EP2S180F1020C4 - Stratix II FPGA, 179K LE, 1020-BGA | Intel
MPN: EP2S180F1020C4 ✗ End of Life| Qty | Unit Price | Extended |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $5970.69 | $5,970.69 |
| 10 | $5400 | $54,000.00 |
| 100 | $4800 | $480,000.00 |
| 500 | $4500 | $2,250,000.00 |
| 1,000 | $4200 | $4,200,000.00 |
EP2S180F1020C4 Overview
An FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array) is a semiconductor device containing programmable logic blocks, interconnect, and I/O that can be configured after manufacturing to implement arbitrary digital functions. Within the broader taxonomy, FPGAs sit alongside CPLDs as the two main families of programmable logic devices (PLDs), above fixed-function ASICs in flexibility but below microcontrollers in software-defined control. Modern high-end FPGAs like the Stratix II family integrate hard IP blocks such as transceivers, memory controllers, and DSP multipliers, bridging the gap between traditional FPGA and structured ASIC platforms. This positions the EP2S180F1020C4 as a true system-on-chip (SoC) programmable platform rather than a simple glue-logic device.
Key specifications include 742 user I/O pins, support for multiple I/O standards (LVDS, LVTTL, LVCMOS, SSTL, HSTL, PCI, PCI-X), and dedicated DDR/DDR2 memory interface support up to 300 MHz through the Stratix II PHY. The 1020-BGA package provides 12.5 Gbps aggregate I/O bandwidth suitable for high-speed parallel interfaces, while 768 18x18 multipliers enable real-time DSP workloads such as video processing, software-defined radio, and baseband modulation.
Typical applications span high-end communications infrastructure (10 Gbps line cards, base station baseband), ASIC prototyping and emulation, high-performance DSP pipelines (radar, video codec, medical imaging), and industrial test & measurement backplanes. The 90nm Stratix II architecture was a landmark design win for Altera in the 2004-2008 era and remains in long-lifecycle defense, aerospace, and industrial systems.
When designing with this device, observe the Stratix II power-on reset and configuration sequence carefully; an incorrect MSEL or nCONFIG state can prevent successful joint Test Action Group (JTAG) or Passive Serial (PS) configuration. Thermal management is critical because the 33x33mm BGA package dissipates 15-25W under full DSP utilization. Use the Quartus II design software (version 9.1 or earlier for full Stratix II support) and verify pin assignments against the 1020-ball BGA pinout file.
This page synthesizes distributor pricing, drop-in same-package alternatives (EP2S180F1020C4N, EP2S180F1020C3, EP2S130F1020C4), and design notes that go beyond what is presented on the Alldatasheet or Octopart listings.
Drop-in alternatives for EP2S180F1020C4 — 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 EP2S180F1020C4 (same form factor and footprint) — differing in Package, Speed Grade, Operating Temperature, Mounting Type, Core Voltage.
Quick Comparison Tool — Select alternative parts for side-by-side comparison:
EP2S180F1020C4N
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$171 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP2S180F1020C3
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$1280 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP2S180F1020C3N
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$6800 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP2S180F1020C3TT
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$365 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP2S130F1020C4
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$2800 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP2S180F1020C4 Maximum Ratings & Electrical Characteristics
| Family | Stratix II |
| Logic Elements (LEs) | 179400 |
| Adaptive Logic Modules (ALMs) | 89760 (approximate, derived from LE count) |
| Equivalent LEs | 179400 |
| Logic Array Blocks (LABs) | 8970 |
| Total RAM Bits | 9383040 (approx. 1146 Kbit / 1.16 Mbit usable blocks) |
| Embedded Multipliers (18x18) | 768 |
| PLLs | 12 |
| Maximum User I/O | 742 |
| Package | 1020-BBGA (FineLine BGA, FC-FBGA), 33x33 mm |
| Supply Voltage - Core | 1.15 V to 1.25 V (typical 1.2 V) |
| Process Technology | 90 nm CMOS |
| Operating Temperature | 0C to +85C (commercial, C4 grade) |
| RoHS Status | Non-compliant (per Heisener and alterachips listings) |
| Mounting Type | Surface Mount (BGA, ball grid array) |
| Supplier Device Package | 1020-FBGA (33x33) |
EP2S180F1020C4 1020-fbga (33x33) Pin Configuration Guide
Pin configuration for EP2S180F1020C4 (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 EP2S180F1020C4.
Refer to the datasheet for full pin configuration.
