EP4CE40F23C6N - Cyclone IV E FPGA 39.6K LE 484-FBGA | Intel
MPN: EP4CE40F23C6N β Active| Qty | Unit Price | Extended |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $120.78 | $120.78 |
| 10 | $110.5 | $1,105.00 |
| 100 | $98.2 | $9,820.00 |
| 500 | $86.4 | $43,200.00 |
| 1,000 | $76.8 | $76,800.00 |
EP4CE40F23C6N Overview
A Field-Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) is a semiconductor device built around an array of configurable logic blocks (CLBs/LABs), programmable routing, and dedicated hardware such as block RAM, DSP/multiplier blocks, and PLL clock managers. FPGAs sit in the broader digital logic hierarchy between ASICs and CPLDs, offering higher logic density than CPLDs while preserving in-system reprogrammability. Cyclone IV E specifically targets cost- and power-sensitive high-volume applications, with the E variant optimized for general-purpose logic rather than transceivers.
Key features include 4 PLLs, 20 global clock networks, support for external memory interfaces such as DDR/DDR2/QDRII SDRAM, and a configurable JTAG-based configuration interface that supports Active Serial (AS), Passive Serial (PS), and JTAG modes. The device provides user flash up to 8 Mbit depending on family variant and supports industrial temperature grades.
The Cyclone IV E architecture uses a Lab-based logic fabric with 16 logic elements per LAB, dedicated carry chains for fast arithmetic, and block RAM columns interspersed across the fabric to minimize routing delay. Multipliers are arranged in columns adjacent to block RAM, enabling efficient DSP pipelines. The 60 nm process keeps static and dynamic power low enough for fanless industrial designs.
Typical applications include industrial motor control and drives, video processing and image filtering, automotive infotainment prototyping, communication protocol bridging, factory automation controllers, and portable test & measurement instruments. Designers choose Cyclone IV E when they need a mid-density FPGA with low power, broad Quartus Prime tool support, and a mature supply chain.
When designing, observe the multi-rail decoupling scheme (1.2 V VCCINT, 2.5/3.3 V VCCA, VCCIO banks), use the dedicated PLL reference clock inputs for jitter-critical paths, and budget for FBGA-484 PCB fabrication with microvia or 1.0 mm pitch fan-out. Always validate pin assignments against the Quartus Prime pin planner before committing to layout.
This page consolidates distributor pricing, validated drop-in alternatives, and practical PCB design guidance beyond what the manufacturer datasheet alone provides.
Drop-in alternatives for EP4CE40F23C6N 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 EP4CE40F23C6N (same form factor and footprint) β differing in Package, Speed Grade, Configuration Modes, Process Technology, RoHS Status.
Quick Comparison Tool β Select alternative parts for side-by-side comparison:
EP4CE40F23C8N
β Drop-Inβ In Stock
$52.95 / Unit
View Datasheet βEP4CE40F23C7N
β Drop-Inβ In Stock
$21.8 / Unit
View Datasheet βEP4CE40F23I7N
β Drop-Inβ In Stock
$52.75 / Unit
View Datasheet βEP4CE40F23A7N
β Drop-Inβ In Stock
$118.4 / Unit
View Datasheet βEP4CE30F23C6N
β Drop-Inπ Reference alternative (not in catalog)
EP4CE40F19A7N
β Drop-Inβ In Stock
$298.75 / Unit
View Datasheet βEP4CE40F23C6N Maximum Ratings & Electrical Characteristics
| Series | Cyclone IV E |
| Family | Cyclone IV E (low-cost, low-power FPGA) |
| Logic Elements (LE) | 39,600 |
| Logic Array Blocks / CLBs | 2,475 |
| Embedded Memory (bits) | 1,161,216 (1134 Kbit) |
| Embedded 18x18 Multipliers | 116 |
| PLLs | 4 |
| Maximum User I/O | 328 |
| Core Voltage (VCCINT) | 1.2 V |
| Process Technology | 60 nm |
| Package | 484-ball FBGA (FBGA-484, 23 x 23 mm, 1.0 mm pitch) |
| Mounting Type | Surface Mount (BGA) |
| Lead-Free / RoHS | Lead free, RoHS compliant |
| Speed Grade | 6 |
EP4CE40F23C6N 484-ball fbga (fbga-484, 23 x 23 mm, 1.0 mm pitch) Pin Configuration Guide
Pin configuration for EP4CE40F23C6N (484-ball fbga (fbga-484, 23 x 23 mm, 1.0 mm pitch) 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 EP4CE40F23C6N.
