EP20K400CF672I7N - 400K Gates APEX 20KC FPGA 1.8V 672-FBGA | Intel
MPN: EP20K400CF672I7N ✗ End of Life| Qty | Unit Price | Extended |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $950 | $950.00 |
| 10 | $880 | $8,800.00 |
| 100 | $780 | $78,000.00 |
| 500 | $690 | $345,000.00 |
| 1,000 | $620 | $620,000.00 |
EP20K400CF672I7N Overview
What is an FPGA? A Field-Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) is a programmable logic device containing configurable logic blocks (CLBs), programmable interconnect, and I/O cells that the user defines via a hardware description language or schematic capture. APEX 20KC FPGAs belong to the broader hierarchy of programmable logic devices (PLD), which also includes CPLDs. Within Intel's portfolio, APEX 20KC preceded the Stratix and Cyclone families. Compared with ASICs, FPGAs offer rapid time-to-market and in-system reprogrammability at the cost of higher unit price and lower maximum clock speeds.
Key features of the EP20K400CF672I7N include 16,640 logic cells, 212,992 typical gate count (or 400K system gates), built-in dual-port RAM, LVDS I/O support, and an embedded MultiVolt interface that allows mixed 1.8 V and 3.3 V signalling on the same die. The device carries 502 LABs/CLBs and provides I/O banks that can be independently powered for flexible system integration.
Technically, the APEX 20KC family uses a Lookup-Table (LUT) based logic element with fast dedicated carry chains, distributed SRAM, and a hierarchy of routing resources with predictable delay. The 0.15 µm process and 1.8 V VCCINT make it substantially lower-power than the older APEX 20K series while preserving the same Quartus-compatible architecture.
Typical applications include telecom line cards, industrial control systems, prototyping for ASIC replacement, glue logic in DSP pipelines, and high-speed bus interfaces such as PCI. The wide package ball-grid (672 balls) supports hundreds of differential or single-ended I/O, making the part suitable for I/O-rich designs.
When designing with this device, ensure the Quartus II tool flow is used (APEX 20KC is not supported by the newer Quartus Prime Pro Edition). Power sequencing of 1.8 V core before 3.3 V I/O is required to avoid latch-up. Programming files use the .sof / .pof formats generated by Quartus II.
This page synthesizes distributor pricing, drop-in alternative MPNs from the same APEX 20KC family, and practical design notes not found in the manufacturer datasheet alone.
Drop-in alternatives for EP20K400CF672I7N — 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 EP20K400CF672I7N (same form factor and footprint) — differing in Package, Operating Temperature, Process Technology, Speed Grade, Propagation Delay.
Quick Comparison Tool — Select alternative parts for side-by-side comparison:
EP20K400CF672C7N
✅ Drop-In ⚠️ 参数待验证✓ In Stock
$160 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP20K400CF672I7
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$190.5 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP20K400CF672C9N
✅ Drop-In ⚠️ 参数待验证✓ In Stock
$175 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP20K400CF672C8N
✅ Drop-In ⚠️ 参数待验证✓ In Stock
$68.4 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP20K400CF672C8
✅ Drop-In ⚠️ 参数待验证✓ In Stock
$108 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP20K400CF672C-7
✅ Drop-In ⚠️ 参数待验证✓ In Stock
$171 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP20K400CF672I7N Maximum Ratings & Electrical Characteristics
| Family | APEX 20KC |
| Number of Logic Elements / Cells | 16640 |
| Number of LABs/CLBs | 502 |
| Total RAM Bits | 212992 |
| System Gates | 400000 |
| Maximum Operating Frequency | 375.94 MHz |
| Process Technology | 0.15 µm CMOS |
| Core Supply Voltage (VCCINT) | 1.8 V |
| I/O Supply Voltage (VCCIO) | 1.8 V / 3.3 V |
| Package | 672-ball FC-FBGA (Flip-Chip Fine-pitch BGA) |
| Mounting Type | Surface Mount |
| Moisture Sensitivity Level (MSL) | 3 |
| Terminal Finish | Tin/Lead (Sn/Pb) |
| JESD-609 Code | e0 |
| Operating Temperature (industrial, I7) | -40C to +100C |
EP20K400CF672I7N 672-ball fc-fbga (flip-chip fine-pitch bga) Pin Configuration Guide
Pin configuration for EP20K400CF672I7N (672-ball fc-fbga (flip-chip fine-pitch 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 EP20K400CF672I7N.
