EP20K60ETC144-2N - APEX-20KE 60K FPGA, 92 I/O, 144-TQFP | Intel
MPN: EP20K60ETC144-2N ✗ End of Life| Qty | Unit Price | Extended |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $95 | $95.00 |
| 10 | $88.5 | $885.00 |
| 100 | $78 | $7,800.00 |
| 500 | $70.2 | $35,100.00 |
| 1,000 | $65 | $65,000.00 |
EP20K60ETC144-2N Overview
A Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) is a type of programmable logic device (PLD) that combines the integration density of an ASIC with the flexibility of in-system reprogrammability. FPGAs sit within the broader hierarchy of semiconductor devices as: programmable logic -> PLD -> FPGA -> high-density programmable logic. The APEX-20KE family specifically introduced MultiCore architecture combining Look-Up Table (LUT)-based logic, product-term blocks, and embedded memory in a single fabric, enabling System-on-a-Programmable-Chip (SOPC) integration.
Key features of the EP20K60ETC144-2N include 2,560 logic elements, 32 Kbits of distributed ESB memory, 92 usable I/O pins compliant with LVTTL/LVCMOS/LVDS/PCI interfaces, and JTAG-based IEEE 1149.1 boundary-scan support. The 144-TQFP package (20 × 20 mm body, 0.5 mm pitch) is surface-mountable with standard JEDEC MSL handling. The -2 speed grade is mid-tier within the APEX-20KE family, balancing timing margin against cost.
The APEX-20KE architecture combines four-input LUTs, embedded memory blocks (ESBs), and product-term logic on a MultiCore fabric. Each ESB can be configured as ROM or RAM and supports dual-port operation. The 0.22 µm process and 1.8 V core VCC deliver low static power relative to 5 V legacy PLDs, while still preserving the high-drive 3.3 V PCI compatibility at the I/O banks via dedicated PCI-compliant buffers.
Typical applications include telecommunications line-card glue logic, PCI bus interface bridges, industrial control front-end preprocessing, DSP co-processing front-ends, and high-speed custom state machines. With 60 K gates and 92 I/Os, the device targets mid-complexity designs that exceed CPLD capacity but do not justify larger Cyclone or Stratix devices.
When designing with this part, verify that the Quartus design tool supports the EP20K60ETC144-2N device code (older Altera legacy support), and note that the -2 speed grade must be back-annotated into the project's fitter settings. Confirm power budgeting for the 1.8 V rail, since high-utilization designs may exceed 1 A.
This page synthesizes distributor stock, same-family Altera/Intel drop-in alternatives, and design considerations not found in the legacy datasheet alone, providing a single reference for engineers evaluating the EP20K60ETC144-2N for new designs or legacy maintenance.
Drop-in alternatives for EP20K60ETC144-2N — 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 EP20K60ETC144-2N (same form factor and footprint) — differing in Operating Temperature, Package, Speed Grade, Family, Series.
Quick Comparison Tool — Select alternative parts for side-by-side comparison:
EP20K60ETC144-1X
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$152 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP20K60EFC144-2X
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$42.65 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP20K60EFC144-2XN
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$152 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP20K60EFI144-2X
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$65 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP20K60EFC144-1
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$19.4 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP20K60ETC144-2N Maximum Ratings & Electrical Characteristics
| Family | APEX-20KE |
| Logic Elements | 2,560 |
| Typical Gates | 60,000 |
| Embedded Memory (ESB) | 32,768 bits (32 Kbits) |
| User I/Os | 92 |
| Core Voltage (VCCINT) | 1.71 V to 1.89 V (1.8 V nominal) |
| Speed Grade | -2 |
| Internal Frequency (max) | 160 MHz |
| Propagation Delay | 1.72 ns |
| Process Technology | 0.22 µm CMOS |
| Package | 144-pin TQFP (20 × 20 mm, 0.5 mm pitch) |
| Operating Temperature | 0 °C to 85 °C (commercial) |
| Mounting Type | Surface Mount |
| Logic Family | CMOS |
| JTAG Support | IEEE 1149.1 boundary-scan |
EP20K60ETC144-2N 144-pin tqfp (20 × 20 mm, 0.5 mm pitch) Pin Configuration Guide
Pin configuration for EP20K60ETC144-2N (144-pin tqfp (20 × 20 mm, 0.5 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 EP20K60ETC144-2N.
Refer to the datasheet for full pin configuration.
Typical Applications
EP20K60ETC144-2N is suitable for 6 applications: Telecommunications Line-Card Glue Logic, PCI Bus Bridge / Interface Adapter, Industrial Control Front-End Preprocessor, DSP Co-Processing Front-End, Custom High-Speed State Machine, Legacy System Maintenance and Bitstream Replication.
