EP3CLS100F484I7 - Cyclone III LS FPGA 100K LE | Intel FPGA
MPN: EP3CLS100F484I7 ✓ Active| Qty | Unit Price | Extended |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $168.5 | $168.50 |
| 10 | $152.4 | $1,524.00 |
| 100 | $132.1 | $13,210.00 |
| 250 | $121.85 | $30,462.50 |
| 500 | $113.6 | $56,800.00 |
EP3CLS100F484I7 Overview
A field-programmable gate array (FPGA) is a semiconductor device built around a matrix of configurable logic blocks (CLBs/LABs), programmable interconnect, and embedded memory/DSP/multiplier blocks. FPGAs sit at the top of the digital logic hierarchy alongside ASICs and CPLDs, offering hardware-level parallelism and post-fabrication reconfigurability. The Cyclone III LS variant adds dedicated security features (AES, JTAG protection, configuration scrambling) on top of the standard Cyclone III logic fabric, making it appropriate for systems where the bitstream must be protected from readback or tampering.
Key features of the EP3CLS100F484I7 include 4 PLL blocks for clock synthesis, 16 dedicated 18x18 hardware multipliers and 66 DSP blocks for high-throughput signal processing, up to 429 user I/Os, and support for external memory interfaces including DDR/DDR2/QDRII/RLDRAM. The LS suffix adds hardware-accelerated AES-256 bitstream encryption, JTAG port disable, and tamper-protect logic. Compared with the standard Cyclone III EP3C100 device, the LS variant trades a small amount of performance for hardened security, but otherwise shares the same logic, memory, and multiplier resources.
Typical applications for this part include industrial motor control, video processing pipelines, software-defined radio front-ends, factory automation controllers, low-cost PCIe protocol bridges, and portable medical instrumentation where low static power and tamper resistance are both required. The 484-ball BGA package supports the device's full I/O count while keeping the board footprint manageable for multilayer PCBs.
When designing with this FPGA, use the Quartus II (or Quartus Prime) toolchain to generate configuration bitstreams; the LS device family must be selected explicitly to enable the AES encryption engine. Plan power sequencing carefully because the Cyclone III LS family requires 1.2 V core, 2.5 V analog, and 3.3 V I/O rails with a documented power-on-reset order. Decoupling must follow the reference board's recommendations because the PLLs and serializer/deserializer blocks are sensitive to supply noise.
This page synthesizes distributor pricing, drop-in same-package alternatives, and practical design notes not found in the standalone Cyclone III LS datasheet, providing engineers with a single-page reference for sourcing, comparison, and PCB-level design decisions.
Drop-in alternatives for EP3CLS100F484I7 — 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 EP3CLS100F484I7 (same form factor and footprint) — differing in Package, Process Technology, Speed Grade, RoHS Status, Operating Temperature.
Quick Comparison Tool — Select alternative parts for side-by-side comparison:
EP3CLS100F484C8N
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$115.4 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP3CLS100F484C7N
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$495.8 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP3CLS100F484C7
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$62.8 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP3CLS100F484C8
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$148.45 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP3C80F484I7N
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$286.91 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP3C120F484I7N
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$84.7 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP3CLS100F484I7 Maximum Ratings & Electrical Characteristics
| Device Family | Cyclone III LS |
| Logic Elements (LE) | 100,448 |
| Logic Array Blocks (LABs) | 278 |
| Total Embedded Memory Bits | 4,451,328 bits |
| Embedded Memory (M9K Blocks) | 610 (per datasheet family) |
| DSP Blocks (18x18 Multipliers) | 66 |
| 18x18 Hardware Multipliers | 16 dedicated |
| PLLs | 4 |
| Maximum User I/Os | 429 |
| Package | 484-ball FBGA (FineLine BGA) |
| Core Supply Voltage | 1.2 V |
| I/O Standards Supported | LVDS, LVCMOS, LVTTL, SSTL, HSTL |
| Operating Temperature Range | -40C to +85C (Industrial) |
| Process Technology | TSMC 65 nm low-power (LP) |
| Configuration Method | Serial/Parallel, AES-256 encrypted (LS feature) |
| External Memory Support | DDR, DDR2, QDRII, RLDRAM II |
| RoHS Status | Compliant |
EP3CLS100F484I7 484-ball fbga (fineline bga) Pin Configuration Guide
Pin configuration for EP3CLS100F484I7 (484-ball fbga (fineline 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 EP3CLS100F484I7.
