EP3SL50F780I3 Stratix III FPGA

EP3SL50F780I3 Stratix III FPGA – Unified Technical Guide for Engineers

Part Number Decoding

Field	Meaning
EP	Intel (Altera) FPGA family prefix
3S	Stratix III generation, 65 nm process
L50	Logic-optimized variant, ≈47.5 k LE
F780	780-pin FineLine BGA, 1.0 mm pitch
I	Industrial temperature –40 °C to 100 °C
3	Fastest commercial speed grade (-3)

Parameter	Value	Remarks
Logic Elements	47 500 LE	≈19 000 ALMs, 4-input LUTs
Embedded Memory	2.08 Mbit	M9K blocks, ECC capable
DSP Blocks	92 × 18×18	Cascadable up to 36×36
PLLs	8	Fractional-N, dynamic phase shift
User I/O	488 max	24 banks, multi-standard
Core Voltage	1.1 V ± 3 %	2.5 V / 3.3 V I/O banks
Power Reduction	≈50 % static	Per-block power gating

ALUT Fabric: Each adaptive logic module (ALM) contains a 4-input LUT plus two adders, enabling 6-input functions or dual 4-input functions, improving utilization by ≈20 % over fixed LUT-4 designs.
DSP Column: Half-DSP blocks operate at 550 MHz in 18-bit, 36-bit, or 54-bit modes; cascade chains support FIR filters > 256 taps without fabric routing.
Clocking: Global, regional, and peripheral networks deliver up to 550 MHz fabric performance; dynamic phase stepping for source-synchronous links.
I/O Banks: Eight banks with independent V_CCIO and on-chip termination (OCT) auto-calibration; DQS groups sustain DDR3-800.

Package: 29 mm × 29 mm FineLine BGA, 1.0 mm pitch; 8-layer board with via-in-pad recommended to escape all 488 user balls.
Decoupling: 0.1 µF X7R per power pin plus 10 µF bulk; target 10 mΩ impedance at 100 MHz.
Sequencing: Core 1.1 V before 2.5 V aux; 50 ms soft-start to avoid brownout. Intel Enpirion 10 A modules are validated companions.
Thermal: θ_JA ≈ 11 °C/W still air; 200 LFM airflow or 25 mm heatsink above 70 °C ambient.

Quartus II 9.0+ / Prime Lite: Enable “Power-Driven Compilation” and “Physical Synthesis for Performance” to exceed 200 MHz on DSP-heavy designs.
SignalTap II: 2 kB sample depth @ 250 MHz suffices for most state-machine debug.
ModelSim-Altera 6.6b+: Pre-compiled Stratix III libraries cut setup time to < 2 min.
JTAG: BSDL file supports IEEE 1532 ISP and real-time firmware updates.