EP4SGX180KF40C4G - Stratix IV GX FPGA, 180K ALMs, 1517-FBGA | Altera
MPN: EP4SGX180KF40C4G β Last Time Buy| Qty | Unit Price | Extended |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $1500 | $1,500.00 |
| 10 | $1450 | $14,500.00 |
| 100 | $1380 | $138,000.00 |
| 250 | $1310 | $327,500.00 |
| 500 | $1245 | $622,500.00 |
EP4SGX180KF40C4G Overview
A Field-Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) is a programmable logic device (PLD) belonging to the broader semiconductor hierarchy of integrated circuits. FPGAs sit above standard logic ICs in capability: while ASICs are fixed at fabrication, FPGAs are reprogrammed post-manufacture using HDL bitstreams. Within Altera's portfolio, Stratix IV GX FPGAs are positioned above Cyclone IV (low-cost) and below Stratix V (high-end, 28 nm) β delivering high logic density with integrated transceivers.
Key features include integrated transceivers up to 8.5 Gbps, embedded memory, dedicated DSP blocks, and a hard PCIe Gen2 / Gen1 controller. The 'GX' suffix denotes the transceiver-rich variant targeting high-speed serial I/O. The 'KF40' in the part number designates the 1517-ball FC-FBGA package, while 'C4' indicates the speed grade and 'G' the lead-free, RoHS-compliant tray packaging option.
Stratix IV GX devices use a logic-structure based on adaptive logic modules (ALMs) with 8-input fracturable look-up tables (LUTs), providing higher effective density than the 4-input LUTs used in older families. The architecture supports up to 1,300 MHz logic performance and includes dedicated on-chip memory, multipliers, and high-speed serial interface blocks for protocol bridging.
Typical applications include high-end communications infrastructure (bridges, routers, OTN framer/mapper), high-performance digital signal processing (DDS, radar, beamforming), ASIC prototyping, broadcast video processing, and test & measurement equipment. The integrated multi-gigabit transceivers simplify PCB layout for protocols such as PCIe, Serial RapidIO, XAUI, and CEI-6G.
When designing with this part, ensure adequate power supply decoupling with low-impedance planes, proper sequencing of the 0.9 V core and 1.1/1.2/2.5/3.0 V auxiliary rails, and thermal management given the 175,750-cell density dissipating several watts. Configure the device only with Quartus II (legacy) or the equivalent supported Intel FPGA toolchain.
This page synthesizes distributor pricing from DigiKey/Mouser/Arrow, drop-in same-family alternatives, and practical design notes not found in the manufacturer datasheet.
Drop-in alternatives for EP4SGX180KF40C4G 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 EP4SGX180KF40C4G (same form factor and footprint) β differing in Package, Speed Grade, Family, Logic Elements, Mounting Type.
Quick Comparison Tool β Select alternative parts for side-by-side comparison:
EP4SGX180KF40C3
β Drop-Inπ Reference alternative (not in catalog)
EP4SGX180KF40C2N
β Drop-Inβ In Stock
$5500 / Unit
View Datasheet βEP4SGX180KF40C4N
β Drop-Inπ Reference alternative (not in catalog)
EP4SGX180KF40I4
β Drop-Inπ Reference alternative (not in catalog)
EP4SGX230KF40C4G
β Drop-In β οΈ εζ°εΎ ιͺθ―π Reference alternative (not in catalog)
EP4SGX290KF40C4G
β Drop-In β οΈ εζ°εΎ ιͺθ―π Reference alternative (not in catalog)
EP4SGX180KF40C4G Maximum Ratings & Electrical Characteristics
| Family | Stratix IV GX |
| Logic Elements | 175,750 cells |
| Number of I/Os | 744 |
| Core Voltage | 0.9 V |
| Package | 1517-pin FC-FBGA (KF40) |
| Mounting Type | Surface Mount |
| Speed Grade | C4 |
| Operating Temperature | 0C to +85C (commercial) |
| Process Technology | 40 nm |
| Transceivers | Up to 8.5 Gbps (multi-gigabit) |
| Hard Memory Controller | Yes (DDR/DDR2/DDR3) |
| Hard PCIe | Gen1/Gen2 endpoint |
| RoHS Status | Compliant (lead-free, indicated by 'G' suffix) |
| Supply Tray Packaging | Tray ('G' suffix) |
EP4SGX180KF40C4G 1517-pin fc-fbga (kf40) Pin Configuration Guide
Pin configuration for EP4SGX180KF40C4G (1517-pin fc-fbga (kf40) 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 EP4SGX180KF40C4G.