Refer to the datasheet for full pin configuration.
Typical Applications
EP3CLS100F484I7 is suitable for 6 applications: Industrial Motor Control, Video Processing and Display Pipelines, Software-Defined Radio Front-End, Factory Automation Controller, Low-Cost PCIe Protocol Bridge, Portable Medical Instrumentation.
Industrial Motor Control
The EP3CLS100F484I7's 100,448 logic elements and 66 DSP blocks make it an ideal host for multi-axis motor control loops, including field-oriented control (FOC) of three-phase PMSM/BLDC motors. The four PLLs provide jitter-cleaned clocks for the encoder interface and PWM generation, while the 4,451,328 bits of embedded memory buffer sinusoidal tables and PID state variables. The LS variant's AES-256 bitstream encryption protects proprietary motor-control firmware from unauthorized duplication in deployed industrial systems. Power dissipation at typical 50 MHz FOC loop rates stays below 0.5 W on the 65 nm LP process, eliminating forced-air cooling in sealed inverter cabinets. The 484-ball FBGA provides 429 user I/Os, enough for resolver feedback, Hall sensors, gate drivers, and isolated communication links.
Recommended
Video Processing and Display Pipelines
The 66 DSP blocks deliver up to 264 18x18 multiplications per clock cycle, sufficient to implement real-time 1080p60 video scaling, color-space conversion, and de-interlacing pipelines. The M9K block memory (4,451,328 bits total) provides line buffers for up to four full HD lines of YCbCr 4:2:2 video at typical FIFO widths. External DDR2 memory controllers interface to SDRAM for frame buffering without consuming logic resources. The four PLLs synthesize pixel clocks for HDMI/DVI/VGA output from a single crystal reference, while the 429 I/Os accommodate parallel RGB, LVDS, and BT.656 video buses simultaneously. Designers use Quartus II's Video and Image Processing Suite IP cores to accelerate development.
Recommended
Software-Defined Radio Front-End
The 100K logic elements support digital down-conversion (DDC), finite-impulse-response (FIR) filtering, and digital up-conversion (DUC) for sub-6 GHz SDR platforms. The 66 DSP blocks execute 18x18 multiplies at the FPGA fabric clock rate, providing the multi-GOPS throughput required for channelization of wideband IF signals. The four PLLs generate sample clocks with sub-picosecond jitter, critical for ADC SNR preservation. The LS variant's tamper-detect logic prevents adversaries from extracting the radio's proprietary waveform definitions from a captured board. The 484-ball FBGA gives designers 429 I/Os for LVDS-ADC interface, JESD204B-style data lanes, and high-speed serial debug links. Typical power consumption for a 50 MHz channelized DDC is approximately 1.2 W.
Recommended
Factory Automation Controller
Programmable logic controllers and industrial PC peripherals use the EP3CLS100F484I7 as a multi-protocol gateway bridging EtherCAT, PROFINET, Modbus TCP, and EtherNet/IP networks. The 100K LEs absorb protocol stacks plus deterministic control logic in a single device. The four PLLs drive isolated Ethernet PHYs at 100 Mbps while the embedded M9K memory absorbs packet buffers and protocol state. Hardware AES encryption on the LS variant secures configuration bitstreams so factory-installed firmware cannot be extracted or cloned. The industrial temperature grade (-40C to +85C) supports cabinet installations from cold storage to steam-cleaned food processing lines. Designers implement the control loops with Quartus II SOPC Builder or Platform Designer soft-core subsystems.
Recommended
Low-Cost PCIe Protocol Bridge
The EP3CLS100F484I7 implements PCIe Gen1 x1/x4 endpoints via its soft IP core, bridging legacy parallel buses (PCI, Local Bus, I2C) to modern PCIe system hosts. The 66 DSP blocks accelerate CRC-32 and AES operations for storage controllers, while the four PLLs generate the 100 MHz PCIe reference clock plus user clocks. The 429 I/Os accommodate x4 lane transceivers through LVDS pairs plus abundant general-purpose GPIO for legacy bus bridges. The LS variant's bitstream encryption protects vendor-specific PCIe device IDs and BAR mapping from cloning. Typical applications include industrial PCIe I/O cards, low-cost NVMe controllers, and protocol analyzers.
