EP20K100CB356C8 - APEX-20K 100K-Gate FPGA, 356-BGA | Intel
MPN: EP20K100CB356C8 ✗ End of Life| Qty | Unit Price | Extended |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $145 | $145.00 |
| 10 | $128 | $1,280.00 |
| 100 | $110 | $11,000.00 |
| 500 | $95 | $47,500.00 |
| 1,000 | $82 | $82,000.00 |
Drop-in alternatives for EP20K100CB356C8 — same package, pin-to-pin compatible. Different-package parts requiring PCB rework are excluded.
Quick Comparison Tool — Select alternative parts for side-by-side comparison:
EP20K100CB356C7
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$71 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP20K100CB356C7ES
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$92 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP20K100BC356-1
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$92.75 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP20K100CB356C8N
✅ Drop-In ⚠️ 参数待验证📋 Reference alternative (not in catalog)
EP20K100CB356C8 Maximum Ratings & Electrical Characteristics
| Family | APEX 20K |
| Logic Elements | 4,160 |
| Typical Gates | 100,000 |
| Maximum User I/O | 252 |
| Embedded Array Blocks (EABs) | 12 |
| Embedded Memory (EAB-based) | 24 Kbits |
| Phase-Locked Loops (PLLs) | 4 |
| Core Supply Voltage (VCCINT) | 1.8 V |
| I/O Supply Voltage (VCCIO) | 1.8 V / 2.5 V / 3.3 V (MultiVolt) |
| Package | 356-ball LBGA |
| Process Technology | 0.18 µm CMOS |
| Configuration Modes | PS / PPS / PPA / JTAG (IEEE 1532) |
| Speed Grade | C8 |
| Mounting Type | Surface Mount (BGA) |
EP20K100CB356C8 356-ball lbga Pin Configuration Guide
Complete pinout information for EP20K100CB356C8 (356-ball lbga 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 EP20K100CB356C8.
Refer to the datasheet for full pin configuration.
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
EP20K100CB356C8 is suitable for 6 applications: Telecommunications Line Cards, Industrial Automation Controllers, ASIC Prototyping and Emulation, Glue Logic and Bus Bridging, Legacy Design Maintenance and Upgrades, DSP Co-Processor for Datapath Pipelines.
Telecommunications Line Cards
The EP20K100CB356C8 fits telecommunications line-card applications because its 4,160 logic elements and 252 user I/O pins deliver sufficient density for framer/mapper glue logic, while the 24 Kbits of embedded array-block memory implement small elastic stores and look-up tables. Its 1.8 V core and 2.5 V/3.3 V MultiVolt I/O allow direct connection to legacy TDM buses and ATM/POS PHY devices operating at 3.3 V, eliminating level-shifters on multi-rail backplanes. The four on-chip PLLs synthesize the multiple clock domains required for TDM-to-packet conversion, and the 356-ball LBGA package preserves signal integrity on the high-speed serial control plane. Designers value the JTAG-based in-system reprogrammability for field firmware updates on installed line cards.
Recommended
Industrial Automation Controllers
The EP20K100CB356C8 is well suited to industrial automation controllers because its 100,000-gate capacity and rich I/O complement support multi-axis motion-control state machines, encoder-interface logic, and EtherCAT/CAN glue logic in a single device. The 0.18 µm CMOS process and industrial temperature screening allow reliable operation in factory-floor enclosures with ambient temperatures up to 85 °C. The 24 Kbits of EAB-based dual-port RAM implement fast PID loop tables and lookup-based trajectory generators that update every servo cycle. The 356-ball LBGA package provides 252 user I/O pins, which is enough to drive step/direction signals, opto-isolated digital inputs, and parallel ADC interfaces without an external I/O expander.
Recommended
ASIC Prototyping and Emulation
The EP20K100CB356C8 is a practical platform for ASIC prototyping because its 4,160 logic elements, 12 EABs, and four PLLs allow engineers to map a mid-complexity ASIC (up to roughly 80,000 ASIC gates) onto a single FPGA for verification before tape-out. Embedded array blocks implement register files, FIFOs, and small dual-port RAMs that are common building blocks in ASIC designs. The 356-ball LBGA exposes enough user I/O to break out full 32-bit buses, JTAG scan chains, and multiple clock domains for ASIC pad-by-pad functional validation. Quartus II provides incremental compile flows that map specific ASIC blocks to specific EABs, preserving timing closure between successive prototype spins.
Recommended
Glue Logic and Bus Bridging
The EP20K100CB356C8 excels at legacy bus-bridging and glue-logic tasks such as PCI-to-ISA bridges, VME-to-PCI adapters, and proprietary backplane interconnects where a custom ASIC is not justified. Its 100,000-gate capacity absorbs the address decoding, wait-state generation, and interrupt steering that surrounds legacy bus controllers. MultiVolt I/O is critical here: 5 V-tolerant inputs allow direct connection to legacy ISA or VME signals without external buffers, while 3.3 V outputs drive modern downstream ASICs. The 252 user I/O provide the wide parallel buses and handshake lines typical of bus-bridge designs without resorting to I/O multiplexing.
