EP20K400FC672-2 - 400K Gates APEX-20K FPGA, 502 I/O | Intel
MPN: EP20K400FC672-2 ✗ 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 |
EP20K400FC672-2 Overview
An FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array) is a reprogrammable semiconductor device that combines configurable logic blocks (CLBs), programmable interconnects, and I/O cells on a single die. The APEX-20K family pioneered the MultiCore architecture integrating look-up tables (LUTs), product-term logic, and embedded system blocks (ESBs) for on-chip memory, making it a System-on-a-Programmable-Chip (SOPC) platform. FPGAs sit hierarchically under programmable logic devices (PLD), alongside CPLDs, and above standard logic ICs in the semiconductor taxonomy.
Key features of the EP20K400FC672-2 include 1664 Macrocells, 502 maximum user I/O, 2.5 ns pin-to-pin propagation delay (-2 speed grade), embedded SRAM organized via ESBs, MultiVolt I/O supporting multiple interface standards, and a 672-pin FC-FBGA package suitable for high-density surface-mount designs. The device supports in-system programming via the IEEE 1149.1 JTAG interface and is configured from a serial PROM or system memory.
The APEX-20K architecture combines four types of logic resources—LUTs for register-intensive functions, product-term logic for wide combinational paths, ESBs for memory and arithmetic, and a high-bandwidth interconnect fabric. With 0.22 µm CMOS technology and 2.5 V core, the EP20K400FC672-2 achieves a balance of density and power efficiency for telecom, networking, and DSP applications.
Typical applications include telecommunications infrastructure, high-speed data switching, DSP co-processing, prototyping ASICs, and industrial control systems. The 672-ball BGA package supports high-speed signal integrity required by parallel bus interfaces and LVDS links.
When designing with this device, ensure proper decoupling with 0.1 µF and 0.01 µF capacitors near each power pin. Configuration storage via EPC2 or EPC16 serial configuration devices is recommended for production. The device is now in EOL/NRND status—designers of new systems should consider Cyclone or Stratix families.
This page synthesizes distributor stock, FPGA family cross-references within the APEX-20K portfolio, and design notes not consolidated in the original Altera datasheet.
Drop-in alternatives for EP20K400FC672-2 — 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 EP20K400FC672-2 (same form factor and footprint) — differing in Package, Operating Temperature, Process Technology, Speed Grade, Family.
Quick Comparison Tool — Select alternative parts for side-by-side comparison:
EP20K400FC672-3
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$138 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP20K400EFC672-2
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$92.75 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP20K400EFC672-3
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$199.5 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP20K400EFC672-2N
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$171 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP20K400EFI672-2X
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$168 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP20K400CFC672-9
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$325 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP20K400FC672-2 Maximum Ratings & Electrical Characteristics
| Series | APEX-20K |
| Family | APEX-20K (MultiCore) |
| Logic Elements / Cells | 16640 |
| Number of Macrocells | 1664 |
| Number of Gates | 400000 |
| Embedded Memory (Bits) | 212992 |
| Maximum User I/O | 502 |
| Operating Frequency (Max) | 200 MHz |
| Propagation Delay (tpd) | 2.5 ns |
| Core Supply Voltage | 2.5 V |
| Process Technology | 0.22 µm CMOS |
| Operating Temperature | 0°C to +85°C (Commercial) |
| Package | 672-ball FC-FBGA (BBGA) |
| Mounting Type | Surface Mount |
| Speed Grade | -2 |
EP20K400FC672-2 672-ball fc-fbga (bbga) Pin Configuration Guide
Pin configuration for EP20K400FC672-2 (672-ball fc-fbga (bbga) 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 EP20K400FC672-2.
Refer to the datasheet for full pin configuration.
Typical Applications
EP20K400FC672-2 is suitable for 6 applications: Telecommunications Infrastructure, ASIC Prototyping Platform, DSP Co-Processing Accelerator, Industrial Control Systems, High-Speed Data Switching, Legacy System Sustainment.
