EP20K200FC484-3AA - APEX-20K FPGA 200K Gates 484-BGA | Intel
MPN: EP20K200FC484-3AA ✗ 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 |
EP20K200FC484-3AA Overview
An FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array) is a type of programmable logic device (PLD) that allows designers to implement arbitrary digital logic functions after PCB fabrication. APEX-20K FPGAs in particular combine fine-grained LUTs for random logic with coarse-grained Embedded System Blocks for memory and arithmetic, placing them in the broader hierarchy: logic cell -> LAB -> MegaLAB -> FPGA -> programmable logic -> semiconductor IC. This MultiCore architecture lets a single device absorb glue logic, register files, FIFO buffers, and even simple DSP datapaths, eliminating several support chips from the BOM.
Key features include 382 user I/O pins supporting LVTTL, LVCMOS, PCI, and other single-ended I/O standards; hot-socketing support; in-system programmability via the IEEE 1149.1 (JTAG) interface and Altera serial configuration schemes; and on-chip PLLs for clock multiplication and skew management. The -3 speed grade places this device among the faster APEX-20K variants, improving Fmax for register-rich datapaths and reducing logic-synthesis-induced clock-period slack.
Typical applications include high-volume telecom line cards, network switch backplanes, industrial motion-control boards, military/aerospace signal processing, and ASIC prototyping. The 484-BGA footprint supports dense board layouts, while the large I/O count enables multiple bus interfaces (PCI, SDRAM, LVDS) in a single chip. When designing, observe Altera's multi-voltage decoupling scheme (separate VCCINT, VCCIO banks, and VCCP_PLL rails), respect JTAG chain ordering, and verify configuration scheme compatibility against the EPC configuration device selected.
Drop-in alternatives for EP20K200FC484-3AA — 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 EP20K200FC484-3AA (same form factor and footprint) — differing in Operating Temperature, Speed Grade, Package, Family, Architecture.
Quick Comparison Tool — Select alternative parts for side-by-side comparison:
EP20K200FC484-3
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$210 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP20K200FC484-3N
✅ Drop-In ⚠️ 参数待验证✓ In Stock
$92.5 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP20K200FC484-2X
✅ Drop-In ⚠️ 参数待验证✓ In Stock
$95 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP20K200FC484-1XV
✅ Drop-In ⚠️ 参数待验证✓ In Stock
$19.95 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP20K200FC484-1N
✅ Drop-In ⚠️ 参数待验证✓ In Stock
$118 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP20K200FC484-1
✅ Drop-In ⚠️ 参数待验证✓ In Stock
$119 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP20K200EFC484-2X
✅ Drop-In ⚠️ 参数待验证✓ In Stock
$54.4 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP20K200EFC484-1X
✅ Drop-In ⚠️ 参数待验证✓ In Stock
$165 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP20K200FC484-3AA Maximum Ratings & Electrical Characteristics
| Family | APEX-20K |
| Logic Elements | 8320 |
| Number of LABs/CLBs | 832 |
| Total RAM Bits | 106496 |
| Number of I/O Pins | 382 |
| Maximum Gates | 526000 |
| Supply Voltage | 2.375 V to 2.625 V |
| Speed Grade | -3 |
| Package Type | 484-BBGA (FineLine BGA) |
| Mounting Type | Surface Mount |
| Configuration Interface | JTAG (IEEE 1149.1) / Serial |
| Process Technology | CMOS |
EP20K200FC484-3AA 484-bbga (fineline bga) Pin Configuration Guide
Pin configuration for EP20K200FC484-3AA (484-bbga (fineline bga) 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 EP20K200FC484-3AA.
Refer to the datasheet for full pin configuration.
Typical Applications
EP20K200FC484-3AA is suitable for 6 applications: Telecom Line Card Interface, Industrial Motion Controller, ASIC Prototyping Platform, Network Switch Backplane Bridge, Military/Aerospace Signal Processing, Legacy Storage RAID Controller.