Refer to the datasheet for full pin configuration.
Typical Applications
EP4SGX180KF40C4G is suitable for 6 applications: Telecom / OTN Framer and Mapper, High-Performance DSP / Radar Signal Processing, ASIC Prototyping, Broadcast Video Processing, Test & Measurement Equipment, Industrial Machine Vision.
Telecom / OTN Framer and Mapper
The EP4SGX180KF40C4G is an excellent fit for Optical Transport Network (OTN) framer/mapper designs requiring multi-gigabit serial I/O for OTU2/OTU3/OTU4 interfaces. Its integrated transceivers up to 8.5 Gbps eliminate external SERDES, while 175,750 logic cells provide headroom for forward-error-correction (FEC) algorithms like Reed-Solomon and state machines. Place the device on a high-layer-count PCB with matched-length differential pairs and consult the Stratix IV GX handbook for transceiver reference-clock planning. Pair with a clock synthesizer such as the Si5345 for low-jitter reference distribution.
Recommended
High-Performance DSP / Radar Signal Processing
For radar pulse compression, FFT, beamforming, or software-defined-radio front-ends, the EP4SGX180KF40C4G's variable-precision DSP blocks and high logic density deliver tens of GMACs of DSP throughput. The 744 I/Os allow direct connection to high-speed ADC/DAC pairs (such as the AD9230 or DAC5682z) without external muxing. Stratix IV's 8-input fracturable LUTs give a notable density advantage for wide datapaths, and the FC-FBGA package exposes enough pins for wide memory buses (DDR3) and JESD204B serial links.
Recommended
ASIC Prototyping
ASIC prototyping teams use the EP4SGX180KF40C4G because its 175K-cell density and rich I/O count accommodate multi-million-gate ASIC partitions on a single device. The integrated transceivers support high-speed chip-to-chip ASIC interconnect (PCIe, Serial RapidIO, XAUI), enabling realistic I/O validation. Quartus II's TimeQuest timing analyzer and LogicLock regions support incremental prototyping of large ASIC RTL. Pair with the BeMicro SDK or a third-party prototyping platform to speed bring-up; budget for several seconds of configuration time via JTAG or fast passive parallel.
Recommended
Broadcast Video Processing
Broadcast video switchers, format converters, and multi-viewers rely on the EP4SGX180KF40C4G to handle SDI (SMPTE 259M/292M/424M) ingest and processing. The high I/O count accepts multiple 3G-SDI inputs simultaneously, while the FPGA fabric runs scaling, de-interlacing, and color-space conversion in real time. Integrated transceivers simplify 3G-SDI/6G-SDI coax transport without external equalizers. Reference designs from Altera and third-party IP vendors accelerate time-to-market for Studio, UHD-SDI, and IP-based ST 2110 video pipelines.
Recommended
Test & Measurement Equipment
Modular instruments (PXIe, AXIe, LXI) and bench-top oscilloscopes/logic analyzers depend on high-density FPGAs like the EP4SGX180KF40C4G to aggregate multiple high-speed data lanes into a single processing pipeline. The device's PCIe Gen2 hard IP enables direct host interface over PXIe/PCIe backplanes with minimal logic. Use the FPGA's transceivers to capture 10+ Gsps ADC streams, perform on-FPGA triggering, and stream processed data to the host. The 0.9 V core supply, plus auxiliary 1.1/1.2/2.5/3.0 V rails, requires careful power-rail sequencing β use the LT1963 / LT3015 family for low-noise LDO post-regulation.
Recommended
Industrial Machine Vision
Multi-camera machine-vision controllers and high-speed line-scan inspection systems use the EP4SGX180KF40C4G to interface to CoaXPress, Camera Link, or GigE Vision streams concurrently. The high logic count enables real-time image pre-processing (filtering, thresholding, defect detection) before forwarding compressed data over Ethernet. The 1517-ball FC-FBGA exposes enough LVDS pairs to drive multi-tap Camera Link cameras directly, while integrated transceivers handle CoaXPress up to 6.25 Gbps per lane. Industrial-grade airflow and a heatsink are recommended for continuous full-utilization workloads.
Recommended
Recommended Products Summary
Engineering reference data for EP4SGX180KF40C4G β comparison, design guidance, and compliance information.