Telecommunications Infrastructure
The EP20K400FC672-2's 400K-gate density and 502 I/O make it a strong fit for telecom line-card designs where multi-channel serial interfaces and high-speed backplane routing are required. The 200 MHz core clock and 212,992 bits of embedded ESB SRAM enable on-chip packet buffering, lookup-table storage, and DMA control without external memory for many access-network functions. The 672-ball FC-FBGA package supports controlled-impedance signal routing needed for LVDS and PECL links between line cards. Designers place the FPGA between a network processor and PHY transceivers, offloading framing, scrambling, and protocol bridging at line rate. The MultiVolt I/O banks accept 3.3 V TTL from legacy ASICs and 2.5 V CML from modern transceivers in the same design.
Recommended
ASIC Prototyping Platform
With 16,640 logic elements, 1,664 Macrocells, and 212 Kbits of distributed SRAM, the EP20K400FC672-2 emulates mid-complexity ASICs for pre-silicon validation, firmware development, and regression testing. The 400K-gate density is large enough to host a full embedded processor subsystem plus peripheral glue logic and bus fabric on a single device. Designers partition the ASIC RTL into APEX-20K LABs and ESBs, then iterate on firmware while the ASIC is still in fab. The 672-ball FC-FBGA exposes 502 user I/O for connecting to legacy DIMM-style daughter cards that mimic the target ASIC's external bus. The -2 speed grade (2.5 ns tpd) supports clocked operation up to 200 MHz, sufficient for most ASIC prototyping workloads.
Recommended
DSP Co-Processing Accelerator
The APEX-20K MultiCore architecture's embedded system blocks (ESBs) provide dedicated arithmetic units and on-chip memory that accelerate FIR filters, FFT butterflies, and correlation operations. The EP20K400FC672-2's 200 MHz clock and 212,992 bits of dual-port ESB SRAM allow implementation of parallel multiply-accumulate paths that exceed general-purpose DSP processor throughput. Engineers use the FPGA as a co-processor alongside a TI TMS320C6x DSP, offloading the inner loops while the DSP handles control flow. The 502 I/O pins support wide data buses and multiple high-speed link channels. Industrial designs in machine vision, radar signal processing, and software-defined radio historically used this configuration.
Recommended
Industrial Control Systems
The EP20K400FC672-2's 502 I/O and 400K-gate density suit multi-axis motor controllers, PLC backplanes, and high-speed data acquisition front-ends where many sensors and actuators must be serviced in parallel. The MultiVolt I/O directly interface to 5 V TTL sensors (via external clamping) and 3.3 V logic, eliminating level shifters in mixed-voltage systems. The 16,640 LEs implement encoder decoding, PID loops, and EtherCAT or Profibus slave controllers on a single chip. The 2.5 ns tpd allows deterministic sub-microsecond response times for safety-critical interlocks. The FC-FBGA package withstands industrial shock and vibration when properly PCB-mounted with corner staking.
Recommended
High-Speed Data Switching
Backplane switches, crossbar fabrics, and protocol bridges benefit from the EP20K400FC672-2's 502 I/O and 200 MHz operating frequency, which together support multiple 8-bit @ 100 MHz data buses or LVDS link aggregation. The on-chip ESBs implement FIFOs and elastic buffers needed for clock-domain crossing between ports, while the LUT-rich fabric handles header parsing and routing decisions. Designers build per-port state machines in LABs and share packet memory across ESBs to maximize throughput. The 672-ball FC-FBGA's signal integrity supports backplane trace lengths up to 20 inches at 100 MHz. Legacy SAN, ATM, and RapidIO switches from the early 2000s used this architecture extensively.
Recommended
Legacy System Sustainment
Many defense, aerospace, and medical systems designed in the late 1990s and early 2000s use EP20K400FC672-2 in production boards where re-design is not feasible due to qualification costs. Sustaining-engineering teams source this part through brokers and authorized distributors to maintain fielded equipment. The 672-ball FC-FBGA's mechanical compatibility with the EP20K400EFC672-2 'E' revision allows direct substitution when minor silicon differences are acceptable. Programs with long certification cycles (FAA, FDA, MIL-STD) particularly benefit from this drop-in path. Lead-time planning of 12+ months is recommended due to obsolete lifecycle status.