Telecom Line Card Interface
The EP20K200FC484-3AA's 382 user I/Os and 8320 logic elements make it well suited for telecom line-card glue logic, including bus bridging, TDM framing, and serial-protocol multiplexing. With 106 Kbits of embedded SRAM distributed across 832 LABs, it absorbs small FIFO buffers and lookup tables that would otherwise require a companion CPLD. The -3 speed grade provides timing margin for 77.76 MHz system buses common in legacy SONET/SDH designs, while the 484-BGA footprint supports the dense backplane layouts typical of central-office equipment.
Recommended
Industrial Motion Controller
Industrial motion controllers benefit from the EP20K200FC484-3AA's high I/O count and MultiCore architecture, which lets a single device implement encoder decoding, PWM generation, and host-side communication in parallel. The 526K maximum system gates are sufficient to host a soft processor core (e.g. Nios-class) alongside motion-control state machines, while the 832 LABs enable clean timing closure for step/dir pulse trains up to several MHz. The -3 speed grade ensures deterministic cycle times for closed-loop servo control in PLC and CNC applications.
Recommended
ASIC Prototyping Platform
ASIC prototyping requires the highest possible logic density and I/O bandwidth in a single package - exactly what the EP20K200FC484-3AA delivers with 8320 logic elements and 382 user I/Os. Engineers map RTL from a target ASIC onto APEX-20K MultiCore architecture, using the on-chip ESB blocks as RAM/ROM models and the dedicated clock pins to replicate ASIC clock trees. The 484-BGA package exposes enough I/O for off-chip memory buses and logic-analyzer probe breaks, making the EP20K200FC484-3AA a popular candidate for verification flows on legacy ASIC designs.
Recommended
Network Switch Backplane Bridge
Backplane bridging in legacy gigabit switches relies on the EP20K200FC484-3AA's 382 I/Os to multiplex multiple PHY/MAC interfaces without external bus switches. The device supports LVTTL and LVCMOS I/O standards commonly used in 1G copper PHYs, while the on-chip PLLs generate the multiple clock domains required by switch fabrics. With 106 Kbits of embedded SRAM, the FPGA absorbs packet-header inspection buffers, and the 8320 logic elements handle MAC-table lookup engines or simple QoS classifiers in line-card slots.
Recommended
Military/Aerospace Signal Processing
Defense and aerospace programs with long field-life requirements commonly specify the EP20K200FC484-3AA for radar signal pre-processing, IF band digitization front-ends, and MIL-STD-1553 bus bridges. The 8320 logic elements and 526K maximum gates accommodate FIR filter datapaths and protocol state machines, while the industrial temperature range supports avionics bay environments. The device's mature, well-documented silicon and long-standing second-source channels reduce program risk for systems with 15-20 year service horizons where modern FPGA EOL cycles are unacceptable.
Recommended
Legacy Storage RAID Controller
Storage RAID controllers in enterprise servers historically used the EP20K200FC484-3AA for XOR parity engines, command queue management, and SAS/SATA PHY coordination. The 832 LABs deliver parallel XOR computation across multiple disk channels, while 106 Kbits of on-chip SRAM cache parity metadata and command descriptors. The 382 I/Os provide enough channels to attach 8-12 SATA PHYs directly to the FPGA, and the -3 speed grade sustains the throughput required by 3 Gbps SATA-II drives without external FIFO chips.
Recommended
Recommended Products Summary
Engineering reference data for EP20K200FC484-3AA — comparison, design guidance, and compliance information.