Refer to the datasheet for full pin configuration.
Typical Applications
EP4CE40F23C6N is suitable for 6 applications: Industrial Motor Control, Video Processing & Image Filtering, Factory Automation Controllers, Automotive Infotainment Prototyping, Communications Protocol Bridging, Portable Test & Measurement Instruments.
Industrial Motor Control
The EP4CE40F23C6N fits industrial motor-control designs because its 116 embedded 18x18 multipliers and 4 PLLs handle field-oriented control (FOC) and space-vector PWM without external DSP parts. The 39,600 LE fabric absorbs the encoder-interface, current-loop, and protection logic while leaving headroom for EtherCAT or CANopen protocol stacks. With 328 user I/Os, multiple PWM channels for three-phase inverters, encoder feedback, and gate-driver control signals can be routed without muxing. The 1.2 V core keeps power dissipation low enough for fanless IP65 enclosures, while the FBGA-484 (23x23 mm) footprint suits compact driver boards mounted next to the inverter stage.
Recommended
Video Processing & Image Filtering
The EP4CE40F23C6N's 1134 Kbit block RAM and 116 multipliers enable real-time 1080p video pipelines including color-space conversion, edge detection, and noise filtering. Its parallel fabric outperforms microcontrollers at pixel-rate processing while staying under 1.5 W core power. Designers typically use DDR2 SDRAM for frame buffering, with the FPGA's external memory interface IP supporting DDR2-400 at 200 MHz. The 4 PLLs provide independent pixel-clock, memory-clock, and processing-clock domains so the design avoids metastability across clock crossings in camera or display pipelines.
Recommended
Factory Automation Controllers
For PLC-style factory controllers, the EP4CE40F23C6N provides ample logic for IEC 61131-3 soft-PLC cores plus deterministic EtherCAT or PROFINET slave implementations. Its 39,600 LE fabric runs both the protocol stack and the application logic on a single chip, eliminating an external CPU for simpler installations. With 4 PLLs and 20 global clocks, multiple industrial Ethernet PHYs can be clocked independently, while the 328 user I/Os accommodate dozens of opto-isolated digital inputs and relay-driver outputs. The commercial-grade C6N variant is suitable for control-cabinet environments; industrial users should select the I7N variant.
Recommended
Automotive Infotainment Prototyping
The EP4CE40F23C6N serves as a flexible platform for prototyping automotive infotainment, instrument cluster, and ADAS pre-processing designs before committing to ASIC or MCU production silicon. The 39,600 LE fabric supports LVDS-based display interfaces, MOST or Ethernet AVB bridging, and multi-camera input aggregation. Designers benefit from Quartus Prime's Qsys system-integration tool to compose Nios II soft-core processors with hardware accelerators. For harsh under-hood or cabin environments, the EP4CE40F23A7N automotive-grade variant drops into the same FBGA-484 footprint, providing an upgrade path from lab prototype to AEC-Q100 qualified production.
Recommended
Communications Protocol Bridging
The EP4CE40F23C6N is widely used to bridge legacy industrial protocols (RS-485 Modbus, CAN, SPI peripherals) to modern Ethernet backbones without an external processor. Its 39,600 LE fabric and 116 multipliers can implement multiple UARTs, SPI, I2C, and CAN controllers in parallel, plus CRC-32 and HDLC engines for protocol integrity. With 4 PLLs it derives independent baud-rate clocks for each port, and the 328 user I/Os support 30+ serial channels in a single chip. The Cyclone IV E's low static power keeps idle bridges well under 1 W, important for always-on industrial gateways.
Recommended
Portable Test & Measurement Instruments
The EP4CE40F23C6N powers handheld oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, and protocol testers by combining DSP, display driving, and user-interface processing on one device. Its 116 multipliers implement FIR/IIR filters and FFT engines for signal analysis, while 1134 Kbit of block RAM buffers acquisition windows. The 1.2 V core and power-gated I/O banks let the design enter sub-100 mA sleep modes between captures, extending battery life in field-portable equipment. With 4 PLLs the design supports independent ADC sampling clocks and TFT/LCD pixel clocks, simplifying board layout for compact handhelds.
