EP2S90F1508C3N - Stratix II FPGA, 90K LE, 902 I/O, 1508-FBGA | Intel
MPN: EP2S90F1508C3N β End of Life| Qty | Unit Price | Extended |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $4539.56 | $4,539.56 |
| 10 | $4200 | $42,000.00 |
| 100 | $3850 | $385,000.00 |
| 500 | $3500 | $1,750,000.00 |
| 1,000 | $3200 | $3,200,000.00 |
EP2S90F1508C3N Overview
A Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) is a semiconductor device built around a matrix of configurable logic blocks (CLBs / ALMs), programmable interconnect, and dedicated hardware such as block RAM, DSP blocks, PLLs, and high-speed transceivers. FPGAs occupy a position between general-purpose microcontrollers and ASICs in the hardware design hierarchy: microcontroller -> microprocessor -> SoC -> FPGA -> ASIC. They are valued for parallel processing, deterministic latency, and rapid design iteration without the NRE cost of an ASIC.
Key features of the EP2S90F1508C3N include 4,548 LABs/ALMs organized across the fabric, embedded multipliers for DSP, multiple PLLs and global clock networks, and 902 I/O pins supporting a broad range of single-ended and differential I/O standards (LVTTL, LVCMOS, LVDS, HSTL, SSTL, etc.). The FCBGA package exposes a high pin count that enables wide external memory buses and dense transceiver fan-out. The -3 speed grade indicates a commercial-grade timing bin, and the part is part of a long-running design ecosystem supported by the Altera/Intel Quartus II toolchain.
Typical applications include high-speed digital signal processing for radar and beamforming, telecom baseband and protocol processing, high-throughput video processing pipelines, ASIC prototyping and emulation, and industrial control systems requiring parallel I/O. Engineers choose the EP2S90F1508C3N when they need the largest fabric density in the 1508-FBGA package at a specific speed and temperature grade.
Designers must pay attention to the FCBGA ball pattern, which demands multi-layer PCB with controlled-impedance routing, microvia stack-ups, and careful power-delivery network design for the core and I/O rails. Stratix II FPGAs require multiple supply rails (VCCINT, VCCIO banks, VCCAUX, VCCPD) that must be sequenced correctly. Thermal management with a heatsink or airflow is typically required at full utilization and high toggle rates.
This page synthesizes real distributor pricing, drop-in alternatives from the same Stratix II family, and practical design considerations that are not consolidated on any single distributor page.
Drop-in alternatives for EP2S90F1508C3N β 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 EP2S90F1508C3N (same form factor and footprint) β differing in Package, Speed Grade, Mounting Type, Family, Process Technology.
Quick Comparison Tool β Select alternative parts for side-by-side comparison:
EP2S90F1508C3
β Drop-Inβ In Stock
$3719.39 / Unit
View Datasheet βEP2S90F1508C3NAA
β Drop-Inπ Reference alternative (not in catalog)
EP2S90F1508C4N
β Drop-Inβ In Stock
$1390 / Unit
View Datasheet βEP2S90F1508C5N
β Drop-Inβ In Stock
$3780 / Unit
View Datasheet βEP2S90F1508I3N
β Drop-Inπ Reference alternative (not in catalog)
EP2S130F1508C3N
β Drop-Inβ In Stock
$270 / Unit
View Datasheet βEP2S180F1508C3N
β Drop-Inβ In Stock
$1200 / Unit
View Datasheet βEP2S90F1508C3N Maximum Ratings & Electrical Characteristics
| Series | Stratix II |
| Manufacturer | Altera (now Intel) |
| Logic Elements | 90,960 |
| Embedded Memory Bits | 4,520,488 |
| LABs / ALMs | 4,548 |
| User I/Os | 902 |
| Number of Terminals | 1508 |
| Package Type | 1508-BBGA, FCBGA (Flip-Chip BGA) |
| Mounting Type | Surface Mount |
| Process Node | 90 nm |
| Operating Temperature Grade | Commercial |
| Speed Grade | -3 |
| Core Voltage (VCCINT) | 1.2 V (typical) |
| Lead-Free / RoHS | RoHS compliant per Intel product page |
| Moisture Sensitivity Level (MSL) | 3 (per JEDEC J-STD-020, reflow at 260 C) |
| Configuration | FPGA, SRAM-based |
EP2S90F1508C3N 1508-bbga, fcbga (flip-chip bga) Pin Configuration Guide
Pin configuration for EP2S90F1508C3N (1508-bbga, fcbga (flip-chip bga) 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 EP2S90F1508C3N.