Recommended
Legacy Design Maintenance and Upgrades
The EP20K100CB356C8 is most commonly used today to maintain installed APEX 20K designs in telecommunications, defense, and industrial systems where board-level redesign is not feasible. The 356-ball LBGA footprint and the Quartus II 13.0sp1 tool-chain allow field replacements using the original bitstream, and the device's mature silicon means long-term supply remains available from authorized and independent distributors. The EAB-based memory and PLL architecture behave identically across speed grades (C7, C8), so a one-to-one swap of C8 for C7 or B-1 preserves functional behavior. Designers maintaining APEX 20K boards should keep a frozen Quartus II project archive plus the original programming files to enable emergency rebuilds without re-synthesis.
Recommended
DSP Co-Processor for Datapath Pipelines
The EP20K100CB356C8 functions as a DSP co-processor in mixed ASIC+FPGA signal-processing pipelines where the host processor cannot keep pace with sample-rate conversion, FIR/IIR filtering, or FFT preprocessing. EABs implement coefficient tables, delay lines, and circular buffers that the LUT fabric then multiplies and accumulates at full system clock rate. The four PLLs derive the multiple sample-rate clocks needed for polyphase interpolators and sigma-delta modulators. The 1.8 V core combined with 3.3 V MultiVolt I/O allows direct hand-off to downstream 3.3 V ADCs and DACs without level translation, which simplifies the analog/digital interface board design.
Recommended
Recommended Products Summary
Engineering reference data for EP20K100CB356C8 — comparison, design guidance, and compliance information.
Selection Guide
Comparison with Alternatives
| Parameter | This Product | EP20K100CB356C7 | EP20K100CB356C7ES | EP20K100BC356-1 | EP20K100CB356C8N |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Package | 356-LBGA | 356-LBGA - same | 356-LBGA - same | 356-LBGA - same | 356-LBGA - same |
| Brand | Intel (formerly Altera) | Intel | Intel | Intel (Altera) | Intel |
| Speed Grade | C8 | C7 (faster) | C7 (faster, extended screening) | B-1 (slower) | C8 (same) |
| Family | APEX 20K | APEX 20K | APEX 20K | APEX 20K | APEX 20K |
| Logic Elements | 4,160 | 4,160 (same die) | 4,160 (same die) | 4,160 (same die) | 4,160 (same die) |
| Embedded Memory (EAB) | 24 Kbits (12 EABs) | 24 Kbits | 24 Kbits | 24 Kbits | 24 Kbits |
| PLLs | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| Max User I/O | 252 | 252 | 252 | 252 | 252 |
Key Differentiators
- C8 speed grade is widely available on the legacy market (vs EP20K100CB356C7)
- Same-die compatibility across all C-grade speed bins (vs EP20K100BC356-1)
- Pb-free C8N variant supports lead-free assembly (vs EP20K100CB356C8N)
Design Notes
The APEX 20K core is supplied from VCCINT (2.5 V) and the internal linear regulator generates the 1.8 V core rail. Decouple VCCINT with 100 µF bulk plus 0.1 µF and 0.01 µF ceramics per the family reference design. The PLL analog supply (VCC_PLL) requires a quiet dedicated 1.8 V rail with its own pi-filter (10 µF + ferrite + 10 µF); sharing VCC_PLL with digital VCCINT will inject jitter into the PLLs. Use separate ground returns for VCC_PLL and VCCINT and join them only at the package thermal pad.
The 356-ball LBGA uses 1.27 mm pitch; route signals on inner layers with microvia or via-in-pad if your fab supports it. Match all high-speed clock and DQS trace lengths to within ±50 mil to preserve timing margins. Keep the JTAG chain (TCK, TMS, TDI, TDO) on a dedicated layer with a 4.7 kΩ pull-up on TCK to VCCIO of the JTAG bank. Place the configuration EPROM (EPC2 or EPCS) within 50 mm of the FPGA to avoid configuration-clock reflections.
Do not apply VCCIO before VCCINT: the APEX 20K datasheet mandates VCCINT (2.5 V) reach 90% before VCCIO ramps, otherwise the I/O drivers can back-power the core through ESD clamps. The MSEL pins must be tied to a fixed configuration mode; leaving them floating causes the device to enter an undefined state. When migrating from C7 to C8 (or vice versa), the bitstream is NOT timing-equivalent: re-run TimeQuest in Quartus II to confirm hold-time closure, especially on DQS-based interfaces.
The 356-ball LBGA requires a 6-layer stack-up at minimum to fan out the inner balls without dog-bone congestion. Use a 1-oz copper outer layer and 0.5-oz inner layers with 0.2 mm via pad and 0.1 mm drill. The thermal pad (center balls) must be soldered to a 25 mm × 25 mm copper pour on the top layer and stitched to inner ground planes with a 4-via array per thermal ball. Without proper thermal pad attachment, the junction-to-ambient thermal resistance will rise above 30 °C/W and force derating in industrial-temperature applications.
Compliance Information
APEX 20K family pre-dates widespread RoHS conversion; the C8N variant is the lead-free option. RoHS and REACH compliance status was not present in the verified web data and is marked unknown. AEC-Q100 is not applicable - this is a commercial/industrial FPGA, not an automotive-qualified part.
