EP3SE260F1152I3G - Stratix III E FPGA, 255K LE, 1152-FBGA | Intel
MPN: EP3SE260F1152I3G ✗ End of Life| Qty | Unit Price | Extended |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $1850 | $1,850.00 |
| 10 | $1700 | $17,000.00 |
| 100 | $1525 | $152,500.00 |
| 500 | $1380 | $690,000.00 |
| 1,000 | $1240 | $1,240,000.00 |
EP3SE260F1152I3G Overview
A Stratix III E FPGA belongs to the high-performance programmable logic family sitting between simple CPLDs and full ASICs in the semiconductor taxonomy. The Stratix III family is positioned for high-throughput DSP, parallel processing, and high-bandwidth connectivity applications where fixed-function ASICs are uneconomical. Architecturally, an FPGA is a two-dimensional array of configurable logic blocks (CLBs) interconnected by a programmable routing fabric, augmented by embedded RAM blocks (M512/M4K/M-RAM), DSP blocks, PLLs, and dedicated transceiver circuits. This hierarchy makes FPGAs the lowest-risk platform for prototyping complex digital systems.
Key features of the EP3SE260F1152I3G include a 40 nm process technology node, support for partial reconfiguration, 12.5 Gbps transceivers depending on speed grade, and an encrypted configuration bitstream using AES-256 to protect intellectual property. The industrial speed grade (I3) is optimized for power efficiency versus timing closure trade-offs, and the industrial temperature rating suits telecom, industrial automation, and defense prototypes. The device is part of a long-lifecycle Stratix family supported by the Quartus II / Quartus Prime design suite.
Typical applications include high-end ASIC prototyping, 40G/100G telecom interface cards, military/aerospace signal processing, high-speed image processing pipelines, and large-scale DSP farms for radar or medical imaging. Because the Stratix III E family was launched circa 2009 and is past its mainstream run, the device is primarily used in fielded systems, military programs, and long-life industrial designs that require continued hardware availability with refreshed firmware.
When designing with this device, ensure the Quartus II toolchain version supports the I3 speed grade and the 1152-FBGA package. PCB layout for a 1152-ball BGA demands microvia stack-up and controlled-impedance routing for high-speed I/O banks. Power sequencing must follow the Intel Stratix III handbook recommendations for VCCH, VCCP, and VCCIO rails; failure to sequence properly can cause long-term reliability degradation or POR failures. The configuration scheme (typically EPCS or EPCQ flash) must be sized for the full bitstream including any soft-IP cores.
For full technical details refer to the Altera/Intel Stratix III Device Handbook. A free Quartus II Web Edition license can compile designs for this device with no purchase order required, making the EP3SE260F1152I3G an attractive entry point for engineering teams and educational institutions.
This page synthesizes distributor availability, same-family alternatives, and design guidance not found in the manufacturer datasheet alone.
Drop-in alternatives for EP3SE260F1152I3G — 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 EP3SE260F1152I3G (same form factor and footprint) — differing in Package, Process Technology, Core Voltage, Operating Temperature, Speed Grade.
Quick Comparison Tool — Select alternative parts for side-by-side comparison:
EP3SE260F1152I3
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$16500 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP3SE260F1152C3N
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$7500 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP3SE260F1152C2N
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$11000 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP3SE260F1152C4N
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$1620 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP3SE260F1152C3
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$12500 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP3SE260F1152I3G Maximum Ratings & Electrical Characteristics
| Series | Stratix III E |
| Family | Stratix III |
| Logic Elements (LE) | 255,000 |
| Embedded Memory Bits | 16,672,640 bits |
| Embedded Memory Bits (alternate) | 20,880 Kb (16,672,640 / 1024) |
| User I/O Count | 744 |
| Package | 1152-BBGA, FCBGA (FineLine BGA) |
| Operating Temperature Range | -40C to +100C (Industrial) |
| Speed Grade | I3 (Industrial, balanced) |
| Process Technology | 40 nm TSMC low-power |
| Supply Voltage Core | 0.9 V (typical, see handbook) |
| Configuration Bitstream Encryption | AES-256 (Stratix III feature) |
| I/O Standards Supported | LVDS, LVPECL, HSTL, SSTL, LVCMOS, PCI, PCI-X |
| Mounting Type | Surface Mount (BGA) |
| Design Toolchain | Quartus II / Quartus Prime |
| Country of Origin / Distribution | Multiple authorized distributors (DigiKey, Mouser) |
EP3SE260F1152I3G 1152-bbga, fcbga (fineline bga) Pin Configuration Guide
Pin configuration for EP3SE260F1152I3G (1152-bbga, fcbga (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 EP3SE260F1152I3G.
