasheet for full pin configuration.
Typical Applications
EP20K200EBC652-3 is suitable for 7 applications: Telecommunications Line Cards, Industrial Protocol Bridges, Multiprocessor Bridge / Glue Logic, ASIC Prototyping and Replacement, Legacy Test and Measurement Equipment, Aerospace and Defense Avionics Retrofit, Legacy Storage Area Network Controllers.
Telecommunications Line Cards
The EP20K200EBC652-3 is well-suited for legacy telecom line cards where APEX-20KE was a reference architecture. Its 8,320 logic elements support T1/E1 framers, HDLC controllers, and UTOPIA-2 / POS-PHY interfaces in a single device, while the 4 PLLs derive the multi-rate clocks required for 1.544 MHz to 155 MHz synthesis across TDM and packet backplanes. The 376 I/O pins provide enough bus width for 32-bit POS-PHY plus spare GPIO for line-side control, and 106,496 bits of embedded SRAM are sufficient for cell buffering and de-jitter without external FIFOs.
Recommended
Industrial Protocol Bridges
For industrial gateways bridging CAN, Profibus, Modbus, and EtherCAT, the EP20K200EBC652-3 provides 4 PLLs for independent protocol clocking and 8,320 LEs for protocol stacks. The 652-ball FineLine BGA allows dense routing of LVTTL and RS-485 differential I/O across multiple bus segments, while the embedded SRAM supports frame buffering for protocol translation latency. The -3 speed grade ensures deterministic timing closure for deterministic Ethernet protocols.
Recommended
Multiprocessor Bridge / Glue Logic
The EP20K200EBC652-3 historically served as a multi-protocol bridge between PowerPC, MIPS, and DSP processors in legacy compute platforms. With 376 user I/O pins, the device can host multiple 32-bit or 64-bit processor buses plus shared memory controllers simultaneously. The 106,496-bit SRAM implements small L2 cache tag arrays or mailbox FIFOs, and the 4 PLLs generate independent core and SDRAM clocks. The -3 speed grade supports 66 MHz PCI and 100 MHz SDRAM bus frequencies.
Recommended
ASIC Prototyping and Replacement
The EP20K200EBC652-3 was widely adopted as an ASIC prototype platform because its 8,320 LEs and 832 LABs emulate several hundred thousand ASIC gates at full system-clock speeds. Designers can also use it as a masked-ASIC replacement in low-volume production runs (typically under 5,000 units per year) where the silicon recurring cost is dominated by NRE. The -3 speed grade provides headroom for ASIC-to-FPGA timing closure on most designs, and JTAG configuration enables rapid design revisions during field deployment.
Recommended
Legacy Test and Measurement Equipment
Test and measurement instruments designed in the late 1990s and early 2000s used the EP20K200EBC652-3 as a digital signal-routing controller and timing engine. Its 4 PLLs generate multiple clock domains for ADC/DAC synchronization, while the 8,320 LEs implement trigger logic, packet generation, and DSP glue functions. The 376 I/O pins can fan out across parallel digital buses and serial front-panel connectors, and 106,496 bits of embedded SRAM serve as deep capture buffers for transient recording.
Recommended
Aerospace and Defense Avionics Retrofit
Some avionics programs adopted the EP20K200EBC652-3 for mission computers and display controllers where the device's wide I/O and embedded memory reduce board-level complexity. The 652-ball FineLine BGA is qualified for many legacy MIL-STD-810 and DO-160 vibration and thermal profiles, and the -3 speed grade supports 60 Hz refresh of high-resolution cockpit displays. For new avionics programs, consult Intel for the latest Stratix-V-based radiation-tolerant FPGAs as a migration target.
Recommended
Legacy Storage Area Network Controllers
Storage area network (SAN) controllers and Fibre Channel switches built in the late 1990s and early 2000s deployed the EP20K200EBC652-3 as a serializer/deserializer aggregator. The 376 I/O pins host multiple 1 Gbit Fibre Channel channels plus management Ethernet, and the 4 PLLs multiply reference clocks to 106.25 MHz line rates. Embedded SRAM serves as buffer credit memory for FC flow control. The -3 speed grade supports 1.0625 Gbps serial links when paired with external PHYs.
Recommended
Recommended Products Summary
Engineering reference data for EP20K200EBC652-3 — comparison, design guidance, and compliance information.
Selection Guide
Comparison with Alternatives
| Parameter | This Product | EP20K200EBC652-2X | EP20K200EBC652-1X | EP20K1500EBC652-1X | EP20K1000EBC652-2X | EP20K100EBC652-2X |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brand | Intel | Intel | Intel | Intel | Intel | Intel |
| Package | 652-ball FineLine BGA | 652-ball FineLine BGA - same | 652-ball FineLine BGA - same | 652-ball FineLine BGA - same | 652-ball FineLine BGA - same | 652-ball FineLine BGA - same |
| Family | APEX-20KE | APEX-20KE | APEX-20KE | APEX-20KE | APEX-20KE | APEX-20KE |
| Logic Elements | 8,320 | 8,320 | 8,320 | 51,840 | 38,400 | 3,840 |
| Total RAM Bits | 106,496 | 106,496 | 106,496 | 442,368 | 327,680 | 49,152 |
| User I/O Pins | 376 | 376 | 376 | 488 | 488 | 376 |
| Speed Grade | -3 (highest) | -2X | -1X | -1X | -2X | -2X |
| Temperature Range | 0C to +85C (EBC) | 0C to +85C (EBC) | 0C to +85C (EBC) | 0C to +85C (EBC) | 0C to +85C (EBC) | 0C to +85C (EBC) |
| Lifecycle Status | Obsolete | Obsolete | Obsolete | Obsolete | Obsolete | Obsolete |
Key Differentiators
- Highest available speed grade in the APEX-20KE 200K family (vs EP20K200EBC652-2X)
- Higher logic density than the 100K family with same footprint (vs EP20K100EBC652-2X)
- More compact per-IO cost than the 1M and 1.5M family members (vs EP20K1500EBC652-1X)
Design Notes
Estimated: The 652-ball FineLine BGA of the EP20K200EBC652-3 typically exhibits a theta_JA of approximately 8-10 C/W with a properly designed 6x6 inch PCB with 1 oz copper and thermal vias under the package. For continuous operation near full logic utilization at 100 MHz, the device may dissipate 1.5-2.5 W. Use thermal vias, copper pours, and possibly forced airflow to maintain junction temperature below 100C in a sealed enclosure.
The 1.27 mm ball pitch requires 0.6 mm drilled micro-vias in the PCB stack-up, or alternatively a 0.5 mm drilled via-in-pad with filled-and-planarized plating. Maintain controlled-impedance traces (typically 50 ohm single-ended, 100 ohm differential) on all high-speed signals. Place decoupling capacitors (0.01 uF and 0.1 uF in parallel) within 5 mm of each VCCIO/VCCINT ball, and use a continuous ground/power plane pair for low-impedance return paths.
Do not apply power to the EP20K200EBC652-3 before all VCCINT and VCCIO rails are within their specified tolerance; the device latches up and may be permanently damaged if any supply rises before the others. Use a power-sequencer IC or a simple RC delay so that VCCINT comes up first. Also note that the APEX-20KE configuration pins are 3.3V-only - never drive configuration or JTAG pins to 5V. The device is NOT 5V-tolerant on any user I/O.
Compliance Information
APEX-20KE devices were released before RoHS mandates took full effect; the EP20K200EBC652-3 is a non-lead-free variant. For RoHS-compliant sockets use the -2X or -1X speed grade parts in the same 652-ball package. Conflict-minerals compliance is per Intel's CMRT filings.