Selection Guide
Comparison with Alternatives
| Parameter | This Product | EP20K200FC484-3 | EP20K200FC484-3N | EP20K200FC484-2X | EP20K200FC484-1X | EP20K200EFC484-2X |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Package | 484-BBGA | 484-BBGA - same | 484-BBGA - same | 484-BBGA - same | 484-BBGA - same | 484-BBGA - same |
| Brand | Intel (formerly Altera) | Intel | Intel | Intel | Intel | Intel |
| Family | APEX-20K | APEX-20K - same | APEX-20K - same | APEX-20K - same | APEX-20K - same | APEX-20KE - enhanced |
| Speed Grade | -3 (faster) | -3 - same | -3 - same | -2 (slower) | -1 (slowest) | -2 (slower) |
| Logic Elements | 8320 | 8320 - same | 8320 - same | 8320 - same | 8320 - same | 8320 - same |
| Number of LABs | 832 | 832 - same | 832 - same | 832 - same | 832 - same | 832 - same |
| Total RAM Bits | 106496 | 106496 - same | 106496 - same | 106496 - same | 106496 - same | 106496 - same |
| User I/O Pins | 382 | 382 - same | 382 - same | 382 - same | 382 - same | 382 - same |
| Maximum Gates | 526000 | 526000 - same | 526000 - same | 526000 - same | 526000 - same | 526000 - same |
| Supply Voltage | 2.375 V to 2.625 V | 2.375-2.625 V - same | 2.375-2.625 V - same | 2.375-2.625 V - same | 2.375-2.625 V - same | 2.375-2.625 V - same |
| Lifecycle Status | Obsolete | Obsolete | Obsolete | Obsolete | Obsolete | Obsolete |
Key Differentiators
- Higher speed grade (-3) versus -1/-2 variants (vs EP20K200FC484-1X)
- Original legacy designation for Altera-sourced inventory (vs EP20K200FC484-3N)
- Mature MultiCore architecture with documented design resources (vs EP20K200EFC484-2X)
Design Notes
The EP20K200FC484-3AA requires three separate power rails: VCCINT (2.375 V to 2.625 V core), VCCIO (per-bank I/O supply - select per I/O standard), and VCCP_PLL (analog PLL supply). Decouple each rail with 0.1 uF and 10 uF capacitors placed within 5 mm of the BGA balls. Bulk-decoupling bulk capacitors must be sized for the inrush current during configuration; Altera recommends a minimum of 33 uF for VCCINT. Estimated: at full utilization (~70% logic switching at 100 MHz), the core current can reach 0.5-1.0 A; budget 2 A for the VCCINT regulator to provide headroom. Per the APEX-20K datasheet, power-on reset (POR) requires VCCINT to ramp monotonically; a soft-start regulator or RC ramp delay is recommended.
The 484-ball FineLine BGA package has a 1.0 mm ball pitch, requiring 4-6 layer PCB stack-up with microvia technology for escape routing. Use a fanout pattern with via-in-pad or dog-bone fanouts to escape the inner rows. Maintain at least 0.5 mm clearance between BGA vias and signal traces to preserve impedance control. For high-speed interfaces (LVDS, clock signals), match trace lengths to within 150 mil (3.8 mm) to control skew. Reference Altera's BGA escape routing guidelines for APEX-20K, available in the legacy Altera documentation archive.
Common pitfalls with the EP20K200FC484-3AA include: (1) incorrect JTAG chain ordering when multiple devices share TDI/TDO - verify the chain order matches the Quartus configuration file; (2) using the wrong configuration scheme - the device supports serial and JTAG but NOT passive parallel; (3) exceeding the maximum I/O toggle rate, which can cause VCCIO droop if bulk decoupling is undersized; (4) ignoring the I/O bank VCCIO constraints - each bank must have a single VCCIO rail, so LVTTL (3.3 V) and LVCMOS (2.5 V) interfaces cannot share a bank; (5) overlooking the CONFIG_DONE pull-up requirement during JTAG-only configuration. Per the APEX-20K datasheet, all of these can manifest as configuration failures or intermittent logic corruption.
Compliance Information
Compliance status not present in the verified distributor data; the -AA suffix typically indicates legacy tin-lead finish, while the -N suffix indicates lead-free. RoHS/REACH declarations for obsolete Altera parts must be requested directly from Intel's legacy product team. AEC-Q100 is not applicable for FPGAs (automotive FPGAs use Cyclone IV/Stratix with explicit Q designations).