Recommended
Recommended Products Summary
Engineering reference data for EP4CE40F23C6N β comparison, design guidance, and compliance information.
Selection Guide
Comparison with Alternatives
| Parameter | This Product | EP4CE40F23C8N | EP4CE40F23C7N | EP4CE40F23I7N | EP4CE40F23A7N | EP4CE30F23C6N |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brand | Intel (Altera) | Intel (Altera) | Intel (Altera) | Intel (Altera) | Intel (Altera) | Intel (Altera) |
| Package | FBGA-484 (F23, 23x23 mm) | FBGA-484 (F23, 23x23 mm) - same | FBGA-484 (F23, 23x23 mm) - same | FBGA-484 (F23, 23x23 mm) - same | FBGA-484 (F23, 23x23 mm) - same | FBGA-484 (F23, 23x23 mm) - same |
| Logic Elements | 39,600 | 39,600 | 39,600 | 39,600 | 39,600 | 30,816 |
| Speed Grade | 6 | 8 (slower) | 7 (faster) | 7 | 7 | 6 |
| Temperature Grade | Commercial (0C to +85C) | Commercial | Commercial | Industrial (-40C to +100C) | Automotive | Commercial |
| Embedded Memory (Kbit) | 1134 | 1134 | 1134 | 1134 | 1134 | 594 |
| Embedded 18x18 Multipliers | 116 | 116 | 116 | 116 | 116 | 66 |
| Maximum User I/O | 328 | 328 | 328 | 328 | 328 | 328 |
| Core Voltage | 1.2 V | 1.2 V | 1.2 V | 1.2 V | 1.2 V | 1.2 V |
Key Differentiators
- 39,600 LE mid-density with 116 multipliers - high DSP density per LE (vs EP4CE30F23C6N)
- Speed grade 6 offers the best cost/timing balance in Cyclone IV E (vs EP4CE40F23C7N)
- Commercial temperature grade optimized for cost-sensitive high-volume products (vs EP4CE40F23I7N)
Design Notes
The EP4CE40F23C6N's FBGA-484 (F23) package uses a 1.0 mm ball pitch, which requires microvia (laser-drilled or stacked-via) PCB technology for the inner signal layers. Per the Cyclone IV E Device Handbook, escape routing must use dog-bone fan-out or via-in-pad for full BGA breakout; standard 8 mil/12 mil through-via designs will fail to break out all 484 balls. Stack-up should target 4-6 inner layers with 1 oz copper and ENIG finish for reliable BGA reflow.
Decouple the EP4CE40F23C6N with one 100 uF bulk + ten 10 uF ceramic + ten 0.1 uF ceramic + ten 1 nF ceramic per VCCINT, VCCA, and VCCIO bank, placed within 5 mm of the corresponding balls. Power-on sequencing per the manufacturer datasheet requires VCCINT (1.2 V) to ramp first, followed by VCCA (2.5 V), then VCCIO banks. Failing to observe this sequence can latch up the POR circuit and prevent configuration. Use a supervisor such as the MAX811 or equivalent to enforce the sequence.
Do not confuse the EP4CE40F23C6N with the EP4CE40F29C6N - the F29 suffix indicates a different pinout/package set (likely 780-ball FBGA). Also avoid assuming 'Cyclone IV' implies transceivers; the E variant has none, and designs needing >1 Gbps serial must move to Cyclone IV GX or Cyclone V GX. Finally, validate that the configuration scheme (AS/PS/FPP/JTAG) matches the chosen EPCS device size - EPCS16 is sufficient for most C6N bitstreams but EPCS64 is needed if user logic exceeds 25K LE.
Assign differential pairs (LVDS) to dedicated LVDS-capable I/O banks and route them with 100 ohm differential impedance and matched length within 50 mil. Per the Cyclone IV E datasheet, the PLL reference clock inputs (CLK[0..3]) should be routed with controlled impedance and isolated from switching signals; surround them with a GND guard ring to minimize jitter. Keep PLL analog supply VCCA quiet by filtering with a ferrite bead and 10 uF + 100 nF decoupling network.
Compliance Information
Lead-free and RoHS compliant per JEDEC J-STD-020 (N suffix). Not AEC-Q100 qualified; choose EP4CE40F23A7N for automotive. REACH compliance inferred from RoHS-compliant lead-free finish.