Selection Guide
Comparison with Alternatives
| Parameter | This Product | EP4SGX180KF40C3 | EP4SGX180KF40C2 | EP4SGX180KF40C4N | EP4SGX180KF40I4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brand | Altera | Altera | Altera | Altera | Altera |
| Package | 1517-pin FC-FBGA (KF40) | 1517-pin FC-FBGA (KF40) - same | 1517-pin FC-FBGA (KF40) - same | 1517-pin FC-FBGA (KF40) - same | 1517-pin FC-FBGA (KF40) - same |
| Logic Cells | 175,750 | 175,750 | 175,750 | 175,750 | 175,750 |
| User I/Os | 744 | 744 | 744 | 744 | 744 |
| Speed Grade | C4 (production) | C3 (faster) | C2 (slower) | C4 (production) | I4 (industrial) |
| Operating Temperature | 0C to +85C (commercial) | 0C to +85C (commercial) | 0C to +85C (commercial) | 0C to +85C (commercial) | -40C to +100C (industrial) |
| Lead Finish | Lead-free (RoHS) | Lead-free (RoHS) or Leaded | Lead-free (RoHS) or Leaded | Leaded (SnPb) | Lead-free (RoHS) |
| Process Node | 40 nm | 40 nm | 40 nm | 40 nm | 40 nm |
| Hard PCIe | Gen1/Gen2 endpoint | Gen1/Gen2 endpoint | Gen1/Gen2 endpoint | Gen1/Gen2 endpoint | Gen1/Gen2 endpoint |
| Lifecycle Status | Last-time-buy | Last-time-buy | Last-time-buy | Last-time-buy | Last-time-buy |
Key Differentiators
- Highest-density Stratix IV GX in the 1517-ball KF40 package (vs EP4CGX150DF31I7N)
- Hard PCIe Gen2 endpoint integrated (vs EP4SGX180KF40I4)
- 8.5 Gbps transceivers simplify SERDES design (vs EP4SE230F29I4N)
- Lead-free RoHS compliance without changing part number family (vs EP4SGX180KF40C4N)
Design Notes
The EP4SGX180KF40C4G requires multiple supply rails: 0.9 V core (VCC), 1.1 V/1.2 V auxiliary (VCCAUX, VCCAUX_PLL), and 2.5 V/3.0 V I/O banks (VCCIO). Power-rail sequencing per Intel/Altera handbook: VCCAUX must come up before or simultaneously with VCC, and VCCIO must not precede VCC by more than 200 ms. Use a dedicated sequencer or the LTC2923 / ADM1186 quad-voltage monitor to enforce proper sequencing. Estimate (no datasheet figure): at full utilization with 50% toggle rate and 8.5 Gbps transceivers active, total power can reach 12-18 W β provision a 25 W power budget for headroom.
The 1517-ball FC-FBGA package has a junction-to-ambient thermal resistance (theta_JA) of approximately 7-10 C/W with a standard 8-layer JEDEC test board (per Stratix IV GX handbook thermal model). With an estimated 15 W dissipation at full load, junction temperature rise is ~120 C above ambient β clearly above commercial limits. Required mitigation: thermal vias under the package center, copper flooding on top/bottom layers, and a forced-air heatsink rated for at least 0.5 C/W. Industrial variants (I4 grade) widen operating range but require the same thermal design.
Place the 1517-ball FC-FBGA on a high-layer-count PCB (10+ layers recommended) with dedicated ground and power planes adjacent to the BGA. All 8.5 Gbps transceiver channels require 100-ohm differential pairs with intra-pair skew below 1 ps and length-matching of receiver/transmitter within 5 mils. Reference clocks for transceivers must be routed as 100-ohm differential pairs and isolated from noisy digital signals by ground fencing. Decoupling: use 0402 or 0201 ceramic caps (0.1 uF, 0.01 uF, 1 nF) placed directly under the BGA in a sparse-to-dense (SpdS) pattern.
Do NOT attempt to substitute EP4SGX180KF40C4G with EP4SE230F29I4N β they share the Stratix IV naming but the EP4SE230 lacks transceivers (logic/DSP only) and uses a 780-ball FBGA, not the 1517-ball KF40 package. Also avoid the EP4CGX150 family as a drop-in: Cyclone IV is a different die with a different ball map. Only the EP4SGX180KF40 family (C2/C3/C4/C4N/I4) is pin-to-pin compatible. Note: 'C4' is the speed grade; the operating temperature grade is encoded separately (no 'I' = commercial, 'I' = industrial).
Compliance Information
Lead-free RoHS-compliant finish indicated by 'G' suffix per Altera/Intel ordering information. The 'N' suffix denotes leaded finish for legacy/defense use. Halogen-free and conflict-mineral status not stated in the verified web data and marked unknown.
