EP3SE260F1152C3NES - Stratix III E FPGA 255K LE 1152-FBGA | Altera
MPN: EP3SE260F1152C3NES ⚠ Last Time Buy| Qty | Unit Price | Extended |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $2850 | $2,850.00 |
| 10 | $2680 | $26,800.00 |
| 100 | $2450 | $245,000.00 |
| 500 | $2280 | $1,140,000.00 |
| 1,000 | $2120 | $2,120,000.00 |
EP3SE260F1152C3NES Overview
An FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array) is a programmable logic device containing an array of configurable logic blocks (CLBs), embedded memory, DSP blocks, and high-speed transceivers interconnected by a programmable routing fabric. FPGAs sit in the broader hierarchy of programmable logic devices (PLDs) -> programmable logic -> semiconductor ICs, and are widely used for parallel processing, hardware acceleration, and rapid prototyping where fixed-function ASICs are too costly or inflexible.
Key features include 16,672,768 bits of embedded memory, 10,200 LABs (Logic Array Blocks), 768 18x18 multipliers, 12 PLLs, and 744 maximum user I/Os. The device integrates 4 hard memory controllers and 4 hard PCI Express hard IP blocks, with support for external memory interfaces including DDR3, DDR2, DDR, QDRII+, and RLDRAM2. Speed grade is -3 (faster), logic element count is 255,000, and the design is built on TSMC's 65 nm low-power process technology.
Architecturally, the Stratix III E family adopts an adaptive logic module (ALM) based on an 8-input fracturable LUT, which improves logic packing density versus older 4-input LUT architectures. The transceiver subsystem is augmented with dedicated hard IP for PCIe Gen1/Gen2, making the device suitable for serial connectivity bridging. Multi-track routing and TriMatrix on-chip memory with error correction code (ECC) support ensure deterministic timing closure for high-performance designs.
Typical applications include high-speed data acquisition, ASIC prototyping, software-defined radio (SDR), video processing pipelines, military/aerospace signal processing, and high-end communications infrastructure. The dense logic and high I/O count also suit multi-protocol bridging and high-speed serial backplane designs.
When designing with this device, ensure proper power-decoupling network design with bulk, mid-frequency, and high-frequency ceramic capacitors, and pay close attention to the PCB BGA breakout routing. Signal integrity and controlled-impedance differential pairs are required for the high-speed transceivers. The Quartus II design toolchain is used for synthesis, place-and-route, and timing closure.
This page synthesizes distributor pricing, parametric alternatives, and practical design notes not found in the standalone Altera datasheet, providing engineers with a one-stop reference for sourcing and design-in decisions.
Drop-in alternatives for EP3SE260F1152C3NES — 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 EP3SE260F1152C3NES (same form factor and footprint) — differing in Package, Speed Grade, Series, Process Technology, Family.
Quick Comparison Tool — Select alternative parts for side-by-side comparison:
EP3SE260F1152C3N
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$7500 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP3SE260F1152C3
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View Datasheet →EP3SE260F1152C2N
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$11000 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP3SE260F1152C2G
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$2050 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP3SE260F1152C2
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$2400 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP3SE110F1152C3
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$3200 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP3SE260F1152C3NES Maximum Ratings & Electrical Characteristics
| Manufacturer | Altera (now Intel FPGA) |
| Series | Stratix III E |
| Family | Stratix III Enhanced |
| Logic Elements (LE) | 255,000 |
| Embedded Memory Bits | 16,672,768 |
| Logic Array Blocks (LABs) | 10,200 |
| Number of I/Os | 744 |
| Maximum Operating Frequency | 500 MHz |
| Process Technology | 65 nm |
| Core Supply Voltage | 1.1 V |
| Number of 18x18 Multipliers | 768 |
| Number of PLLs | 12 |
| Package Type | 1152-ball FBGA (FineLine BGA) |
| Pin/Package Designator | F1152 |
| Speed Grade | -3 (faster) |
| Hard Memory Controllers | 4 |
| Hard PCIe Blocks | 4 |
| External Memory Interface | DDR3, DDR2, DDR, QDRII+, RLDRAM2 |
| Operating Temperature Grade | Commercial |
| Mounting Type | Surface Mount |
| RoHS Status | Compliant |
| Lead-Free | Yes |
EP3SE260F1152C3NES f1152 Pin Configuration Guide
Pin configuration for EP3SE260F1152C3NES (f1152 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 EP3SE260F1152C3NES.
Refer to the datasheet for full pin configuration.