Typical Applications
EP2S180F1020C4 is suitable for 6 applications: ASIC Prototyping and Emulation, High-Speed DSP (Radar, Imaging, Baseband), Telecom Line Cards and Packet Processing, Industrial Test & Measurement Backplanes, Video Processing and Broadcast Infrastructure, Aerospace and Defense Long-Lifecycle Systems.
ASIC Prototyping and Emulation
The EP2S180F1020C4's 179,400 logic elements and 9.38 Mbit of embedded RAM make it a proven platform for ASIC and SoC prototyping, where multiple FPGAs partition a large design. The 1020-BGA provides 742 user I/O - enough to map dozens of internal buses to external test headers for logic-analyzer bring-up. Designers typically partition ASIC RTL into 2-4 EP2S180 devices, using the dedicated clock networks (12 PLLs, 32 global clocks) to balance skew across chip-to-chip LVDS links. The 768 18x18 multipliers also allow soft-DSP blocks to be prototyped before tape-out.
Recommended
High-Speed DSP (Radar, Imaging, Baseband)
With 768 dedicated 18x18 multipliers and 9.38 Mbit of block RAM, the EP2S180F1020C4 reaches roughly 76 GMAC/s of fixed-point DSP throughput, suitable for radar FFT pipelines, medical imaging reconstruction, and wireless baseband. Designers typically instantiate hundreds of multipliers as parallel FIR or FFT butterfly cores, using the Stratix II TriMatrix memory blocks as data buffers. The 1.2 V 90 nm core keeps dynamic power moderate for sustained compute workloads, although still requiring active thermal management at full multiplier utilization.
Recommended
Telecom Line Cards and Packet Processing
The 742 user I/O of the EP2S180F1020C4 easily carry multiple SFI-4.2 / XAUI-style parallel interfaces, making the device suitable for 10 Gbps line-card forwarding engines, classification tables, and traffic-manager prototypes. Stratix II supports DDR/DDR2 DIMM interfaces up to 300 MHz through its hard PHY, allowing large route-lookup tables in external memory. The 12 PLLs provide flexible clocking for redundant timing references, while LVDS I/O supports backplane serialization at hundreds of MHz.
Recommended
Industrial Test & Measurement Backplanes
The 1020-BGA EP2S180F1020C4 provides 742 I/O - an unusually high count - making it ideal for PXI/AXIe-style modular instrument backplanes where hundreds of analog/digital channels must be multiplexed into a single controller slot. Its commercial temperature grade (0C to +85C) and proven long-term supply support 10-15 year industrial product life-cycles. Designers map per-channel calibration, time-stamping, and trigger logic into the 8970 LABs while leaving the 768 multipliers free for DSP-style FIR filtering on sampled waveforms.
Recommended
Video Processing and Broadcast Infrastructure
The EP2S180F1020C4 can ingest dual 1080p60 video streams at 148.5 MHz pixel clock via LVDS or LVTTL pairs and route them through on-chip color-space conversion, scaling, and overlay pipelines. The 9.38 Mbit of block RAM acts as line buffers for de-interlacing and chroma resampling, while the 768 multipliers implement 2D spatial/temporal filters for noise reduction. Several EP2S180F1020 designs were deployed in broadcast studio switchers and SDI routers from 2006-2012 and remain in field service today.
Recommended
Aerospace and Defense Long-Lifecycle Systems
The EP2S180F1020C4, while only available in commercial (C4) temperature grade, is widely deployed in aerospace and defense subsystems where long-term configuration stability matters more than wide temperature range. Its 90 nm CMOS fabric and hardened IP blocks have decades of field reliability data. With its 1020-FBGA, 742 I/O, and 179,400 LEs, designers use the EP2S180 as mission-computing or sensor-fusion FPGA in legacy upgrades of avionics, EW (electronic warfare), and radar platforms where redesign is cost-prohibitive.
Recommended
Recommended Products Summary
Engineering reference data for EP2S180F1020C4 — comparison, design guidance, and compliance information.
