EP2A40F672C7ES - APEX II 1.5M Gates FPGA 672-FBGA | Intel / Altera
MPN: EP2A40F672C7ES ✗ End of Life| Qty | Unit Price | Extended |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $185 | $185.00 |
| 10 | $168.5 | $1,685.00 |
| 100 | $152 | $15,200.00 |
| 500 | $138.4 | $69,200.00 |
| 1,000 | $124.75 | $124,750.00 |
EP2A40F672C7ES Overview
An FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array) is a programmable logic device that lets engineers implement arbitrary digital logic through a lookup-table and routing fabric. APEX II extends this model with embedded system blocks (ESBs) for dual-port RAM, ROM, and CAM, plus a high-bandwidth MultiCore interconnect that links logic array blocks (LABs), ESBs, and I/O elements (IOEs) on a single die. The hierarchy is: FPGA -> programmable logic device (PLD) -> logic IC -> integrated circuit -> semiconductor.
Key specifications include 1.5M typical gates (40K logic elements), 40,960 maximum logic elements, 2,560 macro cells, 562 MHz core operation, 1.5 V VCCINT with 3.3 V VCCIO support, and 492 user I/O pins. On-chip resources include embedded array blocks, FastRow interconnect, and LVTTL/LVCMOS/SSTL/HSTL I/O standards. The FC-FBGA-672 package with 1.0 mm pitch is suitable for high-density production designs.
The APEX II architecture pairs a fine-grained logic array with coarse-grained embedded system blocks, allowing designers to trade off LUT-based logic against dedicated memory and CAM functions. The MultiCore interconnect uses a continuous row-and-column routing fabric, which simplifies timing closure for wide datapath and memory-intensive designs compared with segmented-routing alternatives.
Typical applications include high-throughput telecommunications backplanes, network processing line cards, ASIC prototyping, and DSP co-processing. The wide I/O count and large embedded memory footprint make it a fit for protocol bridging, where many parallel channels must be aggregated with on-chip buffering.
When selecting APEX II devices, note that ES variants are engineering samples intended for prototyping only; for production, choose C7/C8/C9 commercial or I7/I8 industrial speed-grade parts. The 672-ball FBGA requires controlled-impedance PCB layout and a minimum of 6 PCB layers for proper power distribution.
This page synthesizes distributor pricing, drop-in alternatives drawn from the same Altera APEX II family, and design notes not collected in the manufacturer datasheet PDF.
Drop-in alternatives for EP2A40F672C7ES — 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 EP2A40F672C7ES (same form factor and footprint) — differing in Operating Temperature, Package, Process Technology, Speed Grade, Package Dimensions.
Quick Comparison Tool — Select alternative parts for side-by-side comparison:
EP2A40F672C7
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$195 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP2A40F672C6N
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$165 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP2A40F672C6
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$105 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP2A25F672C7
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$118 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP2A25F672C9
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$700 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP2A15F672C7
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$98 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP2A40F672C7ES Maximum Ratings & Electrical Characteristics
| Family | APEX II |
| Logic Elements | 38400 |
| Typical Gates | 1.5 M |
| Maximum Logic Elements | 40960 |
| Maximum Macro Cells | 2560 |
| Maximum User I/O | 492 |
| Maximum Operating Frequency | 562 MHz |
| Process Technology | 0.15 µm CMOS |
| Core Voltage (VCCINT) | 1.5 V |
| I/O Voltage (VCCIO) | 3.3 V |
| Package | 672-pin FC-FBGA (FineLine BGA) |
| Package Dimensions | 27 × 27 mm |
| Ball Pitch | 1.0 mm |
| Speed Grade | 7 |
| Operating Temperature | 0 °C to +85 °C (commercial) |
| Status Code | ES (Engineering Sample) |
| Mounting Type | Surface Mount |
EP2A40F672C7ES 27 × 27 mm Pin Configuration Guide
Pin configuration for EP2A40F672C7ES (27 × 27 mm 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 EP2A40F672C7ES.
Refer to the datasheet for full pin configuration.
Typical Applications
EP2A40F672C7ES is suitable for 6 applications: Telecommunications Backplane Aggregation, ASIC Prototyping and Emulation, Network Processing Line Cards, DSP Co-Processing and Acceleration, Industrial Imaging and Video Pipelines, Test and Measurement Instrumentation.
