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Altera_Forum's avatar
Altera_Forum
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9 years ago

Running a CYCLONE above its rated temperature

Hi,

If I am running a T144 part which is rated for around 80 degrees C what would one expect to happen up to around 120 degrees Celsius? This will be the ambient temperature the device is running in for up to an hour max. The synthesized design will not be dense at all and relatively passive in nature, some registers and multiplexing. Running in the 1MHz range max.

I have tried the E144 parts yes but these are hard to hand solder onto custom boards due to the ground pad underneath. I was wondering if the T144 would die immediately or survive the temperatures for a while before packing it in.

2 Replies

  • Altera_Forum's avatar
    Altera_Forum
    Icon for Honored Contributor rankHonored Contributor
    9 years ago

    The T144 & E144 only refer to the package. You need to consider the temperature grade of the part - commercial, industrial or extended - the 'C', 'I' or 'E' suffix in the part number.

    The 80 degrees you refer to is the maximum junction temperature, not the ambient at which you can operate it. I wouldn't expect any device to operate, for long, at 120 degC.

    Cheers,

    Alex
  • Altera_Forum's avatar
    Altera_Forum
    Icon for Honored Contributor rankHonored Contributor
    9 years ago

    The maximum junction temperature in maximum ratings is 125 °C, also the maximum recommended junction temperature of devices with extended temperature range. You may want to estimate the power dissipation of your FPGA or better measure it exactly. Check if it gets away with only 5 K overtemperature.

    For commercial or industrial devices, there's no guarantee of correct function above their specified 85°C respectively 100 °C junction temperature, but not yet a risk of damage. Similarly no guarantee for any device to survive > 125 °C junction temperature. Your risk to try it though.