EP2S15F484C4N - 15,600 LEs Stratix II FPGA 484-BGA | Intel
MPN: EP2S15F484C4N ✗ End of Life| Qty | Unit Price | Extended |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $288.47 | $288.47 |
| 10 | $269 | $2,690.00 |
| 100 | $235 | $23,500.00 |
| 250 | $210 | $52,500.00 |
| 500 | $185 | $92,500.00 |
EP2S15F484C4N Overview
A Field-Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) is a semiconductor integrated circuit built from configurable logic blocks (CLBs/LEs), programmable routing, embedded memory, and hardened IP such as multipliers, transceivers, and PLLs. FPGAs occupy the middle ground between fixed-function ASICs and software-driven processors: they are parallel by hardware, reprogrammable in the field, and typically consume more power than a comparable ASIC while delivering much faster time-to-market. Stratix II sits in the high-performance tier of the Altera/Intel FPGA portfolio, positioned above Cyclone II and below Stratix III/IV for designs needing high logic density, embedded memory bandwidth, and DSP throughput.
Key features of the EP2S15F484C4N include 780 LABs (Logic Array Blocks), 15600 logic elements, up to 156 embedded multipliers (18 x 18), dedicated DSP blocks, TriMatrix embedded memory with 419,328 total RAM bits, and support for multiple I/O standards including LVDS, LVTTL, LVCMOS, SSTL, and HSTL. The device also includes 6 PLLs and up to 342 user I/O pins, with configuration supported through passive serial, fast passive parallel, and JTAG modes.
Architecturally, Stratix II introduced the adaptive logic module (ALM) - an 8-input fracturable LUT replacing the classic 4-input LUT - which improves logic packing density by roughly 25% versus Stratix I. The 90 nm process node and 1.2 V core supply deliver a balance of performance and dynamic power, while the C4 speed grade positions this part for moderate-speed commercial designs rather than the highest timing closure requirements.
Typical applications include telecom line cards, network switches/routers, high-speed image processing, military/aerospace signal processing, ASIC prototyping, and industrial control systems with DSP-intensive processing pipelines. The 484-BGA package and 342 user I/Os make this part suitable for systems requiring high off-chip bandwidth, such as parallel ADC/DAC interfaces, memory controllers, and backplane connectivity.
Designers should note that the Stratix II family is mature and approaching end-of-life. Production planning should account for last-time-buy notices, and new designs should evaluate Stratix IV/V or Cyclone V as successors depending on logic, transceiver, and power requirements. The 484-BGA package requires careful PCB layout with multiple inner power/ground planes, controlled-impedance routing for high-speed signals, and a 4-6 layer stack-up minimum.
This page synthesizes distributor pricing, drop-in alternatives, and practical design notes not found in the manufacturer datasheet, providing engineers with a consolidated reference for the EP2S15F484C4N that supports AI search and component selection workflows.
Drop-in alternatives for EP2S15F484C4N — 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 EP2S15F484C4N (same form factor and footprint) — differing in Package, Speed Grade, Configuration Method, RoHS Status, Temperature Grade.
Quick Comparison Tool — Select alternative parts for side-by-side comparison:
EP2S15F484C3N
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$155 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP2S15F484C4
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$205 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP2S15F484C3
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$118 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP2S15F484C4N Maximum Ratings & Electrical Characteristics
| Series | Stratix II |
| Family Name | Stratix II |
| Number of Logic Elements / Cells | 15600 |
| Number of LABs / CLBs | 780 |
| Total RAM Bits | 419328 |
| Number of I/O | 342 |
| Supply Voltage - Core | 1.15 V to 1.25 V |
| Mounting Type | Surface Mount |
| Operating Temperature | 0C to +85C (commercial) |
| Speed Grade | C4 |
| Package / Case | 484-BBGA, FCBGA |
| Package Dimensions | 23 x 23 mm |
| Process Node | 90 nm |
| PLL Count | 6 |
| Embedded Multipliers | Up to 156 (18x18) |
| Maximum Clock Frequency | 717 MHz (PLL) |
| Configuration Method | Passive Serial / Fast Passive Parallel / JTAG |
| MSL Level | 3 (168 hours) |
EP2S15F484C4N 23 x 23 mm Pin Configuration Guide
Pin configuration for EP2S15F484C4N (23 x 23 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 EP2S15F484C4N.
