EP3SE260F1152C2 - 255K LE Stratix III E FPGA 1152-FCBGA | Intel
MPN: EP3SE260F1152C2 ✗ End of Life| Qty | Unit Price | Extended |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $3200 | $3,200.00 |
| 10 | $2950 | $29,500.00 |
| 25 | $2780 | $69,500.00 |
| 100 | $2580 | $258,000.00 |
| 250 | $2400 | $600,000.00 |
EP3SE260F1152C2 Overview
A Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) is a reconfigurable digital integrated circuit whose logic fabric, block RAM, DSP blocks, and routing can be programmed in the field by the designer to implement arbitrary digital functions, glue logic, accelerators, and high-speed serial interfaces. FPGAs sit hierarchically between ASICs (custom-fixed silicon) and general-purpose processors (software-defined), offering hardware-level parallelism without the NRE cost of an ASIC. The Stratix III E family is the "Enhanced" logic-rich variant of the Stratix III family, optimized for high logic density, generous embedded memory, and high I/O count for parallel data-path and backplane applications.
Key features of the EP3SE260F1152C2 include 255K logic elements distributed across 10,200 Logic Array Blocks (LABs), 16,672,768 bits of embedded memory (about 2.04 Mbytes), support for multiple high-speed transceiver and external-memory-interface standards, and adaptive logic modules (ALMs) that pack combinational and registered logic into 8-input fracturable look-up tables. The device integrates dedicated DSP blocks, embedded multiplier blocks, and programmable I/O serdes that operate up to 1.25 Gbps per LVDS/HSIO channel.
Architecturally, Stratix III E uses the Altera ALM as its basic logic cell - an 8-input adaptive LUT with two adder chains and two register outputs - which yields approximately 25% higher logic packing density than the older 4-input LUT-based architectures. The 1.1 V core, combined with programmable power-rail gating on each LAB row, lets the device trade frequency for power at fine granularity. Long-line routing and the MultiTrack interconnect are tuned for sustained Fmax above 300 MHz on typical pipelined designs and up to 600 MHz on small arithmetic paths.
Typical applications include high-speed data-acquisition front-ends, parallel DSP for radar/SIGINT, telecommunications line cards with multiple SERDES lanes, ASIC prototyping, broadcast video processing, and protocol-bridging cards. With 744 user I/Os, the part is particularly suited to systems that need wide parallel buses (DDR2/DDR3 external memory, LVDS parallel video, or custom backplane interfaces) rather than just a few high-speed serial links.
Designers using this device should generate bitstreams with the Quartus II design software (version 9.0 or later for full Stratix III E coverage) and pay attention to power-rail sequencing and decoupling on the FC-FBGA. The 'C2' speed grade and 1152-ball package imply commercial-temperature operation and a specific pinout/bank map that must be respected during PCB layout.
This page synthesizes distributor pricing, drop-in and same-family alternatives, and practical design notes not found in the manufacturer datasheet, helping engineers compare the EP3SE260F1152C2 against other Stratix III E devices and competitor FPGAs in the same FC-FBGA-1152 footprint.
Drop-in alternatives for EP3SE260F1152C2 — 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 EP3SE260F1152C2 (same form factor and footprint) — differing in Package, Operating Temperature, Family, Speed Grade, Process Technology.
Quick Comparison Tool — Select alternative parts for side-by-side comparison:
EP3SE110F1152C2N
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$1925 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP3SE110F1152C2
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$4100 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP3SE110F1152C4N
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$1395 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP3SE110F1152C4
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$2200 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP3SE110F1152C3N
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$1560 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP3SE110F1152C3
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$3200 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP3SE260F1152C2 Maximum Ratings & Electrical Characteristics
| Manufacturer | Intel (formerly Altera) |
| Series | Stratix® III E |
| Logic Elements (LE) | 255,000 |
| Logic Array Blocks (LABs) | 10,200 |
| Embedded Memory (bits) | 16,672,768 |
| User I/Os | 744 |
| Core Voltage (VCCINT) | 1.1 V |
| Process Technology | 65 nm CMOS |
| Package | 1152-ball FC-FBGA (Flip Chip) |
| Mounting Type | Surface Mount |
| Speed Grade | C2 (commercial) |
| RoHS Status | Compliant |
| Lead-Free | Yes |
| Design Software | Quartus II (Stratix III support) |
EP3SE260F1152C2 1152-ball fc-fbga (flip chip) Pin Configuration Guide
Pin configuration for EP3SE260F1152C2 (1152-ball fc-fbga (flip chip) 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 EP3SE260F1152C2.