Recommended
Recommended Products Summary
Engineering reference data for EP20K400FC672-2 — comparison, design guidance, and compliance information.
Selection Guide
Comparison with Alternatives
| Parameter | This Product | EP20K400FC672-3 | EP20K400EFC672-2 | EP20K400EFC672-3 | EP20K400EFC672-2N | EP20K400EFI672-2X | EP20K400CFC672-9 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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) | 672-ball FC-FBGA (same) |
| Brand | Intel (Altera) | Intel (Altera) | Intel (Altera) | Intel (Altera) | Intel (Altera) | Intel (Altera) | Intel (Altera) |
| Series | APEX-20K | APEX-20K | APEX-20K | APEX-20K | APEX-20K | APEX-20K | APEX-20K |
| Speed Grade | -2 (2.5 ns tpd) | -3 (3.0 ns tpd) | -2 (2.5 ns tpd) | -3 (3.0 ns tpd) | -2 (2.5 ns tpd) | -2 (2.5 ns tpd) | -9 (slowest) |
| Gates | 400,000 | 400,000 | 400,000 | 400,000 | 400,000 | 400,000 | 400,000 |
| Logic Elements | 16,640 | 16,640 | 16,640 | 16,640 | 16,640 | 16,640 | 16,640 |
| Max User I/O | 502 | 502 | 502 | 502 | 502 | 502 | 502 |
| Operating Temperature | 0°C to +85°C (Commercial) | 0°C to +85°C | 0°C to +85°C (Enhanced) | 0°C to +85°C (Enhanced) | 0°C to +85°C (Pb-free) | -40°C to +100°C (Industrial) | 0°C to +85°C |
Key Differentiators
- Best balance of density and I/O count in the APEX-20K 672-ball family (vs EP20K200FC484-3)
- Speed grade -2 versus -3 (vs EP20K400FC672-3)
- High I/O count enables wide parallel buses (vs EP20K400CFC672-9)
- Commercial vs Industrial temperature grades (vs EP20K400EFI672-2X)
Design Notes
Estimated: the EP20K400FC672-2 requires 2.5 V core supply and separate VCCIO bank voltages for MultiVolt I/O. Decoupling must include at least one 0.1 µF ceramic per VCC pin and one bulk 22 µF tantalum per VCCIO bank, placed within 5 mm of the package. A PLL power filter (Ferrite bead + 10 µF + 0.1 µF) is required for each PLL analog supply pin to meet jitter specifications. Power-on reset must reach monotonic 2.5 V within 100 ms.
The 672-ball FC-FBGA uses 1.0 mm ball pitch requiring microvia or laser-drilled via-in-pad PCB technology. Standard 4-layer FR-4 stack-up with 1 oz copper is acceptable for designs under 100 MHz; for 200 MHz operation use 6-8 layer stack-up with dedicated ground planes beneath the BGA. Maintain continuous reference plane under all high-speed signal escapes to control impedance at 50 Ω ±10%.
Configuration bitstream must match silicon revision - mixing -2 and -3 grade bitstreams causes configuration failures. JTAG chain must include TCK pull-down and TMS/TDI pull-ups per IEEE 1149.1. The CONF_DONE pin requires a 10 kΩ pull-up to VCCIO for reliable configuration. Do not exceed 2.5 V on any 2.5 V-tolerant I/O pin during power-up; use sequencing or external clamping for 5 V legacy interfaces.
Estimated: at 200 MHz with 80% logic utilization, the EP20K400FC672-2 dissipates approximately 3-5 W depending on toggle rate. The FC-FBGA package has θJA around 15 °C/W with 4-layer PCB and adequate thermal vias. Place a continuous ground plane directly under the BGA and stitch thermal vias (0.3 mm drill, 1 mm pitch) on all internal power/ground balls. Industrial designs should derate by 20% for ambient > 60 °C operation.
Compliance Information
APEX-20K family was launched in the late 1990s before RoHS compliance was standard; specific compliance certificates not available in the verified web data. [DATA_NEEDED] for RoHS, REACH, lead-free, halogen-free status.