Telecommunications Backplane Aggregation
The EP2A40F672C7ES fits telecom backplane aggregation because of its 492 user I/O count and 1.5M-gate fabric, which lets it aggregate multiple E1/T1/J1 or Ethernet sub-rate channels into higher-order payloads. The 38,400 logic elements and embedded system blocks (ESBs) implement hitless cross-connect tables without external lookup memory, while the 562 MHz internal frequency supports STS-1/STM-0 traffic shaping. Placed on a 672-ball BGA footprint with controlled-impedance PCB, it bridges POS-PHY Level 2 or UTOPIA interfaces to a network processor. Unlike smaller CPLDs, the APEX II fabric scales to multi-channel HDLC termination and clock-data recovery state machines in a single device.
Recommended
ASIC Prototyping and Emulation
The EP2A40F672C7ES is a strong fit for ASIC prototyping thanks to its 1.5M-gate capacity and 38,400 logic elements, which can map mid-complexity ASIC RTL at 1:1 clock frequency. The 672-ball FBGA exposes 492 user I/O for breaking out wide internal buses to header connectors, and the embedded system blocks implement dual-port RAM models that match ASIC memory compilers. Designers use it to validate system-level timing before committing to mask sets, and the speed-grade 7 bin aligns with typical 0.15 µm ASIC libraries. Compared with hard-wired ASICs, the FPGA's reprogrammability cuts iteration time from weeks to hours.
Recommended
Network Processing Line Cards
The EP2A40F672C7ES suits network-processing line cards because the 492 I/O can connect to multiple SFI-4 / XAUI-side SERDES framer ICs while the 38,400 logic elements run classification and policing tables. The 562 MHz fabric implements IPv4/IPv6 lookup engines in CAM-ESB blocks, eliminating external TCAM for moderate-scale routes. With 1.5V VCCINT and 3.3V VCCIO it integrates cleanly alongside PHY/MAC ASICs on the same line-card PCB. The 27 × 27 mm FC-FBGA keeps the BGA-keepout area manageable under a typical 12-layer line-card stack-up.
Recommended
DSP Co-Processing and Acceleration
The EP2A40F672C7ES is appropriate for DSP co-processing because the 38,400 logic elements and ESB dual-port RAM implement parallel FIR/FFT pipelines running at the 562 MHz fabric frequency. The 1.5V VCCINT core lets the device pair with external DSP chips (e.g. TI TMS320C6000) on a shared 3.3V I/O bus, exchanging data over a 64-bit host-port interface mapped to 492 I/O pins. Compared with implementing the same FFT in a DSP, the APEX II fabric delivers 4–8× throughput at the cost of higher board area. The 672-BGA package supports the dense power-delivery network required for sustained DSP workloads.
Recommended
Industrial Imaging and Video Pipelines
The EP2A40F672C7ES fits industrial imaging because its 38,400 logic elements and embedded system blocks implement pipelined Bayer-to-YUV color-space conversion at 562 MHz, processing 720p/1080i streams with frame buffering in on-chip RAM. The 492 user I/O connect to LVDS camera-link receivers and DDR memory controllers, and the 1.5V core plus 3.3V I/O simplify mixed-voltage interface to image sensors. The FC-FBGA-672 package exposes enough pins to break out 16-bit DDR data plus 32-bit processor bus simultaneously. Compared with fixed-function image processors, the FPGA allows custom defect correction and ROI extraction in one device.
Recommended
Test and Measurement Instrumentation
The EP2A40F672C7ES is appropriate for test and measurement because its 1.5M-gate fabric implements custom protocol analyzers (I2C/SPI/UART/CAN) and pattern generators in a single device, while the 492 I/O drive front-end comparators and analog switches. The 562 MHz fabric supports timing-stamped event capture at sub-microsecond resolution, and the ESB blocks store trace buffers without external SRAM. With commercial 0–85 °C operation and a robust BGA package, it fits bench-top and ATE chassis environments. The engineering-sample status makes it ideal for early platform bring-up before committing to the production EP2A40F672C7.
Recommended
Recommended Products Summary
Engineering reference data for EP2A40F672C7ES — comparison, design guidance, and compliance information.