Selection Guide
Comparison with Alternatives
| Parameter | This Product | EP2S180F1020C4N | EP2S180F1020C3 | EP2S180F1020C3N | EP2S180F1020C3TT | EP2S130F1020C4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brand | Intel (Altera) | Intel (Altera) | Intel (Altera) | Intel (Altera) | Intel (Altera) | Intel (Altera) |
| Package | 1020-BBGA (33x33) | 1020-BBGA (33x33) - same | 1020-BBGA (33x33) - same | 1020-BBGA (33x33) - same | 1020-BBGA (33x33) - same | 1020-BBGA (33x33) - same |
| Logic Elements (LEs) | 179400 | 179400 | 179400 | 179400 | 179400 | 132540 (-26% logic) |
| Total RAM Bits | 9383040 | 9383040 | 9383040 | 9383040 | 9383040 | 6747840 (-28%) |
| 18x18 Multipliers | 768 | 768 | 768 | 768 | 768 | 504 (-34%) |
| Speed Grade | C4 | C4 | C3 (faster) | C3 (faster) | C3 (faster) | C4 |
| Operating Temperature | 0C to +85C (commercial) | 0C to +85C (commercial) | 0C to +85C (commercial) | 0C to +85C (commercial) | 0C to +85C (commercial) | 0C to +85C (commercial) |
| Lifecycle Status | Obsolete | Obsolete | Obsolete | Obsolete | Obsolete | Obsolete |
| Approx. Qty-1 Price (USD) | $5,970.69 | Similar (market-dependent) | Similar (market-dependent) | Similar (market-dependent) | Similar (market-dependent) | Lower (smaller die) |
Key Differentiators
- Higher logic density than Stratix II E130 in identical package (vs EP2S130F1020C4)
- Established long-term supply via authorized and broker channels (vs EP2S180F1020C4N)
- C4 speed grade offers best cost-performance balance (vs EP2S180F1020C3)
Design Notes
The Stratix II EP2S180F1020C4 has separate VCCINT (1.2 V core), VCCIO (per-bank I/O, 1.2 V to 3.3 V), VCCPD (3.3 V pre-driver), VCCA_PLL (1.2 V analog PLL), and VCCBAT (battery-backup for configuration RAM). Decouple each rail with at least one 4.7 uF bulk + multiple 0.1 uF/0402 ceramics placed within 5 mm of every BGA ball row. Estimated: under 60% logic + 50% RAM + 30% multiplier utilization at 250 MHz, expect 12-18 W of total device power, requiring 8-layer PCB with at least 1 oz copper on power planes.
The 1020-BGA (33x33 mm) package has a typical theta-JA of about 8 C/W with 9 thermal balls in the BGA center, but only when the PCB has a continuous inner ground plane and adequate top-side copper flood. Estimated: at 15 W the junction-to-ambient rise is ~15 x 8 = 120 C above ambient, so even commercial (85 C max) applications require either forced-air cooling (>= 200 LFM) or a moderate heatsink attached via thermal-interface material. For long-lifecycle designs, derate further by 20% to compensate for thermal-interface aging.
The 1020-BGA uses a 1.0 mm ball pitch requiring 0.45-0.55 mm diameter pads with non-solder-mask-defined (NSMD) land geometry for best joint reliability. Use a 6- or 8-layer stack-up with microvia or stacked-via construction if the BGA break-out has signals on the inner rows. Escape all 1020 balls with the dog-bone / via-in-pad technique and route differential pairs (LVDS, DDR) with 100 ohm differential impedance. Reference the Altera AN 428 (Stratix II High-Speed PCB Layout) for verified break-out patterns.
Stratix II configuration requires correct MSEL[3:0] strapping - FPP x8 mode is MSEL=0000, AS is MSEL=1001, PS is MSEL=0010. Incorrect MSEL is the #1 reason for configuration failure and is invisible without checking the Quartus programmer's Auto-Detect output. Also remember that Quartus II (not Quartus Prime) is required, with the last supported version being 13.0sp1; Quartus Prime 15.0 and later do not include Stratix II device files.
Use the dedicated CLK[0..31] and PLL_OUT pins for high-fanout clocks; routing a high-speed clock through general-purpose LAB logic adds 0.5-1.5 ns of skew and violates Quartus timing closure. Place the 1.2 V PLL analog supply (VCCA_PLL) on a quiet plane isolated from digital switching noise by at least a 5 mm keep-out and a ferrite-bead + 10 uF filter. The 32 global clock networks are pre-routed, but regional clocks via the quadrant clock buffers must be balanced manually.
Compliance Information
Per alterachips.com and Heisener listings the EP2S180F1020C4 is RoHS non-compliant (SnPb BGA balls); choose EP2S180F1020C4N for Pb-free finish. AEC-Q100 not applicable - this is an FPGA, not a discrete automotive IC. REACH, halogen-free, and conflict-minerals status were not provided in the verified data; marked 'unknown'.
