EP20K300EQC240-2X - APEX 20KE 300K Gates 240-PQFP FPGA | Altera
MPN: EP20K300EQC240-2X ✗ End of Life| Qty | Unit Price | Extended |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $285 | $285.00 |
| 10 | $245 | $2,450.00 |
| 100 | $195 | $19,500.00 |
| 500 | $165 | $82,500.00 |
| 1,000 | $140 | $140,000.00 |
EP20K300EQC240-2X Overview
An FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array) is a semiconductor device containing an array of configurable logic blocks (CLBs), programmable interconnect, and I/O cells that can be electrically configured by the designer after manufacture. FPGAs sit between fixed-function ASICs and software-programmable processors in the design hierarchy: they deliver hardware-level parallelism and deterministic timing like ASICs while retaining the flexibility of programmable logic. Within Altera's portfolio, the APEX 20KE family occupies the high-density SOPC tier, bridging the older APEX 20K series and later Stratix/Arria families.
Key features include 1152 macrocells, 152 user I/Os, an internal core voltage of 1.71 V to 1.89 V (1.8 V nominal), a propagation delay of approximately 1.68 ns to 2.29 ns depending on speed grade, and an internal operating frequency of up to 160 MHz. The device supports in-system programmability via JTAG and is supported by the Quartus II design toolchain (legacy). The 240-PQFP gull-wing package is surface-mount compatible and follows JEDEC MS-022 standards.
Typical applications include high-density glue logic, telecommunications backplane interfacing, custom peripheral bridging in industrial controllers, DSP pre/post-processing front-ends, and prototype ASIC emulation. The combination of high gate count and an embedded memory block array makes it well suited to bus-interface aggregation and protocol-conversion designs.
When designing with this device, ensure 1.8 V core decoupling is placed adjacent to all VCCINT pins and that I/O bank voltages are configured to match downstream logic levels. The legacy 1.8 V core and 240-PQFP footprint mean modern PCB designs should verify JEDEC land-pattern compatibility before reuse.
Drop-in alternatives for EP20K300EQC240-2X — 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 EP20K300EQC240-2X (same form factor and footprint) — differing in Operating Temperature, Family, Package, Series, Package / Case.
Quick Comparison Tool — Select alternative parts for side-by-side comparison:
EP20K300EQC240-2
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$89 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP20K200EQC240-2X
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$52 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP20K160EQC240-2X
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$22.75 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP20K300EQC240-2X Maximum Ratings & Electrical Characteristics
| Series | APEX 20KE |
| Family | APEX 20KE (MultiCore) |
| System Gates | 300,000 |
| Macrocells | 1,152 |
| Logic Elements / Cells | 11,520 |
| User I/Os | 152 |
| Number of Terminals | 240 |
| Core Voltage (VCCINT) | 1.71 V to 1.89 V (1.8 V nominal) |
| Logic Family | CMOS |
| Propagation Delay | 1.68 ns (2.29 ns per alternate source listing) |
| Internal Operating Frequency | Up to 160 MHz |
| Operating Temperature | 0 °C to 85 °C |
| Package / Case | 240-BQFP (240-PQFP, 32x32 mm) |
| Supplier Device Package | 240-PQFP (32x32) |
| Terminal Form | Gull Wing |
| Package Code | FQFP |
| Mounting Type | Surface Mount |
| Programmability | In-system programmable (JTAG) |
EP20K300EQC240-2X fqfp Pin Configuration Guide
Pin configuration for EP20K300EQC240-2X (fqfp 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 EP20K300EQC240-2X.
Refer to the datasheet for full pin configuration.
Typical Applications
EP20K300EQC240-2X is suitable for 6 applications: High-Density Glue Logic in Industrial Control, Telecommunications Backplane Interfacing, Custom Peripheral Bridging, ASIC Prototyping and Emulation, DSP Pre/Post-Processing Front-End, Legacy System Sustainment and Drop-In Replacement.
High-Density Glue Logic in Industrial Control
The EP20K300EQC240-2X delivers 300,000 system gates and 152 user I/Os that allow it to consolidate multiple discrete logic functions into a single programmable device. In industrial control systems the FPGA aggregates legacy parallel buses, custom handshake protocols, and motor-control timing logic that no off-the-shelf CPLD can support. Its 1.8 V core keeps dynamic power moderate even at the -2X speed grade, while the 240-PQFP 32x32 mm footprint is large enough to escape high-I/O counts without microvia stackups. Designers typically pair it with external SRAM for look-up-table expansion and use Quartus II SOPC Builder to integrate Nios soft processors when firmware flexibility is also needed.
Recommended
Telecommunications Backplane Interfacing
Telecom backplanes aggregate high-speed serial and parallel traffic between line cards and switch fabrics, and the EP20K300EQC240-2X is well suited to the bridging, framing, and clock-domain-crossing logic in such designs. With 152 user I/Os the device can drive multiple 8-bit or 16-bit parallel buses simultaneously while the 1,152 macrocells provide ample logic for protocol-state-machine encoding. The 1.68 ns propagation delay at the -2X speed grade leaves timing margin for backplane trace lengths typical of ATCA or proprietary shelves. Designers should still apply source-synchronous clocking and SSTL I/O standards to maintain signal integrity across the backplane.