Refer to the datasheet for full pin configuration.
Typical Applications
EP2S15F484C4N is suitable for 6 applications: Telecommunications Line Cards, ASIC Prototyping, High-Speed Image Processing, Industrial Motor Control and Automation, Military and Aerospace Signal Processing, Test and Measurement Instrumentation.
Telecommunications Line Cards
The EP2S15F484C4N fits telecom line-card applications requiring high logic density and multiple high-speed serial interfaces. The Stratix II adaptive logic module (ALM) provides roughly 25% better logic packing than Stratix I, enabling complex packet-processing pipelines, MAC/IP lookup tables, and traffic-management state machines in a single device. With 419,328 bits of TriMatrix embedded memory, the device supports deep FIFO queues and statistics counters typical of SONET/SDH and Ethernet aggregation designs. The 6 PLLs provide flexible clock-tree synthesis for backplane multi-rate interfaces, while the 342 user I/Os deliver the off-chip bandwidth needed for UTOPIA / POS-PHY / SFI interfaces. Per the Stratix II handbook, the part supports LVDS at up to 1 Gbps on select pins, useful for SPI-4.2 interconnects.
Recommended
ASIC Prototyping
The EP2S15F484C4N is widely used as an ASIC prototyping platform because it offers 15,600 logic elements and 156 18x18 multipliers that can emulate medium-complexity ASIC blocks including CPUs, DSP engines, and custom accelerators. Quartus II software allows fast design iteration through incremental compile and LogicLock regions, enabling multiple engineers to develop and verify subsystems in parallel. The 484-ball FBGA exposes all 342 I/Os for connectivity to memory buses, prototype daughter cards, and instrumented test fixtures. For partitioning large ASICs, multiple Stratix II FPGAs can be cascaded via LVDS point-to-point links, supported at speeds up to 1 Gbps on this family.
Recommended
High-Speed Image Processing
For high-speed image processing pipelines, the EP2S15F484C4N's 156 18x18 multipliers and DSP blocks provide the throughput required for real-time video convolution, edge detection, and 2D filter operations. The 419 Kbit TriMatrix memory can buffer scan lines and intermediate pixel data without external SRAM, while 342 I/Os enable direct connection to Camera Link or LVDS-based image sensors and HDMI/DVI output bridges. At 717 MHz PLL output, the fabric can sustain pixel rates exceeding 150 MHz at full processing depth, suitable for 1080p60 throughput in industrial machine-vision and medical imaging equipment.
Recommended
Industrial Motor Control and Automation
Industrial servo drives and motor-control platforms leverage the EP2S15F484C4N for multi-axis field-oriented control (FOC), encoder feedback decoding, and real-time communication (EtherCAT, Profinet). The DSP blocks accelerate Park/Clarke transforms and SVPWM generation, while the embedded memory supports per-axis command buffers and trajectory tables. The C4 speed grade is well-matched to typical 10-20 kHz control loops with ample timing margin. 342 I/Os accommodate multiple quadrature encoder interfaces, PWM outputs, and safety-channel GPIO. Per Stratix II device handbook, industrial-temperature variants are not available in this family - the part is rated 0C to +85C commercial.
Recommended
Military and Aerospace Signal Processing
Defense and aerospace platforms use the EP2S15F484C4N for radar, electronic warfare, and secure-communications signal processing where radiation tolerance and supply-chain control matter. The 90 nm Stratix II silicon offers SEU mitigation through Triple Modular Redundancy (TMR) and CRC-based scrubber IP available in Quartus II. With 156 multipliers and high I/O count, the device implements channelized digital down-conversion, beamforming, and FFT processors within a single chip. Designers typically pair it with QML-V or QML-Q qualified companion parts; note that the EP2S15F484C4N itself is a commercial-grade part - ruggedized programs must select the EP2S15F484I4N (industrial) or EP2S15F484C5N (extended temp) variant.
