1–8
Chapter 1: Cyclone III Device Family Overview
Cyclone III Device Family Architecture
Clock Networks and PLLs
Cyclone III device family includes 20 global clock networks. You can drive global
clock signals from dedicated clock pins, dual-purpose clock pins, user logic, and
PLLs. Cyclone III device family includes up to four PLLs with five outputs per PLL to
provide robust clock management and synthesis. You can use PLLs for device clock
management, external system clock management, and I/O interfaces.
You can dynamically reconfigure the Cyclone III device family PLLs to enable
auto-calibration of external memory interfaces while the device is in operation. This
feature enables the support of multiple input source frequencies and corresponding
multiplication, division, and phase shift requirements. PLLs in Cyclone III device
family may be cascaded to generate up to ten internal clocks and two external clocks
on output pins from a single external clock source.
f
For more PLL specifications and information, refer to the Cyclone III Device Data Sheet,
Cyclone III LS Device Data Sheet, and Clock Networks and PLLs in the Cyclone III Device
Family chapters.
I/O Features
Cyclone III device family has eight I/O banks. All I/O banks support single-ended
and differential I/O standards listed in Table 1–6.
Table 1–6. Cyclone III Device Family I/O Standards Support
Type
Single-Ended I/O
Differential I/O
I/O Standard
LVTTL, LVCMOS, SSTL, HSTL, PCI, and PCI-X
SSTL, HSTL, LVPECL, BLVDS, LVDS, mini-LVDS, RSDS, and PPDS
The Cyclone III device family I/O also supports programmable bus hold,
programmable pull-up resistors, programmable delay, programmable drive strength,
programmable slew-rate control to optimize signal integrity, and hot socketing.
Cyclone III device family supports calibrated on-chip series termination (RS OCT) or
driver impedance matching (Rs) for single-ended I/O standards, with one OCT
calibration block per side.
f
For more information, refer to the I/O Features in the Cyclone III Device Family chapter.
High-Speed Differential Interfaces
Cyclone III device family supports high-speed differential interfaces such as BLVDS,
LVDS, mini-LVDS, RSDS, and PPDS. These high-speed I/O standards in Cyclone III
device family provide high data throughput using a relatively small number of I/O
pins and are ideal for low-cost applications. Dedicated differential output drivers on
the left and right I/O banks can send data rates at up to 875 Mbps for Cyclone III
devices and up to 740 Mbps for Cyclone III LS devices, without the need for external
resistors. This saves board space or simplifies PCB routing. Top and bottom I/O banks
support differential transmission (with the addition of an external resistor network)
data rates at up to 640 Mbps for both Cyclone III and Cyclone III LS devices.
Cyclone III Device Handbook
Volume 1
July 2012 Altera Corporation
ALTERA [ ALTERA CORPORATION ]
