EP3CLS100F780C7N - 100K LE Cyclone III LS FPGA | Intel | 780-BGA
MPN: EP3CLS100F780C7N β Active| Qty | Unit Price | Extended |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $414.74 | $414.74 |
| 10 | $389.2 | $3,892.00 |
| 100 | $348.5 | $34,850.00 |
| 250 | $322.1 | $80,525.00 |
| 500 | $298.75 | $149,375.00 |
EP3CLS100F780C7N Overview
An FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array) is a reprogrammable semiconductor that implements arbitrary digital logic via configurable logic blocks (LBs/LEs), programmable interconnect, and dedicated I/O cells. In the hierarchy of programmable logic devices (PLD), FPGAs sit above simple CPLDs and below fixed-function ASICs, balancing time-to-market against per-unit cost. The Cyclone III LS family extends Cyclone III by adding dedicated hard IP for cryptographic acceleration (AES, DPA-resistant), making it the entry point into security-conscious FPGA designs.
Key features of the EP3CLS100F780C7N include 4,451,328 bits of on-chip RAM, 66 embedded 18x18 multipliers supporting DSP up to ~250 MHz, four PLLs, 8 input clock pins, and a low-power 1.2 V core supply with 1.5/1.8/2.5/3.3 V tolerant I/O. The device also embeds a Cyclone III LS security block for AES-256 encryption and tamper-detection support.
Architecturally, the device uses Altera's adaptive logic module (ALM) - an 8-input LUT-based structure that delivers roughly 25% higher logic utilization than 4-input LUT FPGAs. Embedded SRAM is organized into M9K blocks (9 Kbit each), and DSP blocks implement 18x18 multipliers with optional accumulator and pipeline registers.
Typical applications include industrial motor control and machine vision bridges, telecommunications line cards, video capture and display pipelines, and consumer display controllers. The integrated AES engine also suits secure boot loaders and IP-protection designs.
Designers should budget adequate power-decoupling on every VCCINT/VCCA/VCCIO rail, follow the 780-FBGA ball-pitch escape rules for 6 or fewer PCB layers, and instantiate the AES hard IP via Quartus II's SOPC Builder when cryptographic acceleration is required.
This page synthesizes distributor pricing, drop-in alternative guidance, and practical Quartus II design notes that complement the official Cyclone III LS handbook.
Drop-in alternatives for EP3CLS100F780C7N 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 EP3CLS100F780C7N (same form factor and footprint) β differing in Speed Grade, Process Technology, Package, Logic Elements, Series.
Quick Comparison Tool β Select alternative parts for side-by-side comparison:
EP3C120F780C7N
β Drop-Inβ In Stock
$162 / Unit
View Datasheet βEP3CLS100F780C7
β Drop-Inβ In Stock
$632.4 / Unit
View Datasheet βEP3C80F780C7N
β Drop-Inβ In Stock
$260 / Unit
View Datasheet βEP3C55F780C7N
β Drop-Inβ In Stock
$138.31 / Unit
View Datasheet βEP3C40F780C7N
β Drop-Inβ In Stock
$145.4 / Unit
View Datasheet βEP3CLS100F780C7N Maximum Ratings & Electrical Characteristics
| Family | Cyclone III LS |
| Logic Elements | 100,448 |
| Adaptive Logic Modules (ALMs) | 47,526 |
| Embedded Memory (bits) | 4,451,328 |
| Embedded 18x18 Multipliers | 66 |
| User I/O Pins (max) | 413 |
| PLLs | 4 |
| Global Clock Networks | 20 |
| Core Supply Voltage (VCCINT) | 1.2 V |
| I/O Supply Voltages | 1.5 / 1.8 / 2.5 / 3.3 V |
| Package | 780-ball FineLine BGA (FBGA-780) |
| Speed Grade | 7 (commercial) |
| Temperature Grade | Commercial (0C to +85C) |
| Hard AES Engine | Yes (Cyclone III LS security block, AES-256) |
| Configuration Schemes | AS, PS, JTAG, FPP |
| RoHS Status | Compliant |
EP3CLS100F780C7N 780-ball fineline bga (fbga-780) Pin Configuration Guide
Pin configuration for EP3CLS100F780C7N (780-ball fineline bga (fbga-780) 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 EP3CLS100F780C7N.
Refer to the datasheet for full pin configuration.
Typical Applications
EP3CLS100F780C7N is suitable for 7 applications: Industrial Motor Control & PLC, Video Capture & Display Bridge, Telecom Line Card Interface, Secure Boot Loader & IP Protection, Machine Vision & Industrial Imaging, Consumer Display Controller, Nios II Embedded Processor Subsystem.
