EP20K400FI672-3V - APEX 20K 400K-Gate FPGA 672-BGA | Intel
MPN: EP20K400FI672-3V ✗ End of Life| Qty | Unit Price | Extended |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $425 | $425.00 |
| 10 | $395 | $3,950.00 |
| 100 | $355 | $35,500.00 |
| 500 | $318 | $159,000.00 |
| 1,000 | $285 | $285,000.00 |
EP20K400FI672-3V Overview
An APEX 20K device is a programmable logic device (PLD) that combines look-up table (LUT)-based logic elements, embedded system blocks (ESBs) for RAM/ROM and product-term functions, and a MultiCore interconnect in a single die. In the product-type hierarchy APEX 20K belongs to FPGAs -> programmable logic -> logic ICs -> integrated circuits. APEX 20K sits between classic CPLDs and modern Stratix-class FPGAs, and is widely regarded as a MultiPLD architecture because it fuses PAL-like and FPGA-like resources on one chip.
Key features of the EP20K400FI672-3V include 502 maximum user I/O pins (496 user I/O plus 6 dedicated inputs in the variant), a 2.5 V nominal core supply with a 2.375 V to 2.625 V tolerance band, in-system programmability via the IEEE 1149.1 JTAG port, and embedded memory blocks configurable as dual-port RAM, ROM, CAM, FIFO, or product-term logic. The FineLine BGA-672 package uses a 1.0 mm ball pitch and supports surface-mount assembly.
The device is built on a 0.18 µm CMOS process with a 4-metal-layer architecture, allowing up to 1.6 Mbits of RAM and supporting LVCMOS, LVTTL, SSTL, GTL+, and HSTL I/O standards. The high gate density and embedded memory make it well suited to high-throughput glue logic, datapath merging, and bus-interface conversion tasks. The 672-BGA footprint and APEX 20K silicon preserve pin-compatibility with the EP20K400FI672-3, EP20K400FI672-2V, EP20K400FI672-1V, and EP20K400FC672-3V variants in the same package code.
Typical applications include telecom backplane glue logic, ASIC prototyping, network interface bridging, high-speed datapath processing, and multi-channel serial-protocol aggregation. The 400K-gate density and embedded memory are particularly useful where multiple legacy CPLDs or discrete TTL/CMOS logic would otherwise be needed on a single board.
When designing with the EP20K400FI672-3V, pay attention to multi-voltage I/O bank planning because the APEX 20K family requires careful VCCIO banking for mixed-voltage interfaces. Altera MAX+PLUS II or Quartus II design software must be used for synthesis, fitting, and JTAG programming because this is a legacy device family.
This page synthesizes distributor inventory, drop-in package-compatible alternatives from the same EP20K400 family, and design considerations that go beyond the manufacturer datasheet alone.
Drop-in alternatives for EP20K400FI672-3V — 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 EP20K400FI672-3V (same form factor and footprint) — differing in Process Technology, Package, Speed Grade, Family, Operating Temperature.
Quick Comparison Tool — Select alternative parts for side-by-side comparison:
EP20K400FI672-3
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$195 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP20K400FI672-2V
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$195 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP20K400FI672-1V
✅ Drop-In📋 Reference alternative (not in catalog)
EP20K400FC672-3V
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$152 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP20K400FC672-3
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$138 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP20K400FI672-3V Maximum Ratings & Electrical Characteristics
| Family | APEX 20K (EP20K400) |
| Logic Elements | 16,640 |
| Maximum Gates | 400,000 |
| Embedded Memory (bits) | 212,992 |
| Maximum User I/O | 502 |
| Dedicated Inputs | 6 |
| Total User I/O + Dedicated Inputs | 496 + 6 (variant dependent) |
| Maximum Clock Frequency | 714.2 MHz |
| Speed Grade | -3 (faster) |
| Core Voltage (VCCINT) | 2.5 V nominal (2.375 V to 2.625 V) |
| Process Technology | 0.18 µm CMOS, 4 metal layers |
| Package | 672-ball FineLine BGA (BBGA), 1.0 mm pitch |
| Mounting Type | Surface Mount |
| Programmable via JTAG | Yes (IEEE 1149.1) |
| Supported I/O Standards | LVCMOS, LVTTL, SSTL, GTL+, HSTL |
| Configuration Modes | JTAG, passive serial, passive parallel |
| Operating Temperature | -40 °C to +85 °C (industrial) |
EP20K400FI672-3V 672-ball fineline bga (bbga), 1.0 mm pitch Pin Configuration Guide
Pin configuration for EP20K400FI672-3V (672-ball fineline bga (bbga), 1.0 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 EP20K400FI672-3V.
