EP3SL200H780I4LN - Stratix III L FPGA 200K LE 780-BGA | Intel / Altera
MPN: EP3SL200H780I4LN ✗ End of Life| Qty | Unit Price | Extended |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $1850 | $1,850.00 |
| 10 | $1720 | $17,200.00 |
| 100 | $1550 | $155,000.00 |
| 500 | $1395 | $697,500.00 |
| 1,000 | $1280 | $1,280,000.00 |
EP3SL200H780I4LN Overview
An FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array) is a type of integrated circuit that contains an array of programmable logic blocks, configurable interconnect, and dedicated I/O and memory resources. FPGAs sit at the top of the programmable logic hierarchy alongside CPLDs, and are used to implement custom digital hardware, signal-processing pipelines, and high-speed parallel interfaces without the cost and lead time of an ASIC. Stratix III L devices specifically target low-power, high-volume applications such as wireless baseband, broadcast video, and high-end ASIC prototyping.
Key features of the EP3SL200H780I4LN include approximately 8,000 LABs (Logic Array Blocks), a maximum internal clock frequency around 375-800 MHz depending on the data path, and selectable core voltage that trades power for performance. The device supports external memory interfaces including DDR3, DDR2, and QDR II+ through dedicated PHY blocks, along with high-speed serial transceivers for chip-to-chip and backplane links.
Architecturally, the EP3SL200H780I4LN uses 8-input adaptive logic modules (ALMs) backed by distributed M9K memory blocks and larger M144K blocks, all stitched together by a multi-tier routing fabric with variable drive strength. Programmable Power Technology allows unused logic, memory and routing resources to be biased at a reduced supply, cutting dynamic and static power consumption versus competing 65 nm families.
Typical applications include wireless infrastructure (LTE baseband and digital pre-distortion), ASIC prototyping, broadcast video processing, high-speed serial bridge designs, military secure communications, and medical imaging systems. The wide memory bandwidth and transceiver-rich architecture also make it suitable for telecom test equipment and high-performance computing accelerators.
When designing with this device, plan for the 780-ball FCBGA footprint including signal integrity for high-speed transceivers, decoupling strategy with bulk and ceramic capacitors near every power pin, and thermal management via the exposed heat-spreader of the FCBGA. Quartus II design software (with service packs supporting Stratix III) is required for synthesis, place-and-route, and timing closure.
This page synthesizes Stratix III L distributor pricing from DigiKey, Mouser and Octopart, drop-in family alternatives in the same 780-BGA footprint, and practical design notes that go beyond the manufacturer datasheet.
Drop-in alternatives for EP3SL200H780I4LN — 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 EP3SL200H780I4LN (same form factor and footprint) — differing in Speed Grade, Package, Operating Temperature, Family, Transceivers.
Quick Comparison Tool — Select alternative parts for side-by-side comparison:
EP3SL200H780I4L
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$1395 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP3SL200H780I4
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$6255.75 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP3SL200H780I3N
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$7200 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP3SL200H780C4LN
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$1145 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP3SL200H780C4L
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$6459.35 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP3SL200H780C3N
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$4995 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP3SL200H780C2N
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$6050 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP3SL200H780I4LN Maximum Ratings & Electrical Characteristics
| Series | Stratix III L |
| Family | Stratix III L (Low-Power) |
| Manufacturer | Intel / Altera (now Intel PSG) |
| Number of Logic Elements / Cells | 200,000 |
| Number of LABs / CLBs | 8,000 |
| Total RAM Bits | 10,901,504 (approximately 10.9 Mbit) |
| Number of I/O | 488 |
| Voltage - Supply | 0.9 V core (selectable Vcore) |
| Operating Temperature | -40C to +100C (industrial) |
| Mounting Type | Surface Mount |
| Package / Case | 780-BBGA, FCBGA (Flip-Chip BGA) |
| Process Technology | 65 nm CMOS |
| Speed Grade | I4 (Industrial, mid-speed grade) |
| RoHS Status | RoHS Compliant (lead-free) |
| MSL Level | MSL 3 (168 Hours, per JEDEC J-STD-020) |
| Roaming Pin Name Suffix | LN = lead-free, industrial temp, H780 780-ball package |
EP3SL200H780I4LN 780-bbga, fcbga (flip-chip bga) Pin Configuration Guide
Pin configuration for EP3SL200H780I4LN (780-bbga, fcbga (flip-chip 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 EP3SL200H780I4LN.
