EP20K600CF33C7ES - APEX 20KC 600K Gates FPGA | Altera | 1020-FBGA
MPN: EP20K600CF33C7ES ✗ End of Life| Qty | Unit Price | Extended |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $180 | $180.00 |
| 10 | $165 | $1,650.00 |
| 100 | $156.1 | $15,610.00 |
| 500 | $148 | $74,000.00 |
| 1,000 | $140 | $140,000.00 |
EP20K600CF33C7ES Overview
A Field-Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) is a semiconductor integrated circuit that can be reconfigured by the designer after manufacturing to implement arbitrary digital logic. FPGAs sit within the broader hierarchy of programmable logic devices (PLDs), above simple programmable array logic (PAL) and complex PLDs (CPLDs), and below fixed-function Application-Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs). The APEX 20KC family specifically targets high-performance, high-density designs that require both logic and on-chip memory integration. Within that taxonomy, the EP20K600CF33C7ES belongs to the upper-end of the APEX 20KC density range.
Key features include 704 user I/O lines supporting multiple I/O standards, dedicated embedded array blocks (EABs) for efficient memory implementation, and built-in support for LVDS, LVTTL, and PCI signalling. The device provides extensive routing resources optimized for high-speed datapaths and supports in-system programmability via a serial configuration interface. It also includes clock management circuitry and boundary-scan (JTAG) support for production test.
Architecturally, the EP20K600CF33C7ES combines a logic array fabric with embedded array blocks (EABs) that each contain up to 2,048 bits of RAM. This hybrid structure gives designers a balanced mix of distributed logic and block memory, enabling efficient implementation of register-rich datapaths and moderate-size FIFOs. The 0.15 µm process node balances performance and power, while the 1020-ball FC-FBGA package provides high signal density and excellent thermal performance for the operating range of 0 °C to 85 °C.
Typical applications include high-performance digital signal processing (DSP) pipelines, telecommunications backplane interface cards, industrial imaging and machine vision systems, and ASIC prototyping. Designers choose this part when a project requires more than 24,000 logic elements with hundreds of I/O and on-chip memory, but does not yet justify a custom ASIC.
When designing with this part, ensure the PCB supports the 33x33 mm FC-FBGA land pattern with high-density escape routing, and verify that the Quartus II design software (legacy Altera toolchain) supports your target speed grade -7. For new designs, consider migrating to a Cyclone IV or Cyclone V device, as APEX 20KC is a mature family.
This page synthesizes distributor pricing, drop-in same-package alternatives, and practical design notes not found in the manufacturer datasheet alone, helping engineers validate second-source options and confirm pinout/package compatibility before committing to a layout.
Drop-in alternatives for EP20K600CF33C7ES — 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 EP20K600CF33C7ES (same form factor and footprint) — differing in Speed Grade, Package, Family, Configuration Method, Core Supply Voltage (VCCINT).
Quick Comparison Tool — Select alternative parts for side-by-side comparison:
EP20K600CF33C7
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$105.4 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP20K600CF33C-7ES
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$125.8 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP20K600CF1020C7
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$212.4 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP20K600CF33C7ES Maximum Ratings & Electrical Characteristics
| Series | APEX 20KC |
| Family | APEX 20KC |
| Manufacturer | Altera (Intel) |
| Device Type | FPGA - Field Programmable Gate Array |
| System Gates | 600,000 |
| Logic Elements / Cells | 24,320 |
| Total RAM Bits | 311,296 |
| Number of I/O | 704 |
| Number of Logic Elements | 24,320 |
| Maximum Internal Frequency | 375.94 MHz |
| Propagation Delay | 1.6 ns |
| Technology / Process | 0.15 µm CMOS |
| Supply Voltage (VCCINT) | 1.71 V to 1.89 V (nominal 1.8 V) |
| Package / Case | 1020-BBGA, FC-FBGA |
| Package Size | 33 x 33 mm |
| Supplier Device Package | 1020-FBGA (33x33) |
| Mounting Type | Surface Mount |
| Operating Temperature | 0 °C to +85 °C (Commercial) |
| Speed Grade | -7 |
| Configuration Method | Serial / JTAG |
EP20K600CF33C7ES 1020-fbga (33x33) Pin Configuration Guide
Pin configuration for EP20K600CF33C7ES (1020-fbga (33x33) 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 EP20K600CF33C7ES.
Refer to the datasheet for full pin configuration.