Refer to the datasheet for full pin configuration.
Typical Applications
EP2S90F1508C3N is suitable for 6 applications: High-Performance DSP / Radar Signal Processing, Telecom Baseband / Protocol Processing, Video Processing and Imaging Pipelines, ASIC Prototyping and Emulation, Industrial Control and Machine Vision, Test & Measurement Instrumentation.
High-Performance DSP / Radar Signal Processing
The EP2S90F1508C3N's 90,960 logic elements combined with embedded DSP blocks and 4,520,488 bits of TriMatrix memory make it well suited to radar baseband and beamforming pipelines. With 902 user I/Os it can interface to multiple ADC/DAC channels and DDR2 memory banks in parallel. Compared with the EP2S130F1508C3N, the EP2S90 provides headroom only when logic utilization stays below ~85%, whereas larger fabric variants are required for full-channel MIMO radar arrays.
Recommended
Telecom Baseband / Protocol Processing
In telecom infrastructure, the EP2S90F1508C3N can implement multi-channel baseband processing, CPRI / OBSAI framer logic, and channel-coding accelerators. The -3 speed grade is sufficient for backhaul line rates up to several Gbps when paired with the embedded transceivers in pin-compatible Stratix II variants. The 902 I/Os fan out across multiple SFP/QSFP cages and external TCAMs, while the FPGA's hard IP blocks accelerate FFTs and Viterbi decoders.
Recommended
Video Processing and Imaging Pipelines
The EP2S90F1508C3N serves well in broadcast and surveillance video applications, where its 902 I/Os accept parallel video busses (BT.1120, Camera Link, DisplayPort aux) and its memory bandwidth sustains 1080p60 pixel-rate processing. The 4 Mbit on-chip block RAM enables line buffering and motion-estimation windows without external memory contention. Compared with the EP2S180F1508C3N, designers gain 90,000 LEs which is sufficient for 2D filters and scaling engines but tight for full 4K multi-stream.
Recommended
ASIC Prototyping and Emulation
The EP2S90F1508C3N is widely used as a building block in ASIC prototyping platforms because it offers 90,960 logic elements, ample TriMatrix memory for transaction recording, and 902 I/Os for chip-to-chip bridging on the prototyping PCB. Multiple EP2S90F1508C3N devices can be tiled on the same backplane to emulate ASICs of several million gates, with the FCBGA package providing the bandwidth needed for time-domain-multiplexed interconnect.
Recommended
Industrial Control and Machine Vision
In factory automation and machine-vision systems, the EP2S90F1508C3N integrates multi-axis motor-control loops, deterministic real-time Ethernet (EtherCAT, PROFINET) MAC logic, and image preprocessing for line-scan cameras. The -3 commercial speed grade is adequate for 100-Mbit real-time Ethernet and 1-Mpixel camera pipelines. The I-grade variant EP2S90F1508I3N is recommended for industrial-temperature environments (-40 C to +100 C junction).
Recommended
Test & Measurement Instrumentation
The EP2S90F1508C3N enables protocol-aware test equipment such as logic analyzers, pattern generators, and high-speed serial protocol testers (PCIe, SATA, USB 3.0) where its 902 I/Os sample or drive many channels simultaneously. The on-chip TriMatrix memory supports deep capture buffers while the DSP blocks accelerate CRC and 8b/10b decoding. The 1508-FCBGA package's high pin count is essential for connecting to high-bandwidth ADC/DAC front ends in oscilloscope and BERT designs.
Recommended
Recommended Products Summary
Engineering reference data for EP2S90F1508C3N β comparison, design guidance, and compliance information.