Refer to the datasheet for full pin configuration.
Typical Applications
EP3SE260F1152C2 is suitable for 6 applications: ASIC Prototyping and Emulation, High-Speed Data Acquisition Front-End, Parallel DSP for Radar and Signal Intelligence, Telecommunications Line Cards, Broadcast Video Processing, Industrial Test and Measurement Equipment.
ASIC Prototyping and Emulation
The EP3SE260F1152C2's 255,000 logic elements and 16.7 Mbits of embedded block RAM make it a strong fit for ASIC prototyping and in-circuit emulation, where mapping a multi-million-gate ASIC into multiple Stratix III E devices (Time Domain Multiplexing or TDM) requires very high per-device LE counts. With 744 user I/Os in the 1152-FCBGA package, it accommodates the wide parallel cables used to map ASIC pinouts to FPGA I/O banks without forcing aggressive time-multiplexing of pins. Designers typically use the 'C2' commercial speed grade to maximize timing closure headroom for emulator-style clocks around 50-100 MHz.
Recommended
High-Speed Data Acquisition Front-End
The EP3SE260F1152C2's 744 user I/Os are ideal for ADC front-ends that fan in many parallel LVDS pairs from multi-channel ADC boards (e.g. four 16-channel ADCs at 250 MSPS each yielding 64 parallel DDR LVDS lanes). The 16.7 Mbit block RAM absorbs sample-line buffers and FIR decimation coefficients, while the dedicated 18x18 multipliers in Stratix III DSP blocks implement decimation filters and digital down-converters at hundreds of MHz. The C2 commercial speed grade targets Fmax above 300 MHz on typical pipelined DSP paths, sufficient for down-conversion of IF signals in the 50-200 MHz range.
Recommended
Parallel DSP for Radar and Signal Intelligence
Radar and SIGINT systems push thousands of complex FFT/multiply-accumulate operations per sample, which the EP3SE260F1152C2 absorbs through Stratix III E's integrated DSP blocks and 16.7 Mbit embedded memory that buffers intermediate FFT bins. The 1152-FCBGA package's 744 I/O gives a wide interface to next-stage DACs (digital beam-former) and high-bandwidth memory (DDR2/DDR3 external buffers). Designers typically pair it with 1 GHz+ external DDR3 controllers instantiated on-chip, with Quartus II's Memory Interface Generator generating the PHY.
Recommended
Telecommunications Line Cards
Telecom line cards that terminate many E1/T1/STM-1 streams or perform protocol bridging between legacy and packet-switched fabrics fit naturally on the EP3SE260F1152C2, since the 744 I/O accommodate 24+ serial links plus overhead-channel interfaces without external multiplexing. The Stratix III E fabric runs the protocol stacks (HDLC, PPP, GFP) and on-chip transceivers handle multi-gigabit uplinks to the switch fabric ASIC. Industrial-rated Stratix III E variants are recommended for central-office deployments, but the commercial C2 grade suits climate-controlled indoor rack slots.
Recommended
Broadcast Video Processing
Broadcast video processing for 3G-SDI, H.264 encoding, and multi-stream pipelined color-space conversion fits the EP3SE260F1152C2 because each 3G-SDI stream requires roughly 3 Gbps of LVDS-parallel pixels (20-bit RGB 4:4:4 at 1080p60), and four simultaneous streams consume over 200 I/Os and large block RAM FIFOs for line buffering. The device's 255K LE absorbs the dual-stream H.264 encoder logic plus motion-estimation pre-processing. Quartus II's ALM-based synthesis keeps register-rich video pipelines above 200 MHz Fmax even at full device utilization.
Recommended
Industrial Test and Measurement Equipment
Test-and-measurement instruments such as logic analyzers, protocol analyzers, and mixed-signal test systems need to capture or generate thousands of channels of synchronized stimulus data, which the EP3SE260F1152C2's 744 I/Os and 255K LE handle without external pin expansion. The 16.7 Mbit block RAM stores capture-probe state vectors, while on-chip transceivers move compressed traces to the host processor over multi-gigabit links. Designers use the Quartus II SignalTap II logic analyzer for in-system debug, embedded on the same JTAG chain that programs the device in production.
