Cyclone FPGA Family Overview
Altera's Cyclone® FPGA family provides the benefits of programmable logic at price points competitive with ASICs and ASSPs. Built from the ground up and based on extensive input from hundreds of customers, these low-cost devices provide high-volume application-focused features such as embedded memory, external memory interfaces, and clock management circuitry.
Altera® Cyclone FPGAs, the first generation of the Cyclone series, are the low-cost performance leader and include an optimal feature set for high-volume, price-sensitive applications in the consumer, industrial, automotive, computing, and communications markets.
Based on the cost-optimized all-layer-copper 1.5-V SRAM process, Cyclone FPGAs are available in densities ranging from 2,910 to 20,060 logic elements (LEs) with up to 294,912 bits of embedded RAM (as shown in Table 1). Cyclone FPGAs support a variety of single-ended I/O standards such as LVTTL, LVCMOS, PCI, and SSTL-2/3 and offer differential I/O support via the LVDS and RSDS I/O standards on up to 129 channels. Each channel is capable of operating LVDS signals at up to 640 Mbps. Cyclone devices feature dedicated circuitry to implement DDR SDRAM and FCRAM interfaces. With up to six outputs from two phase-locked loops (PLLs) per device and a hierarchical clocking structure, Cyclone FPGAs offer extensive clock management circuitry for complex designs. The combination of these features in the industry’s most efficient architecture makes this FPGA family the most flexible and cost-effective alternative to ASICs.
Designers needing lower costs, more density and functionality for high-volume applications can take advantage of Cyclone II or low-power Cyclone III FPGAs.
Table 1 outlines the Cyclone FPGA family members, features, and availability.
| Table 1. Cyclone FPGA Overview |
| Feature |
EP1C3 |
EP1C4 |
EP1C6 |
EP1C12 |
EP1C20 |
| LEs |
2,910 |
4,000 |
5,980 |
12,060 |
20,060 |
| M4K RAM Blocks (4 Kbits + Parity) |
13 |
17 |
20 |
52 |
64 |
| Total RAM Bits |
59,904 |
78,336 |
92,160 |
239,616 |
294,912 |
| PLLs |
1 |
2 |
2 |
2 |
2 |
| Maximum User I/O Pins |
104 |
301 |
185 |
249 |
301 |
| Differential Channels |
34 |
129 |
72 |
103 |
129 |
| Production Device Availability |
Buy Now |
Buy Now |
Buy Now |
Buy Now |
Buy Now |
| Industrial and Automotive Temperature |
Yes (1) |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Note:
- The EP1C3 device is also available in automotive-grade versions, which support an automotive temperature range of -40°C to +125°C.
Table 2 shows an overview of Cyclone device packaging and I/O pin counts.
| Table 2. Cyclone Device Package and Maximum User I/O Pins |
| Package Size (mm x mm) |
EP1C3 |
EP1C4 |
EP1C6 |
EP1C12 |
EP1C20 |
100-Pin TQFP (1)
(16 x 16) |
65 |
- |
- |
- |
- |
144-Pin TQFP
(22 x 22) |
104 |
- |
98 |
- |
- |
240-Pin PQFP (2)
(32 x 32) |
- |
- |
185 |
173 |
- |
256-Pin FineLine BGA (3)
(17 x 17) |
- |
- |
185 |
185 |
- |
324-Pin FineLine BGA
(19 x 19) |
- |
249 |
- |
249 |
233 |
400-Pin FineLine BGA
(21 x 21) |
- |
301 |
- |
- |
301 |
Notes:
1. TQFP = thin quad flat pack
2. PQFP = plastic quad flat pack
3. BGA = ball-grid array
Table 3 shows the appropriate configuration devices to use for Cyclone devices.
| Table 3. Appropriate Configuration Devices for Cyclone |
| Configuration Device |
Number of Devices |
| EP1C3 |
EP1C4 |
EP1C6 |
EP1C12 |
EP1C20 |
| EPCS1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
N/A |
N/A |
| EPCS4 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
| EPC2 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
2 |
2 |
| EPC4 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
| EPC8 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
| EPC16 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
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