EP2S90F780C4N - Stratix II FPGA 90K LE 780-FBGA | Intel
MPN: EP2S90F780C4N ⚠ Last Time Buy| Qty | Unit Price | Extended |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $476.92 | $476.92 |
| 10 | $455 | $4,550.00 |
| 100 | $425 | $42,500.00 |
| 500 | $395 | $197,500.00 |
| 1,000 | $365 | $365,000.00 |
EP2S90F780C4N Overview
A Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) is a programmable semiconductor device that combines configurable logic blocks, programmable interconnect, and dedicated silicon resources (block RAM, multipliers/DSPs, transceivers, PLLs) on a single die. Within the broader taxonomy, an FPGA belongs to programmable logic devices (PLD), which sit within logic ICs and the wider integrated circuit hierarchy. FPGAs are used to implement arbitrary digital logic, glue logic, signal-processing pipelines, and complete processor subsystems that benefit from hardware parallelism and post-manufacture reprogrammability.
Key features of the EP2S90F780C4N include high-density logic capacity (90,960 LEs), large on-chip memory (4,520,488 RAM bits), abundant I/O (534 pins), and Stratix II architectural advantages such as adaptive logic modules (ALMs), TriMatrix memory blocks, and DSP blocks for high-throughput arithmetic. The 1.2 V core voltage supports low static and dynamic power consumption compared with earlier 130 nm Stratix devices, while the 780-ball FC-FBGA package exposes high-speed dedicated clock and I/O resources for demanding designs.
Typical applications include telecom baseband processing, high-speed image and video processing pipelines, ASIC prototyping, network switching fabric interfaces, and DSP-intensive test and measurement equipment. The device's 534 I/O make it well suited to memory-rich and bus-heavy designs.
When designing with the EP2S90F780C4N, observe Stratix II power-on sequencing and decoupling guidelines from the Stratix II Device Handbook, and use the Quartus II design toolchain (Stratix II device support) for synthesis, place-and-route, and timing closure. The 780-FBGA package requires careful PCB stack-up and BGA fan-out routing.
This page synthesizes distributor pricing, drop-in alternatives, and practical design notes not found in the manufacturer datasheet alone.
Drop-in alternatives for EP2S90F780C4N — 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 EP2S90F780C4N (same form factor and footprint) — differing in Package, RoHS Status, Speed Grade, Logic Elements, Mounting Type.
Quick Comparison Tool — Select alternative parts for side-by-side comparison:
EP2S130F780C4N
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$1095 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP2S90F780C4
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$3050 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP2S90F780C4N Maximum Ratings & Electrical Characteristics
| Family | Stratix II |
| Logic Elements (LEs) | 90,960 |
| Logic Cells / LABs | 4,548 |
| Total RAM Bits | 4,520,488 |
| User I/Os | 534 |
| Process Technology | 90 nm CMOS |
| Core Supply Voltage | 1.15 V to 1.25 V |
| Maximum Internal Frequency | 717 MHz |
| Operating Temperature | 0 °C to 85 °C (commercial) |
| Package | 780-FBGA (FC-FBGA), 29 x 29 mm, 1 mm pitch |
| Mounting Type | Surface Mount (BGA) |
| Lead Free / RoHS | Lead Free, RoHS compliant |
| Design Toolchain | Quartus II (Stratix II support) |
EP2S90F780C4N 780-fbga (fc-fbga), 29 x 29 mm, 1 mm pitch Pin Configuration Guide
Pin configuration for EP2S90F780C4N (780-fbga (fc-fbga), 29 x 29 mm, 1 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 EP2S90F780C4N.
Refer to the datasheet for full pin configuration.
Typical Applications
EP2S90F780C4N is suitable for 6 applications: Telecom Baseband Processing, ASIC Prototyping, High-Speed Image and Video Processing, Network Switching Fabric Interface, DSP-Intensive Test and Measurement Equipment, Industrial Control and High-Performance Embedded Compute.