Recommended
Custom Peripheral Bridging
Legacy industrial and embedded systems frequently need to bridge between incompatible peripheral standards - for example UART to SPI, I2C to parallel, or custom FPGA fabric to a host CPU bus. The EP20K300EQC240-2X's 152 I/Os comfortably accommodate four or more independent peripheral bridges running concurrently, and the 1.8 V core keeps the part compatible with modern low-voltage host buses. Designers typically implement the bridges as soft IP cores in Verilog or VHDL and synthesize them through Quartus II, taking advantage of the APEX 20KE's MultiCore architecture to instantiate multiple bridges in parallel without contention. JTAG in-system programmability allows field firmware updates without replacing hardware.
Recommended
ASIC Prototyping and Emulation
Before committing to mask charges for an ASIC, design teams often prototype their RTL on a high-density FPGA. The EP20K300EQC240-2X offers 300K system gates and 11,520 logic cells, enough to host a moderately complex ASIC prototype in a single device. The 152 user I/Os expose prototype signals to bench instruments, while embedded system blocks (ESBs) provide on-chip memory for register-file and FIFO emulation. Designers should account for the APEX 20KE's 1.8 V core and configure I/O banks to match the target ASIC's voltage levels. Quartus II SOPC Builder integration with Nios soft cores accelerates firmware co-development during prototyping.
Recommended
DSP Pre/Post-Processing Front-End
DSP pipelines benefit from hardware-accelerated pre-processing - filtering, decimation, interpolation, and FFT pre-conditioning - before data reaches a software DSP or ASIC. The EP20K300EQC240-2X's 11,520 logic cells and embedded memory blocks implement FIR filters and FFT butterflies efficiently, and the 1.68 ns propagation delay supports sample rates up to tens of megahertz depending on filter topology. Its 152 I/Os accept multiple parallel ADC data streams at LVCMOS or LVTTL levels, and designers can route processed data downstream to a dedicated DSP via a synchronous parallel port. The APEX 20KE MultiCore architecture lets designers partition the logic into parallel DSP slices without compromising timing closure.
Recommended
Legacy System Sustainment and Drop-In Replacement
Many aerospace, medical, and industrial systems shipped in the early 2000s with the EP20K300EQC240-2X as their core logic device. Because the part is obsolete as of 2026-09-08, sustainment engineering teams need drop-in alternatives to keep those systems in service. The Altera EP20K300EQC240-2 (slower speed grade, same footprint) and EP20K200EQC240-2X (smaller gate count, same footprint) both preserve the 240-PQFP land pattern so existing PCBs do not require rework. Authorized distributors like Rochester Electronics hold remaining inventory for legacy sustainment. Designers should re-validate timing closure when substituting speed grades.
Recommended
Recommended Products Summary
Engineering reference data for EP20K300EQC240-2X — comparison, design guidance, and compliance information.
Selection Guide
Comparison with Alternatives
| Parameter | This Product | EP20K300EQC240-2 | EP20K200EQC240-2X | EP20K160EQC240-2X |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Package | 240-PQFP (32x32 mm) | 240-PQFP (32x32 mm) - same | 240-PQFP (32x32 mm) - same | 240-PQFP (32x32 mm) - same |
| Brand | Altera (Intel) | Altera (Intel) | Altera (Intel) | Altera (Intel) |
| System Gates | 300,000 | 300,000 | 200,000 (-33%) | 160,000 (-47%) |
| 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) |
| Speed Grade | -2X | -2 (slower) | -2X | -2X |
| Lifecycle Status | Obsolete | Obsolete | Obsolete | Obsolete |
| Operating Temperature | 0 °C to 85 °C | 0 °C to 85 °C | 0 °C to 85 °C | 0 °C to 85 °C |
Key Differentiators
- Highest density available in 240-PQFP (vs EP20K200EQC240-2X)
- Faster speed grade than the -2 variant (vs EP20K300EQC240-2)
- PQFP package simplifies prototype rework (vs EP20K300EBC652-2X (BGA))
Design Notes
EP20K300EQC240-2X requires a clean 1.8 V VCCINT rail with multiple decoupling capacitors (typically 0.1 µF and 10 µF) placed adjacent to every power pin. The APEX 20KE MultiCore architecture concentrates switching current during configuration, so bulk capacitance is essential. VCCIO rails for I/O banks must be set independently to match downstream logic; mixing 3.3 V and 2.5 V I/O banks on the same device requires separate supply rails. Power sequencing (VCCINT before VCCIO) is recommended to avoid latch-up during hot-plug events.
The 240-PQFP 32x32 mm package has 0.5 mm or 0.635 mm lead pitch depending on exact part variant - verify before PCB layout. All 240 gull-wing leads need perimeter escape routing; use microvia stackups or dog-bone fan-outs to break out the inner-row signals. Ground and power planes should be continuous under the package to control lead-inductance during switching. Maintain at least 4-layer stackup with solid ground reference plane to suppress simultaneous-switching noise on parallel I/O buses.
Common pitfalls include using the wrong configuration file (POF) for the speed grade, which causes timing closure failures; mixing -2X and -2 silicon on the same PCB without revalidating timing; and forgetting JTAG chain ordering when chaining multiple APEX 20KE devices. Also note the device is obsolete as of 2026-09-08, so second-source planning and lifecycle risk assessment are mandatory before committing to a new design. Do not assume Quartus Prime will synthesize legacy APEX 20KE designs - use the legacy Quartus II toolchain.
Compliance Information
Compliance information was not present in the verified web data. The Altera APEX 20KE family predates widespread RoHS-REACH compliance reporting; treat all compliance fields as unknown and confirm directly with the authorized distributor (Rochester Electronics) when ordering. AEC-Q100 not applicable for FPGAs in this product class.