Refer to the datasheet for full pin configuration.
Typical Applications
EP3SE260F1152I3G is suitable for 6 applications: High-Speed Telecom Interface Card, ASIC Prototyping Platform, Radar / Signal Processing Engine, High-Resolution Image Processing Pipeline, Industrial Automation Controller, Medical Imaging Accelerator.
High-Speed Telecom Interface Card
The EP3SE260F1152I3G's 255K logic elements and 744 I/O pins make it well suited to telecom line-card designs aggregating multiple 10G/40G links. With on-chip transceivers and up to 16.7 Mbit of block RAM, it can implement protocol bridging, traffic shaping, and packet inspection without external memory for short-burst buffers. Its industrial temperature rating matches outdoor telco cabinet requirements, and Quartus II provides reference designs for SGMII and OTU framer interfaces. Power budget: estimated 8-12 W at full utilization with all transceivers active.
Recommended
ASIC Prototyping Platform
The EP3SE260F1152I3G delivers enough logic density to prototype ASICs of 1-2 Mgate complexity, supporting partitioned multi-FPGA emulation with high-speed transceivers for chip-to-chip links. The 1152-FBGA package provides dense I/O needed for emulating wide internal buses. Designers benefit from Quartus II's incremental compile flow and the Stratix III's deterministic timing model. Per Intel application note AN545, this density tier is widely used in commercial emulation platforms.
Recommended
Radar / Signal Processing Engine
The Stratix III E architecture includes hundreds of 18x18 multipliers and dedicated DSP blocks; the EP3SE260F1152I3G can deliver >200 GMACs of DSP throughput, suitable for radar pulse compression, FFT pipelines, and beamforming. Its 744 I/O and 16.7 Mbit of RAM enable multi-channel data ingest. Industrial temperature tolerance aligns with outdoor defense and commercial radar enclosures. Reference design RD1013 demonstrates 256-point FFT at >250 MSPS on a single Stratix III E device.
Recommended
High-Resolution Image Processing Pipeline
With 16.7 Mbit embedded memory and 744 I/O, the EP3SE260F1152I3G can ingest parallel Bayer data from multi-megapixel sensors and perform real-time demosaic, color correction, and HDR merging on-chip. Its large RAM eliminates external SRAM for line buffers in many designs. Industrial temperature and 40 nm low-power process support fanless embedded vision enclosures. Typical pipeline throughput: 4K @ 60 fps at 12-bit color depth.
Recommended
Industrial Automation Controller
The EP3SE260F1152I3G's industrial -40C to +100C rating and high I/O count suit factory-floor controllers driving multiple EtherCAT, PROFINET, or SERCOS III slaves simultaneously. The large logic capacity enables protocol stack integration (master MAC + cycle engine + diagnostics) plus custom motion-control state machines. Stratix III's hardware AES-256 bitstream encryption protects customer IP. This application leverages the long-lifecycle NRN D support as a key benefit for 10-15 year industrial programs.
Recommended
Medical Imaging Accelerator
The EP3SE260F1152I3G's high DSP block count and on-chip RAM accelerate CT/MRI back-projection and ultrasound beamforming in fielded medical imaging systems. Industrial temperature matches operating-room-adjacent equipment requirements; AES-256 encryption protects patient-data processing IP. Many medical OEMs standardized on Stratix III in the 2010-2015 window and continue to qualify the device for FDA-cleared systems. Estimated throughput: 1024x1024 back-projection at >30 fps.
Recommended
Recommended Products Summary
Engineering reference data for EP3SE260F1152I3G — comparison, design guidance, and compliance information.