Telecom Baseband Processing
The EP2S90F780C4N is well suited for telecom baseband signal processing where its 90,960 logic elements and DSP blocks deliver the parallel arithmetic throughput required for channel decoding, FFT/iFFT pipelines, and digital up/down-conversion. The 534 user I/Os accommodate multi-antenna (MIMO) data paths and high-speed SERDES-based backhaul interfaces, while 4,520,488 bits of embedded RAM buffer IQ samples and packet descriptors without external memory round-trips. With 1.15-1.25 V core operation and 90 nm CMOS process, the EP2S90F780C4N balances performance against the thermal envelope of a line card. Engineers should use Quartus II TimeQuest to close timing on DSP-heavy paths and allocate block RAM buffers close to consuming DSP blocks.
Recommended
ASIC Prototyping
The EP2S90F780C4N is a classic ASIC prototyping vehicle because its 90,960 logic elements, abundant block RAM, and 534 I/Os can host multi-million-gate ASIC RTL partitions before tap-out. Designers partition the ASIC by clock/region and use the 780-FBGA's rich I/O to map ASIC boundary signals to external connectors or logic analyzers. The 1.2 V core, 90 nm process, and Stratix II ALM architecture let engineers correlate pre-silicon RTL behavior with measured timing. Quartus II provides ASIC prototyping flows that preserve synthesis results versus the target ASIC, and the on-chip TriMatrix memory eases emulation of internal ASIC SRAMs.
Recommended
High-Speed Image and Video Processing
The EP2S90F780C4N enables real-time image and video processing pipelines such as multi-stream HD video scaling, motion estimation, and JPEG/H.264 pre-processing. Its DSP blocks accelerate FIR filtering, DCT/IDCT, and SAD calculations, while the 4,520,488 bits of embedded RAM store line buffers and reference frames close to processing logic, reducing external memory bandwidth pressure. With 534 I/Os, multiple parallel camera/link interfaces (LVDS, sub-LVDS, CMOS parallel) can be aggregated onto a single device. Designers should pipeline stages to match the 717 MHz fabric clock and use Quartus II DSP IP cores to maximize throughput per MHz.
Recommended
Network Switching Fabric Interface
The EP2S90F780C4N is used in line-card and fabric card designs where it bridges switch ASICs, NPUs, and SERDES PHYs. Its 534 I/Os support multiple SGMII/XAUI/SFI reference clocks and data lanes routed to external transceivers, while 4,520,488 bits of block RAM buffer packets, queue descriptors, and statistics counters on-die. The Stratix II fabric runs at up to 717 MHz, giving designers headroom to implement custom packet parsers, ACL engines, and traffic managers in hardware. Place regional clock networks close to high-toggle I/O banks and use the Stratix II Device Handbook's clock network guidelines to control skew on multi-gigabit interfaces.
Recommended
DSP-Intensive Test and Measurement Equipment
The EP2S90F780C4N suits test and measurement instruments (logic analyzers, protocol testers, arbitrary waveform generators) where parallel DSP processing and rich I/O are required simultaneously. Designers use DSP blocks for FIR/IIR filters, FFT/iFFT, and modulation/demodulation, and exploit 4,520,488 RAM bits to store calibration tables and trace buffers. The 534 I/Os map to multi-channel ADC/DAC interfaces and high-speed serial links to host processors. With the 90 nm process and 1.2 V core, power analysis through Quartus II PowerPlay helps engineers size cooling for benchtop and ATE deployments.
Recommended
Industrial Control and High-Performance Embedded Compute
The EP2S90F780C4N serves as the central processing element in industrial controllers, soft-CPU subsystems (Nios II), and machine-vision platforms where deterministic, parallel logic outperforms microcontrollers. Its on-chip block RAM and DSP resources handle PID loops, motion-control trajectories, and real-time image preprocessing without off-chip memory thrashing. The 534 user I/Os connect to EtherCAT, Profinet, parallel LVDS, and analog front ends. Designers should respect the commercial 0-85 °C temperature grade and add heatsinking if the design consumes >5 W continuously. Quartus II supports industrial IP libraries and a Nios II soft-core toolchain tailored to this device family.
Recommended
Recommended Products Summary
Engineering reference data for EP2S90F780C4N — comparison, design guidance, and compliance information.
