EP2A40F672C7 - APEX II FPGA, 40K LEs, 672-FBGA | Intel / Altera
MPN: EP2A40F672C7 ✗ End of Life| Qty | Unit Price | Extended |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $285 | $285.00 |
| 10 | $256.5 | $2,565.00 |
| 100 | $228 | $22,800.00 |
| 250 | $210 | $52,500.00 |
| 500 | $195 | $97,500.00 |
EP2A40F672C7 Overview
An FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array) is a semiconductor device built around an array of configurable logic blocks, programmable interconnect, and dedicated I/O and memory resources. APEX II devices specifically target high-density, high-bandwidth applications by combining look-up-table (LUT) based logic with embedded system blocks (ESBs) that can be configured as RAM, ROM, or content-addressable memory. The hierarchy in the taxonomy is: FPGA -> programmable logic device -> logic IC -> integrated circuit -> semiconductor.
Key specifications include 492 user I/Os, an internal performance of up to 562 MHz (per datasheet headline figure), 1.55 ns pin-to-pin delay (C7 speed grade), and on-die high-speed serial interface channels supporting 1 Gbps operation. The device also integrates four phase-locked loops for clock management and a multi-voltage I/O bank architecture allowing selectable 1.5 V, 1.8 V, 2.5 V, or 3.3 V interfacing on a per-bank basis without external level shifters.
Typical applications span high-performance data path implementation, telecommunications backplanes, RAID controllers, and high-speed serial protocol bridging. The True-LVDS capability makes the EP2A40F672C7 particularly suited for chip-to-chip interconnect at gigabit rates across short backplane traces.
When designing with this device, allocate adequate PCB layers for the FC-FBGA escape routing and ensure decoupling is placed immediately adjacent to the BGA balls. The C7 speed grade offers an attractive balance of timing margin and cost for designs that do not require the maximum C8 or C9 grades, and the part is supplied in tray or tape-and-reel packaging as required by production volume.
This page consolidates distributor pricing, comparison with related speed-grade and package variants, and design notes specific to APEX II FC-FBGA implementation that are not typically present on a single manufacturer page.
Drop-in alternatives for EP2A40F672C7 — 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 EP2A40F672C7 (same form factor and footprint) — differing in Package, Operating Temperature, Process Technology, Speed Grade, Logic Elements.
Quick Comparison Tool — Select alternative parts for side-by-side comparison:
EP2A40F672C9
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$62 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP2A40F672I7
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$185 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP2A40F672C6
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$105 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP2A40F672C6N
✅ Drop-In ⚠️ 参数待验证✓ In Stock
$165 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP2A40F672C7 Maximum Ratings & Electrical Characteristics
| Family | APEX II |
| Logic Elements | 38,400 |
| System Gates | 1,500,000 |
| Macro Cells | 2,560 |
| Maximum User I/O | 492 |
| Process Technology | 0.15 µm CMOS, all-layer copper, up to 8 metal layers |
| Core Voltage | 1.5 V |
| I/O Voltage Support | 1.5 V / 1.8 V / 2.5 V / 3.3 V (MultiVolt) |
| Pin-to-Pin Delay | 1.55 ns (C7 speed grade) |
| Maximum Internal Frequency | 562 MHz |
| High-Speed Interface | 1 Gbps True-LVDS, LVPECL, PCML, HyperTransport |
| PLLs | 4 |
| Package | 672-ball FC-FBGA (FineLine BGA) |
| Package Dimensions | 27 x 27 mm, 1.0 mm pitch |
| Mounting Type | Surface Mount |
| Operating Temperature Grade | Commercial (per 'C' suffix in speed grade) |
| RoHS Status | Compliant |
| Lead-Free | Yes |
EP2A40F672C7 27 x 27 mm, 1.0 mm pitch Pin Configuration Guide
Pin configuration for EP2A40F672C7 (27 x 27 mm, 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 EP2A40F672C7.
Refer to the datasheet for full pin configuration.
Typical Applications
EP2A40F672C7 is suitable for 6 applications: Telecommunications Backplane Bridging, High-Speed Serial Protocol Bridge, RAID / Storage Controller, Industrial Imaging and Video Processing, Legacy Aerospace and Defense Avionics, Test and Measurement Instrumentation.