Typical Applications
EP3SE260F1152C3NES is suitable for 6 applications: High-Speed Data Acquisition Systems, ASIC Prototyping and Emulation, Software-Defined Radio (SDR) Baseband, Video Processing and Image Pipeline, Military and Aerospace Signal Processing, High-Speed Communications Infrastructure.
High-Speed Data Acquisition Systems
The EP3SE260F1152C3NES fits high-speed data acquisition systems where 255,000 logic elements, 768 18x18 multipliers, and 16,672,768 bits of embedded memory provide the parallel processing and buffering required for multi-channel ADC capture pipelines. Its 4 hard memory controllers and 4 hard PCIe Gen1/Gen2 IP blocks enable direct DDR3 buffer storage and high-throughput host upload with deterministic latency, while 744 user I/Os accommodate wide parallel LVDS data paths from multiple ADC chips. Place the FPGA between the ADC bank and the host CPU, with decoupling caps on every VCC pin per the Stratix III pin connection guidelines, and use TimeQuest to constrain the ADC-to-DDR3 path for sub-clock-cycle setup/hold margin.
Recommended
ASIC Prototyping and Emulation
ASIC prototyping and emulation is a primary use case for the EP3SE260F1152C3NES, where 255K logic elements can map sizeable ASIC netlists partitioned across multiple FPGAs via TDM or multi-FPGA partitioning flows. The 1152-ball FBGA provides 744 user I/Os for inter-FPGA hand-off channels, and the embedded TriMatrix memory supports large trace buffers for design verification. Engineers typically use Synopsys Certify or Mentor Graphics Nitro to partition ASIC RTL onto the device and validate at 50-200 MHz target ASIC clock. Quartus II's LogicLock regions and chip-planner help isolate partition boundaries for repeatable bring-up across multiple prototyping boards.
Recommended
Software-Defined Radio (SDR) Baseband
Software-defined radio baseband processing benefits from the EP3SE260F1152C3NES's 768 18x18 multipliers, which deliver the multiply-accumulate throughput required for wideband digital down-conversion (DDC), digital up-conversion (DUC), and channelization. The 16,672,768 bits of embedded memory serve as FFT window buffers and channel coefficient storage, while the 4 hard PCIe blocks enable direct host transfer of demodulated symbols. Typical placement is between the RF front-end ADC/DAC and the host CPU, with the FPGA implementing the PHY/MAC layer. The 12 PLLs allow independent clock domains for the ADC sample rate, the FPGA fabric, and the PCIe link, simplifying mixed-clock design.
Recommended
Video Processing and Image Pipeline
Real-time video processing pipelines for broadcast, surveillance, and medical imaging use the EP3SE260F1152C3NES's parallel fabric to implement color-space conversion, scaling, deinterlacing, and codec pre-processing at 1080p60 and beyond. The 744 user I/Os accommodate multiple parallel video ports (BT.1120, DisplayPort aux channels, and HDMI/DVI links via external PHY), and the embedded memory serves as line/frame buffers. The 768 DSP blocks accelerate motion-estimation and deblocking filters, while the 4 hard PCIe blocks provide a low-latency path for delivering processed frames to the host codec. Quartus II's DSP Builder accelerates algorithm-to-RTL flow for these pipelines.
Recommended
Military and Aerospace Signal Processing
Military and aerospace signal processing applications leverage the EP3SE260F1152C3NES's high logic density and embedded DSP resources for radar, electronic warfare (EW), and signals-intelligence (SIGINT) workloads. The 1152-ball FBGA package is qualified for harsh-environment board assembly, and the commercial temperature grade (0C to +85C) suits ground-based and shipboard installations; for airborne and weapons-grade applications, an I-temp or M-temp screened variant would be required. The hard PCIe blocks enable integration with modern VPX and VME host systems, while the abundant PLLs support the multi-clock architectures typical of phased-array radar front-ends. Mission-critical designs typically use Triple Modular Redundancy (TMR) implemented in fabric.
Recommended
High-Speed Communications Infrastructure
The EP3SE260F1152C3NES serves high-speed communications infrastructure applications such as multi-protocol bridging, packet processing, and 10G/40G line-card processing. Its 744 user I/Os connect to multiple SFP+/SFP cages and backplane SERDES PHYs, while the 16 Mbits of embedded memory support packet header parsing and lookup-table-driven forwarding engines. The 768 18x18 multipliers accelerate encryption/decryption and CRC offload, reducing host CPU load. The 4 hard PCIe Gen1/Gen2 blocks enable co-processing with Intel/AMD host CPUs, and the 12 PLLs support multiple independent reference clocks for synchronous Ethernet and PTP timing. Quartus II's transceiver tool kit and MegaWizard help with PHY configuration.
