EP1S20F780I7N - Stratix FPGA 18460 LEs 780-FBGA | Intel
MPN: EP1S20F780I7N ⚠ Last Time Buy| Qty | Unit Price | Extended |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $185 | $185.00 |
| 10 | $165 | $1,650.00 |
| 100 | $142 | $14,200.00 |
| 500 | $122 | $61,000.00 |
| 1,000 | $105 | $105,000.00 |
Drop-in alternatives for EP1S20F780I7N — same package, pin-to-pin compatible. Different-package parts requiring PCB rework are excluded.
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View Datasheet →EP1S20F780I7N Maximum Ratings & Electrical Characteristics
| Family | Stratix |
| Logic Elements (LEs) | 18,460 |
| Configurable Logic Blocks (CLBs) | 1,846 |
| Embedded Memory (bits) | 1,669,248 |
| User I/O Pins | 586 |
| Maximum Fabric Frequency | 420.17 MHz |
| Process Technology | 130 nm CMOS |
| Core Voltage | 1.5 V |
| Speed Grade | I7 |
| Package | 780-ball FC-FBGA (Flip-Chip BGA) |
| Operating Temperature | -40 C to +100 C (Industrial) |
| I/O Standards Supported | LVTTL, LVCMOS, SSTL, LVDS (see datasheet) |
| Mounting Type | Surface Mount (BGA) |
| Configuration Method | Serial/Parallel passive or active (see datasheet) |
EP1S20F780I7N 780-ball fc-fbga (flip-chip bga) Pin Configuration Guide
Complete pinout information for EP1S20F780I7N (780-ball fc-fbga (flip-chip bga) package) with 586 pins. 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 EP1S20F780I7N.
Refer to the datasheet for full pin configuration.
Estimated pin count: 586 pins (digital package)
Safe Operating Area (SOA) & Thermal Characteristics
No official SOA curve available for this digital IC. Always operate within absolute maximum ratings specified in the datasheet. Ensure adequate cooling and derate as needed.
Typical Applications
EP1S20F780I7N is suitable for 6 applications: High-Speed Data Acquisition and DSP, ASIC Prototyping and Emulation, Telecom Protocol Bridging and Framers, Industrial Vision and Machine Inspection, Military and Aerospace Signal Processing, Software-Defined Radio Baseband.
High-Speed Data Acquisition and DSP
The EP1S20F780I7N fits high-speed data acquisition because its 18,460 logic elements and dedicated DSP blocks can run parallel FIR filters, FFTs, and modulation pipelines at the 420 MHz fabric clock. The 586 user I/Os comfortably aggregate LVDS data streams from multiple high-speed ADCs, while the 1.66 Mbit of TriMatrix embedded memory buffers sample bursts between DSP passes. In a typical 4-channel 16-bit @200 MSPS digitizer, the FPGA handles decimation, channel calibration, and PCIe DMA handoff in a single device. Compared with a DSP+microcontroller split architecture, the integrated FPGA solution reduces board area by approximately 40 percent and removes inter-chip communication latency.
Recommended
ASIC Prototyping and Emulation
The 18,460 LEs and 1,669,248 bits of embedded memory make the EP1S20F780I7N a credible platform for ASIC prototyping of mid-complexity SoCs. Designers can partition the ASIC RTL across multiple FPGAs using Altera's Multi-FPGA partitioning flow, with the 780-ball FC-FBGA providing sufficient I/O to bridge between partitioned dies. The 130 nm process and 420 MHz fabric headroom allow real-time verification of the design at or near final ASIC clock rates. The device's JTAG and passive-serial configuration modes simplify bring-up in multi-FPGA test rigs, and the industrial temperature grade allows validation in thermally realistic environments.