Telecommunications Line-Card Glue Logic
The EP20K60ETC144-2N fits telecom line-card glue-logic applications because its 2,560 logic elements and 32 Kbits of embedded memory (ESB) provide enough capacity to bridge between PHY devices and a central ASIC or network processor. Its 92 user I/O pins allow multiple parallel bus interfaces (UTOPIA, SPI, I2C) to coexist on one device, while the 160 MHz internal frequency comfortably meets 155 Mbps (STM-1/OC-3) backplane timing with margin. The 1.8 V core and 3.3 V I/O supplies also match the dual-rail power environment typical in legacy line-card designs. Engineers often place this FPGA between framer and switch-fabric ASICs to handle cell delineation, performance monitoring, and alarm aggregation.
Recommended
PCI Bus Bridge / Interface Adapter
The EP20K60ETC144-2N supports legacy 33 MHz PCI bus bridge designs via its dedicated PCI-compliant I/O buffers that meet the 3.3 V PCI signalling specification at 33 MHz with the -2 speed grade. With 92 user I/Os and 32 Kbits of ESB memory, the device can implement a target or initiator state machine, configuration-space registers, and 64-bit scatter-gather DMA engines without external memory. Compared to a CPLD, the FPGA offers more headroom for added logic such as interrupt steering or hot-swap handling. Designers typically use Quartus II 13.0sp1 to compile PCI reference designs and pin the bus signals to the bottom I/O bank for clean PCI-compliant routing.
Recommended
Industrial Control Front-End Preprocessor
The EP20K60ETC144-2N is well-suited to industrial front-end preprocessing where multiple sensor interfaces must be aggregated before forwarding to a CPU. The 92 user I/O pins let designers connect SPI, UART, I2C, GPIO, and counter channels directly to the FPGA, while the 32 Kbits of ESB memory buffers short bursts of sensor data without external SRAM. The 1.72 ns propagation delay (the -2 speed grade internal register-to-register path) supports deterministic control loops up to approximately 160 MHz, which is more than sufficient for sub-microsecond machine-control responses. The commercial 0-85 °C temperature range covers most factory-floor enclosures without industrial-grade cost premium.
Recommended
DSP Co-Processing Front-End
The EP20K60ETC144-2N functions as a DSP co-processing front-end by implementing FIR filters, FFT pre-processors, or data-format converters in hardware, offloading the host processor. The MultiCore fabric mixes product-term logic with LUT-based arithmetic, making 8-bit multiply-accumulate operations efficient inside the same device that hosts control state machines. With 32 Kbits of embedded memory, the FPGA can hold coefficient tables and small input/output buffers, eliminating external SRAM for many smaller DSP front-end blocks. The 160 MHz internal frequency supports sample rates up to 80 Msps for 2× oversampled 8-bit data, suitable for audio and baseband signal conditioning.
Recommended
Custom High-Speed State Machine
The EP20K60ETC144-2N targets custom state-machine applications where discrete logic or CPLDs run out of capacity but full processor-based solutions are overkill. With 2,560 logic elements, designers can implement dozens of parallel state machines with priority arbitration in a single device, alongside counters, FIFOs, and pattern-matchers built from the ESB blocks. The 92 I/Os support 32-bit or wider parallel buses, while JTAG-based in-system programming simplifies firmware-style updates to the state-machine configuration. Engineers frequently use this FPGA for protocol conversion, sequencer control, and proprietary bus emulators in test fixtures.
Recommended
Legacy System Maintenance and Bitstream Replication
The EP20K60ETC144-2N is commonly used for legacy system maintenance where deployed equipment must be repaired or replicated with bitstream-identical replacements. APEX-20KE bitstreams are not forward-compatible with Cyclone or newer Altera families, so ongoing repairs require direct replacements for original parts. With 92 I/Os and 60 K gates, the device covers the bulk of mid-complexity legacy designs from the early 2000s. Engineers typically obtain the part through authorized legacy distributors (Rochester Electronics, Karl Kruse) and load the original .pof or .sof file directly, avoiding re-validation of the surrounding board and firmware stack.
Recommended
Recommended Products Summary
Engineering reference data for EP20K60ETC144-2N — comparison, design guidance, and compliance information.