Refer to the datasheet for full pin configuration.
Typical Applications
EP3SL200H780I4LN is suitable for 6 applications: Wireless Baseband Signal Processing, ASIC Prototyping and Emulation, Broadcast Video Processing, High-Speed Serial Bridge and Backplane, Military and Secure Communications, Telecom Test and Measurement Equipment.
Wireless Baseband Signal Processing
The EP3SL200H780I4LN's 200,000 logic elements and 10.9 Mbit embedded memory make it well-suited for LTE and 4G baseband signal-processing pipelines. Its DSP blocks accelerate channel estimation, FFT/iFFT, and turbo decoding at low latency. The selectable 0.9 V Vcore and Programmable Power Technology reduce dynamic power in always-on base station applications, while the 488 I/Os and external DDR3 interface provide the bandwidth needed for multi-antenna MIMO processing.
Recommended
ASIC Prototyping and Emulation
With 200K logic elements distributed across 8,000 LABs, the EP3SL200H780I4LN can emulate mid-complexity ASICs at clock rates suitable for software-driven verification. Multi-FPGA partitioning is supported through high-speed serial transceivers and abundant general-purpose I/Os, and Quartus II provides ASIC prototyping flows with TDM-based pin multiplexing. The 65 nm process preserves timing accuracy versus the target ASIC node for back-annotated verification.
Recommended
Broadcast Video Processing
The EP3SL200H780I4LN's high logic count, embedded memory bandwidth, and external DDR3 support suit it to broadcast video format conversion, scaling, and frame-rate conversion. Its parallel I/O structure can drive multiple SDI links simultaneously, while internal memory handles line buffering and motion-compensation data. Industrial temperature grade I4 ensures reliable operation in broadcast studio and headend environments with controlled but varying thermal conditions.
Recommended
High-Speed Serial Bridge and Backplane
Transceivers on the EP3SL200H780I4LN support chip-to-chip and backplane serial links at multi-gigabit data rates, making the device ideal for bridging between legacy parallel buses and modern serial fabrics. Embedded memory acts as elastic buffer for rate adaptation, while 488 I/Os accommodate sideband signaling, status LEDs, and configuration EEPROMs. The same 780-ball FCBGA footprint as the EP3SL200 family enables hardware reuse across bridge SKUs.
Recommended
Military and Secure Communications
Industrial temperature rating and Altera's design-security features make the EP3SL200H780I4LN suitable for secure communication platforms with extended environmental requirements. The 780-ball FCBGA package supports ruggedized board builds with underfill or conformal coating, and the on-chip bitstream encryption protects IP. Pin-compatible industrial-grade Stratix III variants allow manufacturing scalability across commercial and rugged product lines.
Recommended
Telecom Test and Measurement Equipment
Telecom test equipment benefits from the EP3SL200H780I4LN's logic density, parallel DSP, and high-speed serial I/O. The device can implement multi-protocol pattern generation, BERT, and protocol-aware analysis while maintaining deterministic timing through dedicated clock networks. Industrial temperature operation supports telecom shelf environments, and the same 780-BGA footprint as lower-cost EP3SL200 variants provides a migration path for production-vs-test board builds.
Recommended
Recommended Products Summary
Engineering reference data for EP3SL200H780I4LN — comparison, design guidance, and compliance information.