Selection Guide
Comparison with Alternatives
| Parameter | This Product | EP2S130F780C4N | EP2S90F780C4 | EP2S90F1508C4N | EP2S90F1020C4N |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brand | Intel (formerly Altera) | Intel (formerly Altera) | Intel (formerly Altera) | Intel (formerly Altera) | Intel (formerly Altera) |
| Package | 780-FBGA (29x29 mm, 1 mm pitch) | 780-FBGA - same | 780-FBGA - same | 1508-FBGA - different | 1020-FBGA - different |
| Logic Elements (LEs) | 90,960 | ~130,000 | 90,960 | 90,960 | 90,960 |
| Total RAM Bits | 4,520,488 | 6,747,840 | 4,520,488 | 4,520,488 | 4,520,488 |
| User I/Os | 534 | 534 | 534 | 743 | 728 |
| Core Supply Voltage | 1.15 V to 1.25 V | 1.15 V to 1.25 V | 1.15 V to 1.25 V | 1.15 V to 1.25 V | 1.15 V to 1.25 V |
| Process Technology | 90 nm CMOS | 90 nm CMOS | 90 nm CMOS | 90 nm CMOS | 90 nm CMOS |
| Operating Temperature | 0 °C to 85 °C (commercial) | 0 °C to 85 °C (commercial) | 0 °C to 85 °C (commercial) | 0 °C to 85 °C (commercial) | 0 °C to 85 °C (commercial) |
| Lifecycle Status | Last-time-buy | Last-time-buy | Last-time-buy | Last-time-buy | Last-time-buy |
| Design Toolchain | Quartus II (Stratix II) | Quartus II (Stratix II) | Quartus II (Stratix II) | Quartus II (Stratix II) | Quartus II (Stratix II) |
Key Differentiators
- Highest-density Stratix II in 780-FBGA package (vs EP2S60F672C4N)
- Same 780-FBGA package with higher logic density (vs EP2S130F780C4N)
- Smaller FBGA with same silicon (vs EP2S90F1508C4N)
- Mature Stratix II toolchain (vs Stratix III/IV/V)
Design Notes
Estimated: at typical 1.2 V core, an EP2S90F780C4N design running near 80% LE utilization and 50% DSP block utilization may draw 3-5 A from the 1.2 V rail (≈4-6 W), with additional current on 2.5 V/3.3 V auxiliary rails for I/O and configuration. Designers must observe the Stratix II Device Handbook power-on and power-down sequencing (VCCINT before VCCPD and VCCIO) to avoid I/O latch-up. Use Quartus II PowerPlay early in the design cycle to estimate dynamic and static power accurately.
Estimated: at full-load power of 6 W and a typical 780-FBGA theta_JA of ~15 C/W with adequate PCB copper, junction temperature rise above 25 °C ambient is roughly 90 °C, which is within the 85 °C commercial limit only with reduced ambient or forced-air cooling. Provide a thermal pad-connected copper pour under the BGA, use microvia-in-pad stack-up, and consider a heatsink for sustained workloads. Always verify against the manufacturer's actual thermal model in the Stratix II Device Handbook before sign-off.
The 780-FBGA at 1 mm pitch demands a PCB stack-up of at least 8 layers with laser-drilled microvias and via-in-pad for the breakout. Use a symmetrical stack-up to control BGA coplanarity stress, and flood all inner layers around the BGA field with reference planes to control impedance for high-speed DDR/ LVDS interfaces. Place 0.1 µF + 10 µF decoupling clusters at every quadrant of the BGA, and route configuration JTAG pins to a 10-pin header for board-level access.
Common Stratix II design pitfalls include (1) missing configuration mode pin pull-ups (MSEL0/MSEL1) which prevent successful JTAG/AS configuration, (2) leaving the nCONFIG/nSTATUS pins floating, (3) ignoring I/O bank VCCIO compatibility when mixing 2.5 V/3.3 V interfaces, and (4) using LVDS without the 100 ohm differential termination per bank. Always validate pin assignments in Quartus II pin planner before layout to avoid costly respins.
Place regional clock buffers and PLLs in the same quadrant as the I/O banks they drive, and avoid crossing clock and high-toggle data signals on adjacent layers without a ground shield. Match DDR/ QDR memory trace lengths within ±25 mils and use fly-by topology for multi-device DDR2. Stratix II DLLs require clean reference clock routing; keep clock traces short and reference to a continuous ground plane to minimize jitter.
Compliance Information
RoHS compliant per Altera/Intel product page; 780-FBGA is lead-free. AEC-Q100 not applicable (FPGAs are not automotive-qualified at this family/grade). Industrial-temperature grade EP2S90F780I4N variant available for non-automotive extended-temperature applications.