Refer to the datasheet for full pin configuration.
Typical Applications
EP20K400FI672-3V is suitable for 6 applications: Telecom Backplane Glue Logic, ASIC Prototyping, High-Speed Datapath Processing, Legacy Bus-Interface Bridging, Network Interface Aggregation, Industrial Control and Factory Automation.
Telecom Backplane Glue Logic
The EP20K400FI672-3V's 400K gates and 502 I/O pins make it a strong fit for telecom backplane glue logic where many discrete TTL/CMOS gates, FIFOs, and bus transceivers must be consolidated. Its 212,992 bits of embedded system block memory can implement deep FIFOs for traffic shaping between line cards. The 714.2 MHz internal clock supports serializer/deserializer bridging, while the 1.0 mm pitch FineLine BGA-672 footprint enables high-density backplane PCB layouts. Industrial temperature range makes it suitable for outdoor or fan-less telecom shelves. JTAG-based in-system programming lets field technicians update glue-logic firmware without removing line cards.
Recommended
ASIC Prototyping
The EP20K400FI672-3V is widely used as an ASIC prototyping vehicle because its 16,640 logic elements and embedded RAM/ROM blocks can emulate early-stage gate-level netlists. Quartus II supports gate-level netlist import with timing-accurate back-annotation, allowing pre-silicon validation of million-gate ASIC designs. The 672-ball BGA provides enough I/O for memory and peripheral emulation on a development board. Multiple EP20K400 devices can be wired in a multi-FPGA partition to prototype very large ASICs. The 714.2 MHz internal clock on the -3 grade enables fast emulation run-times, though real-world ASIC speeds are usually lower.
Recommended
High-Speed Datapath Processing
With 714.2 MHz internal clock and 16,640 logic elements, the EP20K400FI672-3V can implement pipelined datapaths for digital signal processing, video pixel manipulation, and protocol aggregation. The embedded system blocks provide fast on-chip RAM for coefficient tables, line buffers, and sample stores. Designers often pair the EP20K400 with external SRAM or DDR memory to extend working storage for FIR filters or FFT engines. The industrial temperature range allows deployment in factory-floor DSP subsystems. Quartus II's DSP Builder integration allows MATLAB/Simulink algorithm capture directly into the FPGA fabric.
Recommended
Legacy Bus-Interface Bridging
The EP20K400FI672-3V is commonly used to bridge legacy buses such as PCI, VME, ISA, and proprietary backplane protocols where no off-the-shelf bridge IC exists. The 502 user I/O pins allow parallel capture of wide data and address buses with leftover I/O for DMA, interrupt, and control signaling. LVTTL, LVCMOS, GTL+, and SSTL I/O standards let the FPGA talk to mixed-voltage bus segments on the same board. Embedded memory can hold bus-master transaction tables and protocol state machines. JTAG-based in-system reconfiguration allows field firmware updates as bus standards evolve.
Recommended
Network Interface Aggregation
The 502 I/O and embedded RAM of the EP20K400FI672-3V suit multi-channel network aggregation where several low-speed Ethernet, E1/T1, or serial-protocol streams must be merged. Embedded system blocks implement per-channel FIFOs so traffic shaping and buffering can be done on-chip. The 714.2 MHz clock supports multi-channel HDLC, UART, and custom MAC aggregation. The industrial temperature range permits deployment in outdoor cellular base-station shelves. JTAG-based configuration simplifies firmware revision control across operator networks.
Recommended
Industrial Control and Factory Automation
The industrial -40 to +85 C temperature grade of the EP20K400FI672-3V lets it operate on factory floors, in motor-drive cabinets, and on outdoor process-control PLCs where ambient temperatures swing widely. Its 400K gates and 16,640 logic elements can replace several legacy CPLDs and discrete logic ICs on a single board, reducing BOM and assembly cost. Embedded memory holds PID loops, look-up tables, and alarm state machines. The LVCMOS/LVTTL I/O support lets the device drive 24 V industrial I/O through external optocouplers. JTAG-based firmware updates simplify field maintenance.
Recommended
Recommended Products Summary
Engineering reference data for EP20K400FI672-3V — comparison, design guidance, and compliance information.