Selection Guide
Comparison with Alternatives
| Parameter | This Product | EP3SL200H780I4L | EP3SL200H780I4 | EP3SL200H780I3N | EP3SL200H780C4LN | EP3SL200H780C4L | EP3SL200H780C3N | EP3SL200H780C2N |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brand | Altera (Intel PSG) | Altera (Intel PSG) | Altera (Intel PSG) | Altera (Intel PSG) | Altera (Intel PSG) | Altera (Intel PSG) | Altera (Intel PSG) | Altera (Intel PSG) |
| Package | 780-BBGA, FCBGA (H780) | 780-BBGA, FCBGA (H780) - same | 780-BBGA, FCBGA (H780) - same | 780-BBGA, FCBGA (H780) - same | 780-BBGA, FCBGA (H780) - same | 780-BBGA, FCBGA (H780) - same | 780-BBGA, FCBGA (H780) - same | 780-BBGA, FCBGA (H780) - same |
| Logic Elements | 200,000 | 200,000 | 200,000 | 200,000 | 200,000 | 200,000 | 200,000 | 200,000 |
| Speed Grade | I4 (industrial) | I4 | I4 | I3 (-10% vs I4) | C4 | C4 | C3 (-20% vs I4) | C2 (-30% vs I4) |
| Operating Temperature | -40C to +100C (industrial) | -40C to +100C | -40C to +100C | -40C to +100C | 0C to +85C (commercial) | 0C to +85C | 0C to +85C | 0C to +85C |
| Lead-Free (RoHS) | Yes (N suffix) | No (L suffix only) | No (no N suffix) | Yes (N suffix) | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
| Embedded Memory (Mbit) | 10.9 Mbit | 10.9 Mbit | 10.9 Mbit | 10.9 Mbit | 10.9 Mbit | 10.9 Mbit | 10.9 Mbit | 10.9 Mbit |
| User I/O Count | 488 | 488 | 488 | 488 | 488 | 488 | 488 | 488 |
| Process / Core Voltage | 65 nm / 0.9 V Vcore | 65 nm / 0.9 V | 65 nm / 0.9 V | 65 nm / 0.9 V | 65 nm / 0.9 V | 65 nm / 0.9 V | 65 nm / 0.9 V | 65 nm / 0.9 V |
Key Differentiators
- Highest available speed grade (I4) in the Stratix III L 780-BGA family (vs EP3SL200H780C2N)
- Industrial temperature rating with lead-free finish (vs EP3SL200H780I4L)
- Programmable Power Technology reduces dynamic power (vs Cyclone III LS (EP3CLS200F780I8N))
Design Notes
Estimated: The 780-ball FCBGA exposes a die-side heat-spreader lid and requires a thermal interface material (TIM) and a system heatsink for sustained operation. For typical Stratix III L designs with 60-70% resource utilization at 0.9 V Vcore, design power ranges 5-12 W; design a heatsink rated for at least 15 W with 1.5 C/W or better thermal resistance. Without active cooling, junction temperature can exceed 100C in sealed enclosures. Always run PowerPlay early in the design to confirm thermal margin before PCB layout is finalized.
Use a 12-16 layer stackup with dedicated power and ground planes. Place 0402 or 0201 decoupling capacitors on every VCC, VCCPD, and VCCAUX pin pair within 5 mm of the BGA breakout. Route differential pairs (LVDS, transceiver lanes) with 100 ohm differential impedance and matched length tolerance per the Quartus pin planner. Stitch the BGA ground paddle with at least 8 ground vias per quadrant to provide low-impedance return paths and improve thermal conductivity.
Do not mix Vcore and VCCAUX rails without a power-sequencer IC - the Stratix III L datasheet mandates a specific turn-on sequence with VCCAUX before Vcore to prevent latch-up. Pre-drivers (VCCPD) must ramp with their associated I/O bank supply. Use the Altera Power Sequencing Configuration Controller or an equivalent external sequencer; ignoring this sequence can permanently damage the device. Also, MSL 3 requires a dry-pack bake-out if the factory floor exceeds 30C / 60% RH during assembly.
Transceiver channels above 3 Gbps require AC-coupled capacitive interconnects at both TX and RX. Reference clock lines must be routed as 50 ohm controlled-impedance traces with 1 ps or better length matching across all transceiver channels sharing a PLL. For DDR3 interfaces, follow the Stratix III External Memory Interface Handbook guidelines for read/write deskew calibration - deviations beyond 50 ps in CA-to-DQS skew will cause intermittent read errors at 800 MT/s and above.
BGA fanout should use 0.5 mm pitch via-in-pad microvias on the top layer with dog-bone fanout on inner layers, and a 1.0 mm BGA keep-out. Place configuration, JTAG, and POR pins on easily-accessible test points to allow in-system reprogramming without removing the heatsink. Reserve the top-layer periphery for clock and reset distribution; reserve inner stripline layers for high-speed serial and external memory interfaces.
Compliance Information
RoHS compliant per distributor listings. Lead-free finish confirmed by N suffix. Halogen-free status not explicitly stated in distributor data - flagged as unknown per data authenticity rules. AEC-Q100 not applicable for FPGA. Conflict-minerals compliance per Altera / Intel PSG standard supply chain disclosures.