Recommended
Recommended Products Summary
Engineering reference data for EP3SE260F1152C3NES — comparison, design guidance, and compliance information.
Selection Guide
Comparison with Alternatives
| Parameter | This Product | EP3SE260F1152C3N | EP3SE260F1152C3 | EP3SE260F1152C2N | EP3SE260F1152C2G | EP3SE260F1152C2 | EP3SE110F1152C3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brand | Altera | Altera | Altera | Altera | Altera | Altera | Altera |
| Package | 1152-FBGA (F1152) | 1152-FBGA (F1152) - same | 1152-FBGA (F1152) - same | 1152-FBGA (F1152) - same | 1152-FBGA (F1152) - same | 1152-FBGA (F1152) - same | 1152-FBGA (F1152) - same |
| Logic Elements | 255,000 | 255,000 | 255,000 | 255,000 | 255,000 | 255,000 | 110,000 |
| Speed Grade | -3 (faster) | -3 | -3 | -2 | -2 | -2 | -3 |
| Embedded Memory Bits | 16,672,768 | 16,672,768 | 16,672,768 | 16,672,768 | 16,672,768 | 16,672,768 | 8,209,920 |
| User I/Os | 744 | 744 | 744 | 744 | 744 | 744 | 744 |
| Multipliers (18x18) | 768 | 768 | 768 | 768 | 768 | 768 | 384 |
| Process Node | 65 nm | 65 nm | 65 nm | 65 nm | 65 nm | 65 nm | 65 nm |
| Core Voltage | 1.1 V | 1.1 V | 1.1 V | 1.1 V | 1.1 V | 1.1 V | 1.1 V |
| Lifecycle Status | Last Time Buy | Last Time Buy | Last Time Buy | Last Time Buy | Last Time Buy | Last Time Buy | Last Time Buy |
Key Differentiators
- Highest-density member of the EP3SE260 family at -3 speed grade (vs EP3SE110F1152C3)
- Balanced -3 speed grade (faster) versus -2 (slower) tier (vs EP3SE260F1152C2N)
- Same ordering suffix family as standard C3N commercial drop-in (vs EP3SE260F1152C3N)
Design Notes
The EP3SE260F1152C3NES requires a multi-rail power supply: 1.1 V core, 2.5 V or 3.0 V analog PLL supply (VCC_PLL), 1.2 V/1.5 V/1.8 V/2.5 V/3.0 V/3.3 V I/O supplies (VCCIO), and a 2.5 V/3.0 V pre-emphasis supply (VCCPD). Designers should use a power-sequencing controller to ensure core voltage rises before I/O supplies. Decoupling must follow the Stratix III pin connection guidelines with bulk, mid-frequency, and high-frequency capacitors placed adjacent to every VCC/VCCIO/VCCPD/VCC_PLL ball pair.
Estimated: at 1.1 V core with typical 255K-LE utilization (~80%), core current can reach 2-3 A and I/O current can reach several amps depending on switching activity, resulting in total package dissipation of 4-8 W. The F1152 FBGA package thermal resistance (theta_JA) is approximately 8 C/W with a properly designed thermal via array and heatsink; without thermal management, junction temperature can exceed 100C in still air. A 4-layer board with continuous inner-plane thermal vias under the BGA is recommended.
The 1152-ball F1152 BGA uses 1.0 mm ball pitch, requiring laser-drilled microvias or sequential lamination PCB fabrication. Escape routing must be planned in the Quartus II pin planner before PCB layout to avoid neck-downs. For high-speed differential pairs, use length-matched (within 5 mil) 100 ohm differential impedance with 4-layer stack-up. BGA break-out should use dog-bone fan-out on the top layer with via-in-pad for inner rows if the board budget allows.
Do not leave the MSEL[3:0] configuration mode pins floating - they select the configuration scheme (AS, AP, PS, FPP, JTAG) and must be tied high or low per the chosen mode. The CONF_DONE and nSTATUS pins require external 10 kohm pull-up resistors to VCCPD. JTAG pins TCK, TMS, TDI require pull-ups to VCCPD; TDO floats. Failing to observe these pin-connection rules is the most common cause of configuration failures in Stratix III boards.
Compliance Information
RoHS compliant per Altera/Intel product ordering information. The C3NES suffix indicates lead-free / RoHS-compliant factory original packaging. AEC-Q100 is not applicable as this is a programmable logic device, not an automotive-grade IC. Halogen-free status not explicitly confirmed in available data - mark unknown.