Industrial Motor Control & PLC
The EP3CLS100F780C7N is well matched to industrial motor control and PLC applications because its 66 embedded 18x18 DSP multipliers, 4 PLLs, and 100K logic elements implement SVPWM, Clarke/Park transforms, and encoder feedback logic in a single device. The Cyclone III LS hardware AES engine can protect proprietary motor-control firmware against cloning, a growing concern in factory automation. At typical 24 V backplane operation the 1.2 V core and per-bank 3.3 V I/O simplify power tree design. Designers benefit from 413 user I/O pins for parallel encoder, resolver, and digital I/O expansion, with deterministic latency from the DSP block pipeline.
Recommended
Video Capture & Display Bridge
The EP3CLS100F780C7N's 4,451,328 bits of M9K memory and 100K logic elements comfortably absorb 720p line buffers, color-space converters, and timing controllers for video capture-to-display bridging. LVDS signalling on the 3.3 V-tolerant I/O banks directly interfaces OV5640, HDMI receivers, and parallel LCD panels without external transceivers. The four PLLs generate independent pixel clocks for capture and display paths, eliminating external clock generators. Compared to a discrete ASSP, the FPGA form factor adapts to evolving panel resolutions (WVGA to 1080p) without re-spinning the PCB.
Recommended
Telecom Line Card Interface
In telecom line-card designs, the EP3CLS100F780C7N delivers 100K logic elements plus dedicated AES-256 acceleration for backplane encryption and IP-protection of firmware loaded from compact flash or serial flash. The 413 user I/O pins map cleanly to T1/E1 framers, SPI/I2C management buses, and parallel RapidIO or LVDS links. Quartus II's hardened LVDS I/O supports gigabit-class backplane speeds at low jitter. Cyclone III LS's hardened security block performs AES in hardware, freeing fabric for protocol conversion rather than cryptographic compute.
Recommended
Secure Boot Loader & IP Protection
The Cyclone III LS family integrated into the EP3CLS100F780C7N provides a hardware AES-256 engine with DPA-resistance for bitstream encryption and secure boot flows. Designers can distribute encrypted configuration files via EPCS serial flash and let the on-die AES engine decrypt during configuration, preventing reverse engineering of firmware. The dedicated security block also implements tamper detection and JTAG lock-out. Compared to soft AES cores that consume ~5000 LEs and block DSP, the hardened engine leaves 100K LEs fully available for application logic.
Recommended
Machine Vision & Industrial Imaging
Machine-vision pipelines on the EP3CLS100F780C7N exploit its 66 DSP blocks to run Sobel, Laplacian, and FFT-based preprocessing at line rate, while the 4.4 Mbit embedded memory holds full image rows for thresholding and blob detection. Hardware AES protects proprietary inspection algorithms when shipping globally. Designers pair the FPGA with external MIPI-CSI2 or LVDS image sensors; Quartus II's Video and Image Processing Suite includes ready-made IP for Bayer demosaic and gamma correction. The 780-FBGA package delivers 413 I/O for parallel sensor interfaces and GigE Vision control.
Recommended
Consumer Display Controller
The EP3CLS100F780C7N supports cost-sensitive consumer display controllers - digital signage, kiosk panels, and educational tablets - by integrating timing generation, color management, and overlay blending in a single FPGA. The four PLLs drive independent timing domains for panel, backlight PWM, and external TCON IC. The 1.2 V core minimizes thermal rise in sealed enclosures, while the 8 I/O banks adapt to LVDS, eDP, and parallel RGB interfaces. Mass-production pricing at 100K-unit volumes drops the BOM cost well below dedicated ASSP solutions with comparable feature sets.
Recommended
Nios II Embedded Processor Subsystem
Quartus II's SOPC Builder lets the EP3CLS100F780C7N host a Nios II/f soft 32-bit RISC processor, with the 100K logic elements providing headroom for custom instructions and peripherals. The 4.4 Mbit on-chip memory serves as tightly-coupled scratchpad for zero-wait-state execution, while the embedded AES engine secures the Nios firmware image at configuration time. Designers benefit from 4 PLLs generating per-peripheral clocks and 413 user I/O for UART, SPI, I2C, Ethernet MAC expansion. This combination suits industrial controllers and avionics subsystems where BSP customization matters.
Recommended
Recommended Products Summary
Engineering reference data for EP3CLS100F780C7N β comparison, design guidance, and compliance information.