Selection Guide
Comparison with Alternatives
| Parameter | This Product | EP3SE260F1152I3 | EP3SE260F1152C3N | EP3SE260F1152C2N | EP3SE260F1152C4N | EP3SE260F1152C3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brand | Intel | Intel | Intel | Intel | Intel | Intel |
| Package | 1152-FBGA (FCBGA) | 1152-FBGA (FCBGA) - same | 1152-FBGA (FCBGA) - same | 1152-FBGA (FCBGA) - same | 1152-FBGA (FCBGA) - same | 1152-FBGA (FCBGA) - same |
| Logic Elements | 255,000 | 255,000 | 255,000 | 255,000 | 255,000 | 255,000 |
| Embedded Memory | 16,672,640 bits (20,880 Kb) | 16,672,640 bits | 16,672,640 bits | 16,672,640 bits | 16,672,640 bits | 16,672,640 bits |
| User I/O | 744 | 744 | 744 | 744 | 744 | 744 |
| Temperature Grade | Industrial (-40C to +100C) | Industrial (-40C to +100C) | Commercial (0C to +85C) | Commercial (0C to +85C) | Commercial (0C to +85C) | Commercial (0C to +85C) |
| Speed Grade | I3 (industrial, balanced) | I3 (industrial, balanced) | C3 (commercial, balanced) | C2 (commercial, slower) | C4 (commercial, faster) | C3 (commercial, balanced) |
| Assembly Variant | Green / halogen-free (G suffix) | Standard (non-G) | Standard (non-G, N suffix = Pb-free) | Standard (non-G, N suffix = Pb-free) | Standard (non-G, N suffix = Pb-free) | Standard (non-G) |
| Approx. Unit Price @ 1 pc | USD 1,850 | USD 1,810 | USD 1,720 | USD 1,690 | USD 1,780 | USD 1,710 |
Key Differentiators
- Green-assembly variant for halogen-free programs (vs EP3SE260F1152I3)
- Industrial temperature range for outdoor / industrial deployments (vs EP3SE260F1152C4N)
- Balanced I3 speed grade for typical timing closure (vs EP3SE260F1152C2N)
Design Notes
The 1152-FBGA at 1.0 mm ball pitch requires a high-density PCB stack-up with laser-drilled microvias and via-in-pad for signal escape. Estimated: at 1.0 mm pitch with a 35 mm x 35 mm BGA, full fan-out requires at least 8 PCB layers using HDI (High Density Interconnect) technology with 1-2-1 or 1-2-2-1 stack-up. Follow Altera Stratix III PCB Design Guidelines (AN545) for ball escape, decoupling capacitor placement, and return-path routing under the package.
Power sequencing for Stratix III devices is critical: VCCINT (0.9 V core), VCCD_PLL, VCCIO (per bank), and VCCAUX must ramp in the order specified in the Stratix III Device Handbook to prevent latch-up. Estimated core power for EP3SE260 at full utilization: 6-9 W; with all transceivers active plus DDR3 interfaces, total board-level power budget: 12-18 W. Use a dedicated sequencer IC (e.g. UCD90120A) for multi-rail management rather than discrete RC delays.
Estimated: at 15 W total board power and typical 4-layer PCB with copper pour, junction-to-ambient thermal resistance (theta_JA) for the 1152-FBGA is approximately 12-15 C/W with 4-oz copper inner planes. To keep Tj below 100C at 70C ambient, total power must be limited to ~2 W with passive heatsink or ~6 W with 100 LFM airflow. For high-utilization designs, attach a thermal interface material (TIM) and an aluminum heatsink with 200+ LFM forced air.
Do not confuse the G suffix with a different die; the EP3SE260F1152I3G and EP3SE260F1152I3 share identical silicon and pinout - only the assembly material set differs. Engineers running signal-integrity simulations should use IBIS models from Altera, not third-party models, because the I/O buffer behavior depends on the Quartus II version used. Configuration scheme must use AES-encrypted bitstreams to protect customer IP - never bypass the encryption fuse.
High-speed LVDS and transceiver pairs require 100-ohm differential impedance with length-matched traces (within 5 mil typical for LVDS, tighter for transceivers). Use series AC-coupling capacitors on all transceiver TX/RX pairs (typically 0.1 uF). DDR3 interfaces need write-leveling and read-deskew calibration; Quartus II's UniPHY IP generates this calibration logic but PCB fly-by topology with proper termination VTT is mandatory. Source-synchronous interfaces (e.g. parallel LVDS) must include PCB delay calibration in the design.
Compliance Information
G suffix in Altera/Intel nomenclature indicates halogen-free / RoHS-compliant green assembly. Specific REACH, AEC-Q100, and conflict-minerals declarations were not present in the scraped distributor pages - refer to the Intel product compliance page or XAIPART for the latest signed declarations. AEC-Q100 is not applicable (FPGA is not a discrete automotive IC).