Selection Guide
Comparison with Alternatives
| Parameter | This Product | EP2A40F672C7 | EP2A40F672C6N | EP2A40F672C6 | EP2A25F672C7 | EP2A25F672C9 | EP2A15F672C7 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brand | Intel / Altera | Intel / Altera | Intel / Altera | Intel / Altera | Intel / Altera | Intel / Altera | Intel / Altera |
| Package | 672-pin FC-FBGA | 672-pin FC-FBGA - same | 672-pin FC-FBGA - same | 672-pin FC-FBGA - same | 672-pin FC-FBGA - same | 672-pin FC-FBGA - same | 672-pin FC-FBGA - same |
| Family | APEX II | APEX II | APEX II | APEX II | APEX II | APEX II | APEX II |
| Logic Elements | 38400 | 38400 | 38400 | 38400 | 25600 | 25600 | 19200 |
| Speed Grade | 7 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 9 | 7 |
| Status Code | ES | Production (C7) | Production (C6N) | Production (C6) | Production (C7) | Production (C9) | Production (C7) |
Key Differentiators
- Engineering-sample status enables early platform bring-up (vs EP2A40F672C7)
- Higher logic density than the EP2A25F672 family (vs EP2A25F672C7)
- More I/O than the EP2A15F672 family (vs EP2A15F672C7)
- APEX II ESB blocks enable CAM and dual-port RAM (vs EP20K600CF672C7)
Design Notes
The EP2A40F672C7ES requires four power rails: VCCINT 1.5 V (±5%), VCCIO 3.3 V (±10%), VCC_PLL for phase-locked loops, and VCC_BATT for configuration-battery backup of encryption keys. According to the APEX II datasheet, VCCINT must ramp monotonically and reach steady-state within 100 ms; failure to do so can trigger brown-out configuration resets. Estimated: at 562 MHz with 80% utilization, ICCINT can reach 1.5 A, so bulk decoupling of 4 × 220 µF tantalum plus 12 × 0.1 µF ceramic per supply pin grid is recommended. A dedicated VCCINT linear regulator (e.g. LT1764) is preferred over a switching supply to minimize jitter.
The 27 × 27 mm FC-FBGA-672 has a θJA of approximately 8 C/W with a properly designed 12-layer PCB and thermal via array under the package. According to the APEX II datasheet, the commercial-grade junction temperature must remain below 85 °C; with a 1.5 W typical dissipation, the board will rise ~12 °C above ambient under still-air conditions. Use 0.4 mm thermal vias on a 1.0 mm pitch under the die-flag region and tie the inner ground planes together with 0.2 mm stitching vias. Estimated: forced-air cooling (200 LFM) drops θJA to roughly 4 C/W, which is recommended for sustained high-utilization workloads.
The 1.0 mm pitch FC-FBGA requires 0.5 mm pads with non-solder-mask-defined (NSMD) land patterns, per Altera's package guidelines. Microvia (laser-drilled, 0.1 mm diameter) stack-up is strongly recommended for the top two layers, with all signal escapes routing on layer 3 or below to keep the BGA fanout region clean. Per the APEX II datasheet, impedance-controlled traces should target 50 Ω single-ended and 100 Ω differential for LVDS pairs. Decoupling capacitors must be placed directly under the BGA in a 2-4-8 pattern at 1.0 mm spacing, with via-in-pad recommended for the smallest case sizes.
Do not populate EP2A40F672C7ES into a design that ships to production volumes - the ES status code means limited characterization and no warranty. The APEX II family has been obsolete since 2007, so second-source qualification is impossible; plan a migration path to Cyclone III/IV or Cyclone V E parts before committing the schematic. Configuration via PS-mode requires a 50 MHz EPC16 or EPCS16 flash; using an EPC1 in JTAG-only mode leaves the device vulnerable to brown-out reconfiguration. Always use the Quartus II 9.1 or later service-pack edition, since earlier versions lack ESB timing models for the APEX II family.
Compliance Information
RoHS, REACH, lead-free and halogen-free status are not stated in the verified web data and were not extractable from the APEX II family datasheet - all marked as unknown. APEX II devices are not AEC-Q100 qualified (FPGAs targeting automotive require an explicit automotive-grade part number).