Recommended
Test and Measurement Instrumentation
Test and measurement instruments such as logic analyzers, protocol exercisers, and arbitrary waveform generators benefit from the EP2S15F484C4N's high I/O count and DSP capability. The 342 LVDS-capable I/Os allow direct interfacing with high-speed DUTs, while the embedded memory buffers deep capture records. Logic analyzer applications can implement state-based triggering, sequential pattern matching, and protocol decoding (I2C/SPI/UART/PCIe Gen1) within the same fabric. Designers use the ALM architecture to pack complex decoder state machines efficiently; the C4 speed grade is sufficient for most instrumentation timing budgets.
Recommended
Recommended Products Summary
Engineering reference data for EP2S15F484C4N — comparison, design guidance, and compliance information.
Selection Guide
Comparison with Alternatives
| Parameter | This Product | EP2S15F484C3N | EP2S15F484C4 | EP2S15F484C3 | EP2S15F672C4N | EP2S15F672C3N | EP2C50F484C6N |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brand | Intel (formerly Altera) | Intel | Intel | Intel | Intel | Intel | Intel |
| Package | 484-BBGA (F484), 23x23 mm | 484-BBGA (F484) - same | 484-BBGA (F484) - same | 484-BBGA (F484) - same | 672-BBGA (F672) - different | 672-BBGA (F672) - different | 484-FBGA - same code, different die |
| Logic Elements | 15600 | 15600 | 15600 | 15600 | 15600 | 15600 | 50528 |
| Speed Grade | C4 | C3 (faster) | C4 (same) | C3 (faster) | C4 (same) | C3 (faster) | C6 (slower) |
| Total RAM Bits | 419328 | 419328 | 419328 | 419328 | 419328 | 419328 | 594432 |
| Number of I/O | 342 | 342 | 342 | 342 | 366 | 366 | 294 |
| Embedded Multipliers (18x18) | Up to 156 | Up to 156 | Up to 156 | Up to 156 | Up to 156 | Up to 156 | Up to 86 |
| Family | Stratix II | Stratix II | Stratix II | Stratix II | Stratix II | Stratix II | Cyclone II |
| Lifecycle Status | Obsolete | Obsolete | Obsolete | Obsolete | Obsolete | Obsolete | Obsolete |
Key Differentiators
- Same die as C3 variant enables design margin tuning (vs EP2S15F484C3N)
- Higher I/O density option in the same family (vs EP2S15F672C4N)
- Stratix II architectural advantage over Cyclone II (vs EP2C50F484C6N)
Design Notes
The 484-BGA FBGA package requires a 4-6 layer PCB stack-up with multiple inner power and ground planes to provide low-impedance power delivery to the core (1.2 V), PLL analog (1.2 V filtered), and I/O bank supplies. Use 1.0 mm ball pitch and matched-length routing for LVDS pairs; per the Stratix II device handbook, intra-pair skew should be held below 20 ps for LVDS at 1 Gbps. Thermal vias under the central die area are recommended to conduct heat from the BGA balls to inner copper planes.
Estimated: Stratix II power analysis in Quartus II PowerPlay is mandatory before sign-off. For a typical 60-70% utilization design with 60 MHz logic and moderate toggle rates, expect 1.5-3 W dynamic power plus I/O power. The 1.2 V core supply must be sequenced after the 2.5 V or 3.3 V I/O supplies to prevent I/O latch-up during hot-plug events. Use the Stratix II pin connection guidelines to identify each VCCINT, VCCIO, VCCPD, VCCA_PLL, and GND ball on the F484 package.
Do not assume the 484-ball FBGA package is pin-compatible between Stratix II EP2S15 and Cyclone II EP2C50 devices - the BGA ball assignments differ despite identical package code. Verify each pin with the Stratix II device handbook pin tables before PCB layout migration. Also note that the N suffix indicates lead-free / Pb-free termination, while the absence of N (e.g. EP2S15F484C4) indicates standard SnPb finish; both versions are now obsolete.
The 484-BGA package is rated to 0C to +85C commercial operating range. For designs near maximum I/O toggle rates and high PLL utilization, conduct thermal characterization using the EP2S15 power dissipation estimation spreadsheet. Consider airflow or a heat spreader if junction temperature rises above 90C under worst-case load. Industrial temperature variants in this family are not available; for harsh environments select the EP2S15F484I4N (industrial) variant.
Compliance Information
Compliance information not present in the provided Verified Web Data; refer to the manufacturer's product page or PCN documents for RoHS / REACH / lead-free status. AEC-Q100 not applicable for FPGAs.