Selection Guide
Comparison with Alternatives
| Parameter | This Product | EP3C120F780C7N | EP3CLS100F780C7 | EP3C80F780C7N | EP3C55F780C7N |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brand | Intel | Intel | Intel | Intel | Intel |
| Package | 780-ball FineLine BGA | 780-ball FineLine BGA - same | 780-ball FineLine BGA - same | 780-ball FineLine BGA - same | 780-ball FineLine BGA - same |
| Family | Cyclone III LS | Cyclone III | Cyclone III LS | Cyclone III | Cyclone III |
| Logic Elements | 100,448 | 119,088 | 100,448 | 81,264 | 55,856 |
| Embedded Memory (bits) | 4,451,328 | 3,981,312 | 4,451,328 | 2,810,880 | 2,396,160 |
| 18x18 Multipliers | 66 | 96 | 66 | 48 | 36 |
| User I/O (max) | 413 | 531 | 413 | 429 | 377 |
| Hardware AES Engine | Yes (AES-256, DPA-resistant) | No | Yes | No | No |
Key Differentiators
- Hardware AES-256 encryption engine with DPA-resistance (vs EP3C120F780C7N)
- 100K logic elements with security engine in same 780-FBGA (vs EP3C55F780C7N)
- 66 DSP multipliers with accumulator and pipeline registers (vs EP3C80F780C7N)
- Four PLLs with 20 global clock networks (vs EP3C40F780C7N)
Design Notes
The 780-FBGA package requires independent decoupling on every supply rail: VCCINT (1.2 V core), VCCA (2.5 V PLL analog), and per-bank VCCIO (1.5 / 1.8 / 2.5 / 3.3 V). Place 0.1 uF X7R ceramic capacitors within 100 mil of each BGA ball, with bulk 10-47 uF tantalum or polymer caps at the regulator outputs. Power-rail sequencing must follow the Cyclone III handbook: VCCINT ramps first, then VCCA, then VCCIO. Reverse sequencing can latch the device into high-current states. Estimated: at typical 100K-LE utilization running 200 MHz, expect 1.5-2.0 W core dissipation; budget 4-layer 1 oz copper with stitched ground pour for thermal management.
The 780-FBGA uses a 1.0 mm ball pitch with full-array escape routing - a 6-layer PCB with 4 mil traces and 8 mil spaces handles the breakout on a single signal layer. Use a microvia-in-pad stackup (laser-drilled 4 mil vias) to fan out the inner balls; through-vias on 1.0 mm pitch require HDI (high-density interconnect) fabrication. Stitch the entire BGA field with a flooded ground plane on layer 2, and route differential pairs (LVDS, DDR2 clocks) with 100 ohm differential impedance and matched lengths to within 10 mil to preserve signal integrity.
Three pitfalls frequently trip first-time Cyclone III LS designers. First, configuration mode pins MSEL[3:0] must be set correctly for the chosen boot scheme (AS, PS, FPP, JTAG) - miswiring prevents the FPGA from configuring. Second, JTAG chain integrity requires 4.7 kohm pull-ups on TCK, TMS, and TDI, and a pull-down on TDO, to avoid spurious boundary-scan states at power-up. Third, do not leave unused I/O banks floating - configure unused pins as 'tri-stated input with weak pull-up' in Quartus II's Device and Pin Options to suppress power-supply inrush during configuration.
Estimated: at 100% logic utilization and 200 MHz core clock, the EP3CLS100F780C7N dissipates 1.8-2.5 W from a 1.2 V supply. The 780-FBGA package theta_JA is approximately 12 C/W with a 4-layer JEDEC test board, yielding a junction-to-ambient rise of 22-30 C above ambient. Commercial temperature grade permits up to 85 C junction, leaving headroom in normal lab environments. In sealed industrial enclosures, provide at least 5 CFM airflow or a small heatsink bonded to the BGA lid (top-side cooling). The Cyclone III LS power calculator in Quartus II generates per-block thermal estimates before tape-out.
When interfacing DDR2 memory at 200 MHz data rate (400 Mbps), use Quartus II's DDR2 controller IP with matched-length fly-by routing. Add 50 ohm series-termination resistors at the FPGA outputs when driving traces longer than 2 inches, and place the VTT termination voltage divider within 500 mil of the DDR2 chip's strobe pins. For LVDS channels, follow the 100 ohm differential impedance rule and keep intra-pair skew under 5 mil, inter-pair skew under 20 mil. SSO (simultaneous-switching output) analysis is mandatory above 16 switching outputs per bank to avoid ground-bounce-induced logic errors.
Compliance Information
RoHS and lead-free compliance per Intel product page; AEC-Q100 not applicable for commercial-grade FPGAs - specify automotive Cyclone III LS variant for vehicle applications.