Recommended
Telecom Protocol Bridging and Framers
Telecom protocol bridging exercises the EP1S20F780I7N's flexible SERDES-friendly I/O bank structure and its many general-purpose I/Os. The 586 user pins can simultaneously carry STS-12/STM-4 framers, E1/T1/J1 links, and Ethernet MAC interfaces without external bus switches. Industrial temperature rating and 1.5 V core operation suit central-office and outside-plant cabinets. The DSP blocks accelerate Reed-Solomon and Viterbi decoding at line rate, while the embedded TriMatrix memory serves as elastic stores and pointer-adjustment buffers. Compared with discrete framer ASICs plus a glue logic FPGA, a single EP1S20F780I7N cuts BOM cost and simplifies firmware upgrades over the field lifetime.
Recommended
Industrial Vision and Machine Inspection
Machine-vision systems rely on the EP1S20F780I7N's parallel LVDS channels to ingest Camera Link, CoaXPress-lite, or proprietary gigabit-vision streams from line-scan and area-scan cameras. The 1,669,248 bits of embedded memory store several scan lines in real time, and the DSP blocks accelerate edge detection, blob analysis, and pattern matching at line rate. The 780-ball FC-FBGA package is rugged enough for factory-floor vibration, and the -40 C to +100 C industrial temperature rating tolerates unconditioned control cabinets. A single FPGA can drive frame grabber, real-time preprocessing, and TCP/IP offload, replacing separate line-scan controller and processor boards.
Recommended
Military and Aerospace Signal Processing
Defense and aerospace programs use the EP1S20F780I7N for radar-baseband processing, electronic-warfare signal generation, and secure communications. The industrial -40 C to +100 C temperature range meets MIL-STD-810 environmental screening for many platforms, and the 130 nm process node has been thoroughly characterized for radiation effects. The 586 I/Os accommodate parallel ADC/DAC arrays feeding radar IF or EW receivers, and the embedded memory serves as a circular buffer for snapshot recording. Long-term availability is a known risk - design teams typically perform last-time-buy captures and migrate to radiation-hardened FPGAs such as Microsemi RTG4 for new programs.
Recommended
Software-Defined Radio Baseband
Software-defined radio baseband cards pair the EP1S20F780I7N with broadband ADC/DAC pairs to perform channelization, demodulation, and pulse shaping entirely in programmable logic. The 420 MHz fabric clock supports 100+ MHz of instantaneous bandwidth on 16-bit data paths, and the DSP blocks accelerate polyphase filter banks and digital down-converters. The 586 I/Os allow multiple antenna streams to be aggregated, while the 1.66 Mbit embedded memory holds symbol-rate buffers between detection and MAC processing. SDR developers frequently cite the EP1S20 as a sweet spot for prototype radios before moving to custom ASICs or newer Stratix families.
Recommended
Recommended Products Summary
Engineering reference data for EP1S20F780I7N — comparison, design guidance, and compliance information.
Selection Guide
Comparison with Alternatives
| Parameter | This Product | EP1S20F780C7N | EP1S20F780I6N | EP1S20F780C6N | EP1S20F780C5N | EP1S20F780I5N |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brand | Intel (formerly Altera) | Intel | Intel | Intel | Intel | Intel |
| Package | 780-ball FC-FBGA | 780-ball FC-FBGA - same | 780-ball FC-FBGA - same | 780-ball FC-FBGA - same | 780-ball FC-FBGA - same | 780-ball FC-FBGA - same |
| Logic Elements | 18,460 LEs | 18,460 LEs | 18,460 LEs | 18,460 LEs | 18,460 LEs | 18,460 LEs |
| Embedded Memory (bits) | 1,669,248 | 1,669,248 | 1,669,248 | 1,669,248 | 1,669,248 | 1,669,248 |
| User I/O Pins | 586 | 586 | 586 | 586 | 586 | 586 |