Selection Guide
Comparison with Alternatives
| Parameter | This Product | EP2S90F1508C3 | EP2S90F1508C3NAA | EP2S90F1508C4N | EP2S90F1508C5N | EP2S90F1508I3N | EP2S130F1508C3N | EP2S180F1508C3N |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brand | Intel (Altera) | Intel (Altera) | Intel (Altera) | Intel (Altera) | Intel (Altera) | Intel (Altera) | Intel (Altera) | Intel (Altera) |
| Package | 1508-FCBGA | 1508-FCBGA - same | 1508-FCBGA - same | 1508-FCBGA - same | 1508-FCBGA - same | 1508-FCBGA - same | 1508-FCBGA - same | 1508-FCBGA - same |
| Logic Elements | 90,960 | 90,960 | 90,960 | 90,960 | 90,960 | 90,960 | 132,540 | 179,400 |
| User I/Os | 902 | 902 | 902 | 902 | 902 | 902 | 902 | 902 |
| Speed Grade | -3 (commercial) | -3 (commercial) | -3 (commercial) | -4 (faster) | -5 (fastest) | -3 (industrial) | -3 (commercial) | -3 (commercial) |
| Embedded Memory Bits | 4,520,488 | 4,520,488 | 4,520,488 | 4,520,488 | 4,520,488 | 6,747,840 | 9,383,040 | |
| Process Node | 90 nm | 90 nm | 90 nm | 90 nm | 90 nm | 90 nm | 90 nm | |
| RoHS Compliant | Yes (N suffix) | Legacy (no N suffix) | Yes (N + AA suffix) | Yes (N suffix) | Yes (N suffix) | Yes (N suffix) | Yes (N suffix) | Yes (N suffix) |
Key Differentiators
- Drop-in speed-grade upgrade path on the same 1508-FCBGA footprint (vs EP2S90F1508C4N / EP2S90F1508C5N)
- Industrial-temperature variant on the same footprint for harsh environments (vs EP2S90F1508I3N)
- Higher logic density available on identical package for future-proofing (vs EP2S130F1508C3N / EP2S180F1508C3N)
Design Notes
The 1508-ball FCBGA package requires a high-density PCB stack-up with microvias, 50-ohm controlled-impedance routing for high-speed I/O, and a continuous power plane beneath the device. Use a 6+ layer stack-up with dedicated VCCINT and VCCIO power planes, and place decoupling capacitors within 100 mils of every power pin. Follow JEDEC JESD51-series thermal measurement guidelines and provide a thermal pad array under the package for ground/thermal bond.
Stratix II devices require multiple sequenced supplies: VCCINT (1.2 V core), VCCIO banks (1.5/1.8/2.5/3.3 V depending on I/O standard), VCCAUX (2.5 V), VCCPD (3.3 V), and VCC_CLKIN. Power-on sequencing must follow the order specified in the Stratix II datasheet (SII51002) - typically VCCINT first, then VCCPD, then VCCAUX, then VCCIO. Use a multi-rail controller such as the LTC2978 or TPS51200 to guarantee monotonic ramp-up and avoid in-rush currents that can latch-up the device.
At high toggle rates and full fabric utilization, the EP2S90F1508C3N can dissipate 10-20 W. Estimate junction temperature using the package thermal resistance (theta-JA ~10 C/W for FCBGA with airflow). Attach a heatsink with thermal interface material and ensure 200 LFM minimum airflow. Monitor the on-die temperature sensing diode via the JTAG or dedicated ALT_TEMP pin for closed-loop thermal management during characterization.
Because the Stratix II family is NRND, do not design new production boards with EP2S90F1508C3N as the primary FPGA without a dual-source plan. Either design in a same-footprint larger variant (EP2S130F1508C3N or EP2S180F1508C3N) as a second source, or migrate to a Stratix IV / V or Cyclone 10 GX equivalent. Confirm MSL-3 floor life (168 hours) and bake the device per JEDEC J-STD-033 before reflow if the floor life has been exceeded.
Compliance Information
RoHS compliance verified per Intel/Altera product page. N suffix designates lead-free (Pb-free) handling. MSL-3 per JEDEC J-STD-020. AEC-Q100 is not applicable to commercial-grade FPGAs; industrial variants are graded per Intel/Altera industrial specifications but are not formally AEC-Q100 qualified.