Telecommunications Backplane Bridging
The EP2A40F672C7 is well suited to telecommunications backplane bridging designs that aggregate multiple lower-speed serial links into a higher-speed trunk. Its dedicated 1-Gbps True-LVDS channels can be aggregated to provide multi-gigabit backplane interconnect without external serializer/deserializer chips, and the 38,400 logic elements absorb packet buffering, framing, and link-layer state machines in a single device. With four PLLs the part generates the multiple reference clocks typically needed in a backplane line card, while MultiVolt I/O banks directly connect to legacy 3.3 V PHYs alongside modern 1.5 V cores. Designers targeting TDM-over-packet or SONET/SDH mapper applications value the device's combination of high logic density and high-speed serial channels.
Recommended
High-Speed Serial Protocol Bridge
Designers building bridges between RapidIO, HyperTransport, and proprietary LVDS links rely on the EP2A40F672C7's 1-Gbps dedicated transceiver channels. The PLLs generate the required reference clocks for each protocol domain, while the embedded system blocks (ESBs) implement FIFOs that smooth rate mismatches between the two sides of the bridge. The 492 user I/Os handle sideband signals, GPIO, and status LEDs, and the 1.5 V core keeps power dissipation within the thermal envelope of the FC-FBGA-672 package. This combination makes the device a popular choice for legacy industrial computing platforms where migrating to a newer FPGA family would require re-validation of the surrounding firmware.
Recommended
RAID / Storage Controller
The EP2A40F672C7's high logic density and rich MultiVolt I/O make it a natural fit for hardware RAID controllers that aggregate 8 to 16 SATA or parallel ATA channels. The 2,560 macro cells can be partitioned across dedicated XOR accelerator engines and command-queue state machines, while the 492 user I/Os provide ample headroom for drive-present, activity LED, and SGPIO sideband signals. Engineers typically pair the part with an external I/O processor for command parsing and use the ESBs as on-chip command/tag RAM, removing several external SRAMs from the BOM. The 1.5 V core combined with selectable I/O voltages lets the same design talk to both 1.8 V and 3.3 V disk controllers without glue logic.
Recommended
Industrial Imaging and Video Processing
Frame grabbers and machine-vision pre-processors use the EP2A40F672C7 to ingest high-bandwidth Camera Link or Channel Link LVDS streams, perform Bayer demosaic and color-space conversion in LUT-based pipelines, and emit processed video over DVI or DisplayPort transmitters. The 1-Gbps LVDS channels comfortably absorb 80 MHz pixel clocks on 10-tap Camera Link interfaces, while the 38,400 logic elements host the demosaic and gamma-correction datapaths. MultiVolt I/O banks allow the part to directly interface with 1.8 V image sensors and 3.3 V display controllers on the same PCB. Industrial-temperature variants extend these designs into factory-floor and outdoor installations.
Recommended
Legacy Aerospace and Defense Avionics
The EP2A40F672C7 remains in service in long-lifecycle aerospace and defense platforms where the design has already been validated to DO-254 and re-spinning onto a newer FPGA family would trigger costly re-certification. Its 1.5 V core, commercial temperature range, and well-documented APEX II silicon give system integrators predictable long-term behavior. The 672-ball FC-FBGA package supports the high pin counts required for parallel ARINC 429 and MIL-STD-1553 bus interfaces, while the dedicated LVDS channels accommodate modern sensor data links. Programs typically buy lifetime-buy inventory at the start of the EOL announcement and pair the device with industrial-temperature variants when thermal margins require it.
Recommended
Test and Measurement Instrumentation
Logic analyzers, protocol exercisers, and bit-error-rate testers built on the EP2A40F672C7 take advantage of its large ESB memory blocks to implement deep capture buffers and pattern generators. The 1-Gbps LVDS channels provide the high-fanout stimulus required for parallel-bus testing, while the 492 user I/Os drive front-panel LEDs and accept trigger inputs. Engineers use the on-chip PLLs to generate the multiple clock domains needed for asynchronous stimulus and capture, and rely on the device's predictable timing closure in Quartus II to ship production-ready firmware quickly. For high-channel-count BERTs, designers often stack two EP2A40 devices in a master/slave configuration.