Recommended
Recommended Products Summary
Engineering reference data for EP3SE260F1152C2 — comparison, design guidance, and compliance information.
Selection Guide
Comparison with Alternatives
| Parameter | This Product | EP3SE110F1152C2N | EP3SE110F1152C2 | EP3SE110F1152C4N | EP3SE110F1152C4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brand | Intel | Intel | Intel | Intel | Intel |
| Package | 1152-FCBGA | 1152-FCBGA | 1152-FCBGA | 1152-FCBGA | 1152-FCBGA |
| Family | Stratix III E | Stratix III E | Stratix III E | Stratix III E | Stratix III E |
| Logic Elements | 255,000 | 106,000 | 106,000 | 106,000 | 106,000 |
| Embedded Memory (bits) | 16,672,768 | 8,011,520 | 8,011,520 | 8,011,520 | 8,011,520 |
| User I/Os | 744 | 744 | 744 | 744 | 744 |
| LABs | 10,200 | 4,224 | 4,224 | 4,224 | 4,224 |
| Speed Grade | C2 (commercial) | C2 (commercial) | C2 (commercial) | C4 (commercial, slower) | C4 (commercial, slower) |
| Process / Core Voltage | 65 nm / 1.1 V | 65 nm / 1.1 V | 65 nm / 1.1 V | 65 nm / 1.1 V | 65 nm / 1.1 V |
| Lifecycle Status | Obsolete | Obsolete | Obsolete | Obsolete | Obsolete |
Key Differentiators
- Highest logic density in the Stratix III E family on the 1152-FCBGA footprint (vs EP3SE110F1152C2N)
- C2 commercial speed grade is the fastest Stratix III E speed grade in production (vs EP3SE110F1152C4N)
- Combines logic density and 744-I/O wide parallel bus in a single 65 nm device (vs EP3SL200F1152I3N (Stratix III L))
Design Notes
The EP3SE260F1152C2 requires a clean 1.1 V VCCINT supply capable of delivering up to 15 A under maximum logic utilization, with peak transients above 20 A during dynamic block-RAM and DSP activity. Use a low-impedance 6+ layer PCB with at least 4 inner layers dedicated to power planes, place 470 µF bulk + 22 µF ceramic decoupling within 1 cm of the BGA, and add 0.1 µF/1 nF/10 nF bypass pairs at every quad of balls. Estimated: with 95% utilization and 200 MHz Fmax, the static current plus dynamic switching easily exceeds 13 A at 1.1 V, so size the DC-DC converter for at least 18 A continuous to keep VCC within ±3% tolerance.
The 1152-ball FC-FBGA requires microvia (HDI) PCB fabrication with at least 6 layers and via-in-pad for the inner-row balls, with controlled-impedance traces tuned to 50 Ω (single-ended) and 100 Ω differential for LVDS. Matched-length groups for DDR2/DDR3 external-memory interfaces must be tuned to within ±25 ps. Allocate four PCB layers for power/ground planes adjacent to the BGA signal layers to provide a low-impedance return path for high-speed transceivers. Use a 1.0 mm or 1.27 mm pitch FC-FBGA and confirm your assembly house has a Class 3 or better ball-grid-array process.
Do not assume any Stratix III E device is a drop-in for any other even with the same 1152-FCBGA package - the I/O bank mapping, JTAG chain order, configuration pins, and dedicated transceiver pin assignments differ between EP3SE260F1152C2 and smaller-density variants such as EP3SE110F1152C2N. Power-rail sequencing (1.1 V VCCINT must come up before or simultaneously with VCCIO of any bank that sources configuration signals) must be respected - failure to sequence rails can damage the device. Always regenerate pin assignments in Quartus II Pin Planner for the target MPN before sign-off; do not reuse the previous design's assignments verbatim.
Compliance Information
RoHS and lead-free status from Altera/Intel product datasheet. Halogen-free status not explicitly stated in the provided data. AEC-Q100 is not applicable (FPGA is not an automotive-qualified IC in this part).
