MAX II Backgrounder

MAX II Product Backgrounder
Introduction
Building on nearly fifteen years of CPLD leadership and innovation, Altera introduces
the MAX® II family, the industry’s lowest-cost CPLDs. At half the cost of competing
CPLDs, MAX II devices are based on a new look-up table (LUT)-based architecture that
delivers the lowest cost per I/O pin on the market and breaks new ground in CPLD
architectures. This instant-on, non-volatile device family targets general-purpose, lowdensity logic applications, enabling designers to leverage the benefits of industry leading
CPLD devices in lieu of small ASICs and ASSPs, which are costlier and less flexible.
Built on a cost-optimized 0.18-µm flash process with six metal layers, MAX II devices
operate at approximately one-tenth the power of the previous-generation of MAX
devices. They offer densities ranging from 240 to 2,210 logic elements (LEs) (192 to
1,700 equivalent macrocells) and up to 272 user I/O pins. Table 1 describes some of the
highlights of MAX II devices, and Table 2 lists available packages.
MAX II Key Features
MAX II devices include many new features that take advantage of the technology
innovations that Altera’s legacy is built on. The device family was specifically designed
to reduce costs for both new and traditional CPLD applications.
Important MAX II features include:
•
One-tenth the Power Consumption of Prior CPLD Families —The MAX II
devices have the lowest dynamic power in the industry, which results in the
lowest operating power consumption. For mission critical designs, MAX II
devices beat competing low-power products for battery life. Furthermore, the
MAX II family consumes one-tenth the power of the low-cost MAX 3000A
family.
•
Quadruple the Density—The density range in macrocell equivalents is
approximately 192 to 1,700 macrocells. This quadruples what Altera offered in
previous families, and exceeds any offering from significant competitors today.
•
Twice the Performance—The MAX II device family performance is on average
2X faster than the MAX 7000AE family as a result of improvements in routing
architecture, software algorithms, and process technology.
•
User Flash Memory—Altera is the first programmable logic supplier to offer
user flash memory embedded within a programmable logic device (PLD). The
MAX II device family can therefore integrate commonly used serial or parallel
EEPROMs that typically range from 50 cents to $2.00 in volume, further reducing
the cost of end systems. The memory capacity per device is 8 Kbits across the
entire family.
•
Real-Time In-System Programmability (ISP)—Users can reconfigure MAX II
devices in real time without interrupting functionality. This allows customers to
add functionality and flexibility to field-deployed customer systems.
®
For a complete description of the MAX II device feature set, please see the Altera web
site at www.altera.com/max2.
Table 1. Product Family Table
Feature
EPM240
EPM570
EPM1270
EPM2210
LEs
240
570
1,270
2,210
Typical Equivalent
Macrocells
192
440
980
1,700
Maximum User I/O Pins
80
160
212
272
User Flash Memory Bits
8,192
8,192
8,192
8,192
Speed Grades
3, 4, 5
3, 4, 5
3, 4, 5
3, 4, 5
4.5
5.5
6.0
6.5
3.6
3.6
3.6
3.6
tpd1 Corner-to-Corner
Performance(1)(ns)
tpd2 Fastest Performance
(ns)
Available Packages(2)
100-pin
TQFP(3)
100-pin TQFP 144-pin TQFP 256-pin BGA(4)
144-pin TQFP 256-pin BGA(4) 324-pin BGA(4)
256-pin BGA(4)
Notes:
(1) Correlates to the fastest commercial speed grade, which is a corner-to-corner delay path through the device.
(2) All packages support vertical migration across all densities.
(3) TQFP: thin quad flat pack.
(4) FineLine BGA® package (1.0-mm pitch).
Quartus II Design Software
MAX II devices are supported by Altera’s Quartus® II software, the highest-performance
and easiest-to-use design software available for CPLDs, FPGAs, and HardCopy™
devices. The Quartus II software now includes a MAX+PLUS® II look-and-feel option,
giving traditional MAX customers the full benefits of the Quartus II software without
having to learn a new user interface. Quartus II software also integrates seamlessly with
all of the leading third-party synthesis and simulation tools.
A free version of the software, Quartus II Web Edition, can be downloaded from the
Altera web site at www.altera.com.
Pricing, Packaging & Availability
The MAX II device family includes 4 members ranging in density from 240 to 2,210
logic elements. Low-cost packages are available for the MAX II devices, including 1.0mm FineLine BGA® (FBGA) and 0.5-mm thin quad flat pack (TQFP) packages.
Table 2. Pricing Table
Device
Price 1 (1)
EPM240
EPM570
EPM1270
EPM2210
$1.50
$2.30
$4.25
$7.00
(1) Resale price based on 500K unit volumes in 2005