Selection Guide
Comparison with Alternatives
| Parameter | This Product | EP20K60ETC144-1X | EP20K60EFC144-2X | EP20K60EFC144-2XN | EP20K60EFI144-2X | EP20K60EFC144-1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Package | 144-pin TQFP (20x20 mm) | 144-pin TQFP (20x20 mm) - same | 144-pin TQFP (20x20 mm) - same | 144-pin TQFP (20x20 mm) - same | 144-pin TQFP (20x20 mm) - same | 144-pin TQFP (20x20 mm) - same |
| Brand | Intel (Altera) | Intel (Altera) | Intel (Altera) | Intel (Altera) | Intel (Altera) | Intel (Altera) |
| Logic Elements | 2,560 | 2,560 | 2,560 | 2,560 | 2,560 | 2,560 |
| Typical Gates | 60,000 | 60,000 | 60,000 | 60,000 | 60,000 | 60,000 |
| Embedded Memory (ESB) | 32 Kbits | 32 Kbits | 32 Kbits | 32 Kbits | 32 Kbits | 32 Kbits |
| User I/Os | 92 | 92 | 92 | 92 | 92 | 92 |
| Speed Grade | -2 | -1X (slower) | -2X (equivalent) | -2X (equivalent) | -2X (equivalent) | -1 (slower) |
| Operating Temperature | 0 to 85 °C (commercial) | 0 to 85 °C (commercial) | 0 to 85 °C (commercial) | 0 to 85 °C (commercial) | -40 to +100 °C (industrial) | 0 to 85 °C (commercial) |
| Lead Finish / RoHS | Standard (non-RoHS) | Lead-free (RoHS) | Lead-free (RoHS) | Lead-free (RoHS) | Lead-free (RoHS) | Lead-free (RoHS) |
Key Differentiators
- Mid-tier -2 speed grade with 160 MHz internal frequency (vs EP20K60ETC144-1X)
- Standard lead-finish preserves compatibility with non-RoHS reflow profiles (vs EP20K60EFC144-2XN)
- Commercial 0-85 °C temperature range matches lab and indoor equipment (vs EP20K60EFI144-2X)
Design Notes
The EP20K60ETC144-2N requires two supply rails: VCCINT at 1.71 V to 1.89 V (1.8 V nominal) for the core logic, and VCCIO at 3.0 V to 3.6 V (3.3 V nominal) for the I/O banks. Both rails must ramp monotonically during configuration to prevent in-rush currents that can trigger the device's power-on-reset (POR) circuit. Decouple each VCCINT pin with a 0.1 µF X7R ceramic capacitor placed within 3 mm of the pin, plus a 10 µF bulk capacitor at the regulator output. Estimated: a 70%-utilized -2 design at 160 MHz can draw up to 600 mA from VCCINT and 200 mA from VCCIO; budget the regulator with at least 30% headroom.
Route all 92 user I/O signals on a single signal layer when possible to minimize stub length; the 144-pin TQFP package has 0.5 mm pitch, which is at the practical limit for escape routing on standard 0.062-inch two-layer boards. Use a four-layer stack-up with continuous VCCINT and GND planes directly under the device to provide low-impedance return paths for high-speed LVDS or PCI signals. Place all decoupling capacitors on the same side as the FPGA, with 0.1 µF caps within 3 mm of each power pin. Add a 33 Ω series-termination resistor on each output driving traces longer than 25 mm to control edge rates below 100 MHz switching.
Do not assume the EP20K60ETC144-2N bitstream is compatible with newer Altera families - APEX-20KE uses the legacy .pof/.sof format and Quartus II 13.0sp1 is the last toolchain with native support. Confusing the speed grade suffix: -2N is the commercial-temperature, standard-lead-finish, -2 timing variant; -1X is the slowest commercial grade, -1 is the slow industrial grade, and -2X is equivalent speed to -2 but with the enhanced MultiCore architecture. Mixing speed grades in a multi-FPGA design will fail timing closure. Always verify the exact ordering code against the Altera APEX-20KE datasheet ordering information table before placing production orders.
The 144-pin TQFP package has a thermal resistance (theta-JA) of approximately 35 °C/W when mounted on a standard JEDEC 4-layer test board with no airflow. Estimated: at full logic utilization (90% LEs, 100% ESB, 160 MHz toggle), the device dissipates approximately 1.2 W internally, yielding a junction-to-ambient temperature rise of about 42 °C above ambient. For 70 °C ambient operation, the junction reaches 112 °C - acceptable but no margin. Add 100 mm² of continuous copper pour on the top layer tied to GND to drop theta-JA by approximately 30%, enabling reliable operation at higher ambient temperatures.
Compliance Information
EP20K60ETC144-2N ('N' suffix) uses standard lead finish, not RoHS compliant per Altera legacy ordering guide; the 'XN' suffix (EP20K60ETC144-2XN) is the lead-free RoHS drop-in variant. REACH compliance inferred from Altera/Intel substance declarations. AEC-Q100 not applicable - this is a commercial-grade programmable logic device. Conflict minerals compliance per Intel CMRT filings.