Refer to the datasheet for full pin configuration.
Typical Applications
EP20K400CF672I7N is suitable for 6 applications: Telecom Line-Card Glue Logic, ASIC Replacement Prototyping, Industrial Motion Control, DSP Pipeline Acceleration, High-Speed Bus Bridge / PCI Interface, Legacy Avionics / Defense Systems.
Telecom Line-Card Glue Logic
The EP20K400CF672I7N's 16,640 logic elements and 212,992 RAM bits provide ample capacity for telecom line-card glue logic that bridges protocol converters, TDM framers, and network processors. Its 375.94 MHz internal frequency handles 155 Mbps POS-PHY and 622 Mbps LVDS data streams without bottlenecking the design. The 1.8 V core reduces on-card power dissipation versus older 2.5 V FPGAs, which is critical for thermally constrained line cards. The MultiVolt interface lets 3.3 V legacy PHYs connect directly without external level shifters, while new 1.8 V SERDES devices can be co-located on the same die. Designers typically instantiate FIFO, HDLC, and UTOPIA-II bridges with the embedded dual-port RAM blocks.
Recommended
ASIC Replacement Prototyping
The EP20K400CF672I7N is widely used to prototype ASIC designs before committing to mask sets, leveraging its 400K system-gate equivalent and high I/O count. The 672-ball FC-FBGA exposes more than 400 user I/O, easily accommodating wide parallel buses and multiple serial links. The device is supported by Quartus II for HDL synthesis, simulation, and timing closure, allowing the same RTL to be reused in the eventual ASIC flow. Designers benefit from in-system reprogrammability when iterating on architectures, with bitstream generation measured in seconds rather than weeks.
Recommended
Industrial Motion Control
The EP20K400CF672I7N's industrial -40C to +100C temperature range makes it suitable for factory-floor motion controllers, where ambient temperatures rise inside sealed enclosures. With 16,640 logic elements the device can host multiple PID loops, encoder quadrature decoders, and EtherCAT or SERCOS slaves concurrently. The 1.8 V core plus LVDS I/O supports high-speed encoder feedback at up to 50 MHz with low jitter. The 672-ball FC-FBGA package provides strong thermal coupling to the PCB, allowing passive cooling in many industrial configurations.
Recommended
DSP Pipeline Acceleration
The EP20K400CF672I7N is used as a co-processor alongside DSPs, accelerating FIR filters, FFTs, and correlation kernels in software-defined-radio and radar pipelines. Its fast carry chains and embedded multiplier blocks deliver hundreds of MMACs of throughput at 375 MHz. The 212 Kbits of distributed RAM allow line buffers and twiddle-factor tables to be held on-chip, eliminating costly external memory accesses. Designers can integrate the FPGA into a TI TMS320C6000 or Analog Devices SHARC board as a glue-and-acceleration layer.
Recommended
High-Speed Bus Bridge / PCI Interface
The EP20K400CF672I7N frequently bridges between PCI/PCI-X local bus and proprietary backplanes, taking advantage of its MultiVolt 1.8/3.3 V I/O to directly interface legacy 3.3 V ASICs while keeping the core at 1.8 V. The device has dedicated hardware resources for 33 MHz and 66 MHz PCI compliance, including arbitration, parity, and interrupt logic. Its 400K gate equivalent easily absorbs state machines, scatter-gather DMA engines, and protocol conversion glue. PCI-X 133 extensions can also be implemented on the same die when the routing resources allow.
Recommended
Legacy Avionics / Defense Systems
Although obsolete for new commercial designs, the EP20K400CF672I7N remains in service on legacy avionics and defense platforms where the design must not change once certified. Its industrial temperature grade and high gate count support radar-timing, MIL-STD-1553 bridges, and video-format converters. With long-term support programs and the maturity of Quartus II, certified systems can still receive bitstream updates for bug fixes. Designers maintaining such systems rely on broker stock and FPGA remanufacturing services for replacements.
Recommended
Recommended Products Summary
Engineering reference data for EP20K400CF672I7N — comparison, design guidance, and compliance information.