Typical Applications
EP20K600CF33C7ES is suitable for 7 applications: Telecommunications Backplane Interface Cards, Industrial Machine Vision Systems, ASIC Prototyping Platforms, High-Speed Datapath Processing, Legacy Industrial Control Systems, Test and Measurement Instrumentation, Military and Aerospace Avionics (Legacy).
Telecommunications Backplane Interface Cards
The EP20K600CF33C7ES is well-suited for telecom backplane interface cards requiring 704 user I/O to aggregate multiple low-speed serial links and parallel databuses. The 24,320 logic elements provide headroom for protocol bridging, framer logic, and packet classification. The 311,296 bits of embedded RAM can be partitioned into FIFO queues for line-rate buffering without external SRAM. Operating at up to 375.94 MHz internal frequency, the device handles STM-1/OC-3 class line cards. The 1.8 V core simplifies power tree design in legacy telecom shelves, and the 1020-FBGA package supports the high pin density needed for backplane connector breakouts.
Recommended
Industrial Machine Vision Systems
The EP20K600CF33C7ES suits industrial machine vision systems that require parallel image sensor interfaces and real-time preprocessing. Its 24,320 logic elements implement Bayer demosaicing, thresholding, and feature extraction pipelines, while the 311 Kbit embedded RAM holds line buffers for 1-2 megapixel sensors at video rates. The 704 I/O lines accept wide parallel camera data buses (16-32 bits) alongside GPIO for lighting and trigger control. The 0 °C to 85 °C commercial temperature range covers most factory-floor enclosures, and the FC-FBGA package provides mechanical robustness for vibration-prone industrial environments.
Recommended
ASIC Prototyping Platforms
The EP20K600CF33C7ES is a classic choice for ASIC prototyping where the design exceeds 500K gates but cannot fit a single CPLD. The 24,320 logic elements provide approximately 600K usable system gates - enough to host mid-complexity ASIC RTL for pre-silicon validation. Embedded array blocks (EABs) can be configured as dual-port RAM to mimic ASIC SRAM macros. Multiple EP20K600CF33C7ES devices can be paralleled on a prototyping board using LVDS point-to-point links between BGA pins. The Quartus II design flow supports incremental synthesis to map ASIC gate-level netlists onto APEX 20KC primitives, easing the verification cycle.
Recommended
High-Speed Datapath Processing
The EP20K600CF33C7ES handles high-speed datapath processing tasks such as encryption engines, compression accelerators, and signal preprocessing. The 1.6 ns propagation delay through carry chains supports arithmetic-intensive operations at clock rates above 200 MHz. The 24,320 logic elements accommodate wide datapaths (64-bit or 128-bit) with multiple parallel functional units. On-chip EABs implement register files and lookup tables needed for crypto S-boxes or compression dictionaries. The 1020-FBGA provides ample I/O for parallel data interfaces to external memory (DDR, QDR SRAM).
Recommended
Legacy Industrial Control Systems
The EP20K600CF33C7ES is often found in long-life industrial control systems (CNC machines, PLCs, motor controllers) installed in the 2000s and still in service. The 704 I/O lines connect to optocouplers, encoders, and high-voltage driver stages, while the 24,320 logic elements implement motion control loops, PID controllers, and safety interlocks. The 1.8 V core and 0-85 °C range fit standard control cabinet environments. Because these systems have 15-20 year service lives, the EP20K600CF33C7ES serves as a replacement part for failed units rather than a new design choice.
Recommended
Test and Measurement Instrumentation
The EP20K600CF33C7ES suits test and measurement equipment such as logic analyzers, protocol testers, and bit-error-rate testers that require flexible pattern generation and analysis. The 24,320 logic elements implement state machines, pattern sequencers, and protocol decoders (I2C, SPI, UART, parallel bus). The 311,296 bits of RAM capture trace buffers and statistical counters without external memory. The 704 I/O lines fan out to multiple test points or instrument channels. The 1020-FBGA package supports the dense connector breakouts typical of rack-mount instrumentation backplanes.
Recommended
Military and Aerospace Avionics (Legacy)
The APEX 20KC family historically supported military and aerospace applications through Extended Temperature (-40 to 100 °C) and Military-grade variants, though the specific EP20K600CF33C7ES is the commercial 0-85 °C grade. For legacy avionics systems deployed in the early 2000s, this part provided 600K gates of logic with sufficient radiation tolerance for benign orbit applications. Modern equivalents with full rad-hard certification (Microsemi/CAES, Xilinx Virtex-5QV) are required for new space designs, but the EP20K600CF33C7ES continues to maintain legacy flight systems.