Recommended
Recommended Products Summary
Engineering reference data for EP2A40F672C7 — comparison, design guidance, and compliance information.
Selection Guide
Comparison with Alternatives
| Parameter | This Product | EP2A40F672C9 | EP2A40F672I7 | EP2A40F672C6 | EP2A40F672C6N |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brand | Intel (Altera) | Intel (Altera) | Intel (Altera) | Intel (Altera) | Intel (Altera) |
| 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) |
| Speed Grade | C7 (1.55 ns) | C9 (~1.0 ns, faster) | I7 (industrial temp, 1.55 ns) | C6 (~1.85 ns, slower) | C6N (~1.85 ns, lead-free) |
| Logic Elements | 38,400 | 38,400 | 38,400 | 38,400 | 38,400 |
| System Gates | 1.5 M | 1.5 M | 1.5 M | 1.5 M | 1.5 M |
| Macro Cells | 2,560 | 2,560 | 2,560 | 2,560 | 2,560 |
| Operating Temperature | Commercial (0C to +85C) | Commercial (0C to +85C) | Industrial (-40C to +100C) | Commercial (0C to +85C) | Commercial (0C to +85C) |
| Lead-Free / RoHS | RoHS compliant | RoHS compliant | RoHS compliant | RoHS compliant | Lead-free, RoHS compliant |
Key Differentiators
- Best balance of cost and timing margin in APEX II F672 family (vs EP2A40F672C9)
- Drop-in same-package option for extended-temperature environments (vs EP2A40F672I7)
- Higher logic density than EP2A25F672C7 with same package (vs EP2A25F672C7)
Design Notes
The 672-ball FC-FBGA package has a 1.0 mm ball pitch on a 27 x 27 mm body. Escape routing on a standard 4-layer FR-4 stack-up is challenging because the 0.5 mm via pad and 0.2 mm trace/space cannot be achieved with conventional 4-mil line geometry. Use an 8-layer or 10-layer stack-up with laser-drilled microvias (typically 0.1 mm finished hole) for the BGA breakout, and allocate at least two internal layers as solid reference planes to control impedance of the 100-ohm differential LVDS pairs. Fan-out pattern: dog-bone or via-in-pad depending on assembly house capability.
Estimated: at the maximum internal toggle rate, the EP2A40F672C7 dissipates approximately 4-6 W. With theta_JA typically around 12 C/W for the FC-FBGA-672 on a JEDEC test board, junction temperature rise above ambient is roughly 50-70 C. For closed enclosures with limited airflow, attach a small heatsink via the central die-expose region of the FC-FBGA or use thermal vias in the inner balls to a copper inner-plane heat spreader. Always measure junction temperature in a worst-case corner to validate the thermal model before locking the BOM.
True-LVDS channels operating at 1 Gbps require controlled-impedance routing (100 ohm differential) with length matching to within 5 mils across a channel pair. Use 3W spacing between adjacent LVDS pairs and at least 5W spacing to single-ended signals to minimize crosstalk. Series AC-coupling capacitors (typically 100 nF X7R) should be placed close to the transmitter end. The APEX II device handbook provides reference schematics and recommended stack-up dimensions; follow them rather than re-deriving from first principles when possible.
Do not assume APEX II silicon is hot-swappable - the device requires a defined power-up sequence with VCCINT (1.5 V core) reaching stable regulation before VCCIO banks are driven. Use the recommended power-on-reset (POR) circuit shown in the handbook. Also note that the JTAG configuration interface (TCK, TMS, TDI, TDO, nCONFIG, nSTATUS) must be pulled to defined logic levels during configuration; floating pins cause intermittent configuration failures. Finally, ensure the MSEL pins are strapped to select the correct configuration mode (AS, PS, JTAG, or Fast Passive Parallel) before applying power.
Compliance Information
RoHS and lead-free status per Altera/Intel product page; halogen-free status not specified in the verified web data. APEX II devices are not AEC-Q100 qualified and are not intended for automotive safety-critical applications.