Recommended
Portable Medical Instrumentation
Battery-powered ultrasound carts, patient monitors, and handheld diagnostic tools use the EP3CLS100F484I7 for signal conditioning, beamforming, and display rendering. The 65 nm low-power process keeps core consumption under 0.6 W for battery operation, while the four PLLs synthesize transducer frequencies and display pixel clocks from a single 24 MHz crystal. The 100K LEs support beamforming algorithms for 64-channel ultrasound, while the 4,451,328 bits of embedded memory buffer A-scan and B-scan data. Hardware AES-256 on the LS variant protects patient-identifiable algorithms and FDA-validated firmware from tampering. The industrial temperature rating supports field-deployed medical carts in cold chain logistics.
Recommended
Recommended Products Summary
Engineering reference data for EP3CLS100F484I7 — comparison, design guidance, and compliance information.
Selection Guide
Comparison with Alternatives
| Parameter | This Product | EP3CLS100F484C8N | EP3CLS100F484C7N | EP3C80F484I7N | EP3C120F484I7N |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Package | 484-ball FBGA | 484-ball FBGA - same | 484-ball FBGA - same | 484-ball FBGA - same | 484-ball FBGA - same |
| Brand | Intel (Altera) | Intel (Altera) - same | Intel (Altera) - same | Intel (Altera) - same | Intel (Altera) - same |
| Logic Elements | 100,448 | 100,448 | 100,448 | 81,264 | 119,088 |
| Embedded Memory Bits | 4,451,328 | 4,451,328 | 4,451,328 | 2,743,680 | 3,981,312 |
| DSP Blocks (18x18) | 66 | 66 | 66 | 36 | 72 |
| Temperature Grade | Industrial (-40C to +85C) | Commercial (0C to +85C) | Commercial (0C to +85C) | Industrial (-40C to +85C) | Industrial (-40C to +85C) |
| Bitstream Encryption | AES-256 (LS feature) | AES-256 (LS feature) | AES-256 (LS feature) | None (Cyclone III non-LS) | None (Cyclone III non-LS) |
| Speed Grade | I7 (fastest industrial) | C8 | C7 | I7 | I7 |
Key Differentiators
- Hardware AES-256 bitstream encryption (vs EP3C80F484I7N)
- 20 percent more logic elements than EP3C80F484I7N (vs EP3C80F484I7N)
- 16 percent more logic elements than EP3CLS100F484C8N (vs EP3CLS100F484C8N)
Design Notes
The Cyclone III LS family requires three independent supply rails: VCCINT (1.2 V core), VCCAUX (2.5 V analog PLL supply), and VCCIO (per-bank 1.2 V to 3.3 V I/O). A fourth rail VCCPD (3.3 V pre-driver) is needed for I/O banks. Power-on sequencing must follow Intel's reference: VCCINT and VCCAUX rise together within 100 ms, then VCCIO and VCCPD follow. Reverse sequencing on power-down is also required. Estimated power consumption at 100 MHz core with 50 percent toggle rate and 50 percent logic utilization: approximately 0.8 W core plus I/O power.
Use a minimum 6-layer PCB stack-up with dedicated power and ground planes. The 484-ball FBGA uses 1.0 mm ball pitch, requiring 0.5 mm via-in-pad microvias or 0.4 mm laser-drilled vias for breakout. Decoupling: place 0.1 uF X5R 0402 ceramic capacitors within 100 mils of every VCCINT/VCCAUX ball, plus bulk 22 uF tantalum or polymer capacitors per supply rail. Reference the Cyclone III LS Development Kit schematic for the canonical decoupling network.
Do not confuse Cyclone III (EP3C) with Cyclone III LS (EP3CLS) when specifying - the LS suffix is mandatory for AES bitstream encryption. The configuration mode (AS, PS, FPP, JTAG) must be selected via MSEL pins, and pull-up/pull-down values depend on the chosen mode. JTAG pin TDO requires a 3.3 V pull-up to VCCPD for reliable boundary scan. Configuration failures from corrupted bitstreams are most commonly caused by VCCPD supply noise - ensure clean 3.3 V at the pre-driver balls.
Compliance Information
RoHS and REACH compliance per Intel FPGA product page. Not AEC-Q100 qualified; for automotive applications use the AEC-Q100 qualified Cyclone III variants. Halogen-free status not explicitly stated in available data.