Selection Guide
Comparison with Alternatives
| Parameter | This Product | EP20K400FI672-3 | EP20K400FI672-2V | EP20K400FI672-1V | EP20K400FC672-3V | EP20K400FC672-3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brand | Intel | Intel | Intel | Intel | Intel | Intel |
| Package | 672-ball FineLine BGA, 1.0 mm pitch | 672-ball FineLine BGA, 1.0 mm pitch - same | 672-ball FineLine BGA, 1.0 mm pitch - same | 672-ball FineLine BGA, 1.0 mm pitch - same | 672-ball FineLine BGA, 1.0 mm pitch - same | 672-ball FineLine BGA, 1.0 mm pitch - same |
| Speed Grade | -3 (faster) | -3 (same) | -2 (~20% slower) | -1 (~30% slower) | -3 (same) | -3 (same) |
| Maximum Clock Frequency | 714.2 MHz | 714.2 MHz | ~570 MHz | ~500 MHz | 714.2 MHz | 714.2 MHz |
| Logic Elements | 16,640 | 16,640 | 16,640 | 16,640 | 16,640 | 16,640 |
| Maximum User I/O | 502 | 502 | 502 | 502 | 502 | 502 |
| Embedded Memory (bits) | 212,992 | 212,992 | 212,992 | 212,992 | 212,992 | 212,992 |
| Core Voltage | 2.5 V (2.375 V to 2.625 V) | 2.5 V (same) | 2.5 V (same) | 2.5 V (same) | 2.5 V (same) | 2.5 V (same) |
| Temperature Range | Industrial -40 C to +85 C | Industrial (same) | Industrial (same) | Industrial (same) | Commercial 0 C to +70 C | Commercial 0 C to +70 C |
| Lifecycle Status | Obsolete | Obsolete | Obsolete | Obsolete | Obsolete | Obsolete |
Key Differentiators
- Industrial temperature grade with same package outline (vs EP20K400FC672-3V)
- Fastest available speed grade for APEX 20K 672-BGA (vs EP20K400FI672-2V)
- Maximum pin count for the APEX 20K family (vs EP20K400EBC652-3)
Design Notes
The EP20K400FI672-3V requires four independent power rails: VCCINT at 2.5 V nominal for the core logic, VCCIO at 1.8 V / 2.5 V / 3.3 V per I/O bank, VCCPD for JTAG/programming pre-drivers, and a PLL analog supply if the on-chip PLL is used. Decoupling must use low-ESR ceramic capacitors (0.1 µF X7R for high frequency plus 10 µF bulk for transient suppression) placed within 100 mils of each supply pin because the BGA-672 footprint places all balls on a tight 1.0 mm grid. Power sequencing should bring VCCINT up before VCCIO to prevent I/O latch-up; the Intel datasheet recommends a 50 ms ramp or RC-controlled sequencing.
Estimated: at the -3 speed grade running typical traffic (~50% logic utilization, ~50% toggle rate), the EP20K400FI672-3V dissipates approximately 1.5 to 2.0 W from VCCINT. The 672-ball FineLine BGA thermal resistance (theta_JA) is approximately 12 C/W on a standard 4-layer PCB with thermal vias. With a 70 C ambient industrial ceiling, the junction temperature stays around 90 to 95 C - within the -40 to +125 C silicon operating range but with no thermal margin. For continuous high-utilization designs, add a thermal pad array beneath the BGA and stitch the inner layers with 0.3 mm thermal vias on a 1.0 mm pitch.
The 672-ball FineLine BGA at 1.0 mm pitch requires a PCB with at least 6 signal layers and microvia (laser-drilled) stack-up to escape the inner rows of the BGA. Surface-mount BGAs of this size typically need ENIG or immersion-silver surface finish, 0.4 mm via pad with 0.25 mm drill, and a controlled dielectric thickness. The package outline must be reviewed for clearance to adjacent BGA or QFP parts at the 1.0 mm pitch. JTAG header or boundary-scan pads should be exposed on the board edge for programming access.
Do not confuse the EP20K400 (APEX 20K, 2.5 V core) with the later Cyclone or Stratix families because Quartus II 13.0 and earlier only support APEX 20K; Quartus Prime does not. The 'I' suffix in 'FI' must be respected at procurement because the 'C' commercial variant will fail outside 0 to +70 C. Counterfeit screening is mandatory because the APEX 20K family is heavily counterfeited on the open market - request a decapsulation report, X-ray inspection, and a functional test on a known-good design before accepting high-value orders.
Compliance Information
RoHS, REACH, lead-free, halogen-free, and conflict-minerals compliance are not present in the verified web data for this part and must be confirmed via the manufacturer datasheet or lot certificate. AEC-Q100 is not applicable because the part is a commercial/industrial FPGA, not an automotive-qualified IC.