| Core Voltage | 1.5 V | 1.5 V | 1.5 V | 1.5 V | 1.5 V | 1.5 V |
| Speed Grade | I7 | C7 (commercial) | I6 (slower industrial) | C6 (slower commercial) | C5 (slowest commercial) | I5 (slowest industrial) |
| Operating Temperature | -40 C to +100 C (Industrial) | 0 C to +85 C (Commercial) | -40 C to +100 C (Industrial) | 0 C to +85 C (Commercial) | 0 C to +85 C (Commercial) | -40 C to +100 C (Industrial) |
| Maximum Fabric Frequency | 420.17 MHz | [DATA_NEEDED] | [DATA_NEEDED] | [DATA_NEEDED] | [DATA_NEEDED] | [DATA_NEEDED] |
| Approx. Unit Price (USD, as of 2026-09-07) | 185.00 (qty 1) / 105.00 (qty 1000) | [DATA_NEEDED] | [DATA_NEEDED] | [DATA_NEEDED] | [DATA_NEEDED] | [DATA_NEEDED] |
Key Differentiators
- Highest speed grade (I7) within EP1S20 industrial family (vs EP1S20F780I6N)
- Industrial temperature range for harsh-environment deployment (vs EP1S20F780C7N)
- 580+ I/Os in a single FC-BGA package (vs EP1S20F484C7N)
Design Notes
The EP1S20F780I7N requires multiple independent power rails: 1.5 V VCCINT (core), 1.5 V VCC_PLL (PLL analog supply - critical for jitter performance), and per-bank VCCIO supplies selectable from 1.5 V/1.8 V/2.5 V/3.3 V. In-rush current during configuration of a fully populated 780-ball BGA can exceed 4 A on the core rail, so size the bulk capacitor bank to at least 470 uF of polymer tantalum plus 22 uF of ceramic per rail. Sequence VCCINT before VCCIO to avoid I/O driver latch-up; Altera's PowerPlay early power estimator (legacy tool) gives worst-case numbers for full-utilization designs.
At full fabric utilization (estimated 80 percent LEs active, default toggle rate), the EP1S20F780I7N dissipates roughly 3-5 W on the 1.5 V core. The flip-chip BGA die-down package has a theta_JA in the 8-12 C/W range with a properly designed 6-layer PCB thermal pad array, so a 1 square-inch copper flood under the package keeps the junction below 100 C in 25 C ambient airflow. Estimated: assuming 4 W dissipation and theta_JA = 10 C/W, junction rise is 40 C above ambient - within the 100 C industrial limit but with limited margin.
Use a 6-layer (or thicker) PCB stack-up with two internal ground planes sandwiching the high-speed signal layers. For the 780-ball FC-FBGA, route signals on the top layer with micro-vias-in-pad (0.1 mm laser vias preferred) to break out to inner layers; avoid dog-bone fan-outs because inductance degrades signal integrity for LVDS and SSTL interfaces above 200 MHz. Decoupling: place 0.1 uF and 0.01 uF X7R ceramics on every VCC/VCCIO/VCC_PLL pin within 100 mil of the ball, with via pairs going directly to the inner ground plane.
Common pitfalls when designing with the EP1S20F780I7N include: (1) forgetting the PLL analog supply filter (a ferrite bead + 10 uF + 0.1 uF filter is mandatory); (2) configuring with the wrong MSEL[3..0] pull-resistor values, which prevents configuration; (3) failing to provide a clean CONF_DONE pull-up, which can hang the host during JTAG programming; (4) using the wrong BSDL file for JTAG boundary-scan test on a BGA variant, leading to test escapes. Always validate against the Stratix Device Family Data Sheet and Altera's AN 346: Configuring Stratix Devices before tape-out.
Differential-pair routing for LVDS channels must maintain 100 ohm differential impedance with length matching within 20 mil (0.5 mm). Reference each differential pair to a continuous ground plane and avoid crossing splits in the plane. For 200+ MHz DDR interfaces implemented in soft IP, use Altera's ALTDDIO megafunction and follow AN 449: Using DDR SDRAM with Stratix Devices for write-side timing closure.
Compliance Information
RoHS/REACH/lead-free status not in provided data - [DATA_NEEDED]. AEC-Q100 not applicable for FPGAs (automotive qualification program is not typically pursued for this part family).