Recommended
Recommended Products Summary
Engineering reference data for EP20K600CF33C7ES — comparison, design guidance, and compliance information.
Selection Guide
Comparison with Alternatives
| Parameter | This Product | EP20K600CF33C7 | EP20K600CF33C-7ES | EP20K600CF1020C7 | EP20K600CB652C7ES | EP20K600CEF672C7 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Package | 1020-FBGA (33x33) | 1020-FBGA (33x33) - same | 1020-FBGA (33x33) - same | 1020-FBGA - same | 652-BGA - different | 672-FBGA - different |
| Brand | Altera (Intel) | Altera (Intel) | Altera (Intel) | Altera (Intel) | Altera (Intel) | Altera (Intel) |
| System Gates | 600,000 | 600,000 | 600,000 | 600,000 | 600,000 | 600,000 |
| Logic Elements | 24,320 | 24,320 | 24,320 | 24,320 | 24,320 | 24,320 |
| Total RAM Bits | 311,296 | 311,296 | 311,296 | 311,296 | 311,296 | 311,296 |
| Maximum I/O | 704 | 704 | 704 | 704 | 488 | 508 |
| Speed Grade | -7 | -7 | -7 | -7 | -7 | -7 |
| Operating Temperature | 0 °C to 85 °C | 0 °C to 85 °C | 0 °C to 85 °C | 0 °C to 85 °C | 0 °C to 85 °C | 0 °C to 85 °C |
| Lifecycle Status | Obsolete | Obsolete | Obsolete | Obsolete | Obsolete | Obsolete |
Key Differentiators
- Highest-density APEX 20KC device (vs EP20K400CF672C7ES)
- Maximum I/O count via 1020-ball package (vs EP20K600CB652C7ES)
- Engineering Sample availability for prototyping (vs EP20K600CF33C7)
Design Notes
The 1020-ball FC-FBGA package requires an 8-layer PCB at minimum with microvia (laser-drilled) stack-up. Escape routing must use via-in-pad or dog-bone fanout. Estimated: at 1.0 mm pitch, escape routing for a 33x33 mm BGA requires a 0.2 mm drill and 0.4 mm pad, with 0.5 mm trace/space. Plan power planes to deliver at least 2 A continuous to the VCCINT core rails; place decoupling capacitors (100 nF X7R in 0402) within 2 mm of each power ball per Altera decoupling guidelines.
Estimated: At 100% utilization of 24,320 logic elements clocked at 375 MHz, typical core power reaches 3-5 W. The 33x33 mm FC-FBGA exposed die gives theta-JA around 12-15 °C/W with proper PCB thermal via array (4 vias under die, 1.0 mm drill, filled with epoxy). Without thermal vias, junction temperature can exceed 100 °C in still air, derating performance. For high-reliability designs, add a copper heat spreader or heatsink attached to the package top.
All configuration pins (nCONFIG, nSTATUS, CONF_DONE, DCLK, DATA0) must be pulled to known states per the APEX 20KC handbook - typically nCONFIG and DCLK pulled high via 10 kohm, nSTATUS and CONF_DONE pulled high via 10 kohm to VCCIO. JTAG pins (TCK, TMS, TDI, TDO) should not be left floating; if JTAG is unused, tie TMS high through 10 kohm. Differential clock inputs (CLK0-CLK7) need 100 ohm differential termination near the FPGA pin to prevent reflections at >200 MHz operation.
The ES suffix (Engineering Sample) parts may exhibit slightly different timing parameters than production C7 parts. Do not use ES parts for production hardware that ships to customers; reserve them for prototype validation. Also note that the Quartus II toolchain version 13.0 is the last release with full APEX 20KC support - newer Quartus versions drop the APEX 20KC device library entirely, so preserve legacy software for design recompilation.
For LVDS signalling on the EP20K600CF33C7ES, follow Altera's LVDS design guidelines with 100 ohm differential impedance traces routed as tightly coupled pairs (matched within 0.5 mm). Keep LVDS pairs away from single-ended clocks and switching power signals; use a guard ground via fence every 5 mm. Reference plane must be continuous under LVDS pairs - no plane splits. For PCI-compliant I/O, follow the PCI Local Bus Specification 2.2 impedance and routing rules; the EP20K600CF33C7ES supports 33 MHz and 66 MHz PCI.
Compliance Information
Compliance status not explicitly stated in verified distributor pages. APEX 20KC family pre-dates many modern compliance documentation requirements. Lead-free and RoHS status should be confirmed with the specific distributor lot before assembly into RoHS-compliant products.