Selection Guide
Comparison with Alternatives
| Parameter | This Product | EP20K400CF672C7N | EP20K400CF672I7 | EP20K400CF672C9N | EP20K400CF672C8N | EP20K400CF672C-7 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Package | 672-ball FC-FBGA | 672-ball FC-FBGA - same | 672-ball FC-FBGA - same | 672-ball FC-FBGA - same | 672-ball FC-FBGA - same | 672-ball FC-FBGA - same |
| Brand | Intel | Intel | Intel | Intel | Intel | Intel |
| Logic Elements | 16640 | 16640 - same | 16640 - same | 16640 - same | 16640 - same | 16640 - same |
| Speed Grade | I7 (industrial, fastest) | C7 (commercial, fastest) | I7 (industrial, fastest) | C9 (commercial, slow) | C8 (commercial, medium) | C-7 (commercial, fastest legacy) |
| Operating Temperature | -40C to +100C (industrial) | 0C to +70C (commercial) | -40C to +100C (industrial) | 0C to +70C (commercial) | 0C to +70C (commercial) | 0C to +70C (commercial) |
| Terminal Finish | Sn/Pb (non-RoHS) | Pb-free (RoHS) | Sn/Pb (non-RoHS) | Pb-free (RoHS) | Pb-free (RoHS) | Pb-free (RoHS) |
| Carrier / Packaging | Tape & Reel (N suffix) | Tape & Reel | Tray | Tape & Reel | Tape & Reel | Tray |
| Lifecycle | Obsolete | Obsolete | Obsolete | Obsolete | Obsolete | Obsolete |
Key Differentiators
- Industrial -40C to +100C temperature grade in the I7 speed tier (vs EP20K400CF672C7N)
- Tape-and-reel packaging for high-volume assembly (vs EP20K400CF672I7 (tray))
- Higher speed grade than C8/C9 variants (vs EP20K400CF672C8N)
Design Notes
Power sequencing is mandatory: VCCINT (1.8 V) must rise before or simultaneously with VCCIO (1.8/3.3 V). A sequencing IC such as TI TPS3808 or simple RC + MOSFET supervisor is recommended; reverse sequencing can trigger internal latch-up and permanent damage. Decoupling: place 0.1 µF X7R capacitors within 3 mm of every VCCINT/VCCIO ball, plus 10 µF bulk tantalum per rail. Estimated quiescent current at 1.8 V is roughly 200-500 mA depending on toggle rate.
The 672-ball FC-FBGA package has a typical θJA of about 12-15 C/W with adequate thermal vias under the die. For designs switching more than ~50 % of logic at 200 MHz, expect 5-10 W dissipation and design a copper-pour array of at least four 6×6 thermal-via farms (0.3 mm pitch, 0.2 mm drill) directly under the BGA. Do not use the FC-FBGA without thermal vias - the flip-chip die has no other thermal path. Estimated: Pdiss = 0.5 × C × V² × f × Nswitches.
Use 1.0 mm pitch BGA fanout with via-in-pad recommended for inner rows. Outer signal layers should route 50 Ω controlled impedance for LVDS pairs and 60 Ω for single-ended 3.3 V. Match all differential pairs to within 5 mils (0.127 mm) to keep skew within the 100 ps required by LVDS receivers. Power planes should be split between VCCINT and VCCIO with a guard trace to suppress switching noise coupling into the analog-sensitive clock pins.
Pitfall 1: using Quartus Prime (newer tool) - the APEX 20KC family is supported only by Quartus II 13.0 or earlier; designs will fail to compile. Pitfall 2: confusing the EP20K400 (this part) with the older EP20K400E (which has 5 V tolerance). Pitfall 3: assuming 400K gates = 400 Kbits of RAM - the 212,992-bit figure is fixed and cannot be expanded by configuration. Pitfall 4: JTAG chain conflicts - the EP20K400CF672I7N shares JTAG pins with config pins; add external resistors to avoid contention when more than one device is on the chain.
Place the EPC2 or EPC4 configuration device within 50 mm of the EP20K400CF672I7N to keep the parallel configuration bus clean. Route nCONFIG, nSTATUS, CONF_DONE and DCLK as dedicated 50 Ω traces; avoid sharing them with general-purpose I/O. Clock pins (CLK0..CLK3) should be routed first with length-matched, impedance-controlled traces and a guard band of ground vias. MultiVolt pins must be tied to the correct VCCIO rail for each bank to enable mixed-voltage I/O.
Compliance Information
RoHS status is non-compliant per Partstack listing (Sn/Pb terminal finish, JESD-609 code e0). AEC-Q100 is not applicable because the part is an FPGA, not an automotive-grade IC. Reach / halogen-free / conflict-minerals status not stated by the manufacturer.
