External Memory Interfaces (EMIF) IP User Guide: Agilex™ 3 FPGAs and SoCs

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ID 847458
Date 7/07/2025
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Document Table of Contents
Document Table of Contents x
1. About the External Memory Interfaces Agilex™ 3 FPGA IP 2. Agilex™ 3 FPGA EMIF IP – Introduction 3. Agilex™ 3 FPGA EMIF IP - Configuring and Generating the IP 4. Agilex™ 3 FPGA EMIF IP – Simulating Memory IP 5. Agilex™ 3 FPGA EMIF IP - Validating the IP 6. Agilex 3 FPGA EMIF IP Debugging 7. Document Revision History for External Memory Interfaces (EMIF) IP User Guide A. Agilex™ 3 FPGA EMIF IP – Product Architecture B. Agilex™ 3 FPGA EMIF IP – End-User Signals
1. About the External Memory Interfaces Agilex™ 3 FPGA IP x
1.1. Release Information
2. Agilex™ 3 FPGA EMIF IP – Introduction x
2.1. Agilex™ 3 EMIF IP Protocol and Feature Support 2.2. Protocol and Maximum Interface Width Support 2.3. Agilex 3 EMIF IP Design Flow 2.4. Agilex™ 3 EMIF IP Design Checklist
3. Agilex™ 3 FPGA EMIF IP - Configuring and Generating the IP x
3.1. Creating an EMIF Project 3.2. Generating and Configuring the EMIF IP 3.3. Generating HDL for Synthesis and Simulation 3.4. Generating the Synthesizable EMIF Design Example 3.5. EMIF IP LPDDR4 Parameter Descriptions 3.6. Agilex™ 3 FPGA EMIF IP Pin and Resource Planning 3.7. Compiling the Agilex™ 3 EMIF Design Example 3.8. Agilex™ 3 FPGA EMIF IP – Timing Closure 3.9. Agilex™ 3 FPGA EMIF IP – Controller Optimization
3.4. Generating the Synthesizable EMIF Design Example x
3.4.1. Synthesis Design Example
3.5. EMIF IP LPDDR4 Parameter Descriptions x
3.5.1. High-level Configuration Tab 3.5.2. Advanced: Memory Timing Tab 3.5.3. Advanced: Analog Overrides Tab 3.5.4. Example Design Tab 3.5.5. Configuring DQ Pin Swizzling
3.5.5. Configuring DQ Pin Swizzling x
3.5.5.1. Example: DQ Pin Swizzling Within DQS Group for a x32 LPDDR4 Interface 3.5.5.2. Example: Byte Swizzling for x32 LPDDR4 Interface 3.5.5.3. Example: Combining Pin and Byte Swizzling 3.5.5.4. Example: DQ Pin Swizzling Within DQS Group for 2 Channel x16 LPDDR4 Interface 3.5.5.5. Example: Byte Swizzling for 2 Channel x16 LPDDR4 Interface
3.6. Agilex™ 3 FPGA EMIF IP Pin and Resource Planning x
3.6.1. Agilex™ 3 FPGA EMIF IP Interface Pins 3.6.2. Pin Guidelines for Agilex™ 3 FPGA EMIF IP 3.6.3. Agilex™ 3 FPGA EMIF IP Resources
3.6.1. Agilex™ 3 FPGA EMIF IP Interface Pins x
3.6.1.1. Estimating Pin Requirements 3.6.1.2. LPDDR4 Component Options 3.6.1.3. Maximum Number of Interfaces 3.6.1.4. Address and Command Pin Placement for LPDDR4 3.6.1.5. LPDDR4 Data Width Mapping 3.6.1.6. Pin Placement for Agilex™ 3 EMIF IP Pin Assignments
3.6.2. Pin Guidelines for Agilex™ 3 FPGA EMIF IP x
3.6.2.1. General Guidelines 3.6.2.2. Specific Pin Connection Requirements 3.6.2.3. Command and Address Signals 3.6.2.4. Clock Signals 3.6.2.5. Pin Swizzling Guidelines
3.6.3. Agilex™ 3 FPGA EMIF IP Resources x
3.6.3.1. OCT 3.6.3.2. PLL
3.8. Agilex™ 3 FPGA EMIF IP – Timing Closure x
3.8.1. Timing Closure 3.8.2. Timing Analysis 3.8.3. PHY or Core 3.8.4. Optimizing Timing
3.9. Agilex™ 3 FPGA EMIF IP – Controller Optimization x
3.9.1. Optimizing Efficiency for Secondary Controller 3.9.2. Interface Standard 3.9.3. Bank Management Efficiency 3.9.4. Data Transfer 3.9.5. Improving Controller Efficiency
3.9.5. Improving Controller Efficiency x
3.9.5.1. Series of Reads or Writes 3.9.5.2. AXI to Memory Mapping 3.9.5.3. Controller Performance Profile
4. Agilex™ 3 FPGA EMIF IP – Simulating Memory IP x
4.1. Simulation Walkthrough 4.2. Generating the EMIF Design Example for Simulation 4.3. Simulation Design Example 4.4. Simulating the Design Example
4.1. Simulation Walkthrough x
4.1.1. Calibration 4.1.2. Simulation Scripts 4.1.3. Functional Simulation with Verilog HDL
5. Agilex™ 3 FPGA EMIF IP - Validating the IP x
5.1. Validating the Design Example with the Test Engine IP 5.2. Checking the EMIF Design Example with the Performance Monitor
6. Agilex 3 FPGA EMIF IP Debugging x
6.1. Interface Configuration Performance Issues 6.2. Functional Issue Evaluation 6.3. Timing Issue Characteristics 6.4. Evaluating FPGA Timing Issues 6.5. Verifying Memory IP Using the Signal Tap Logic Analyzer 6.6. Guidelines for Developing HDL for Traffic Generator 6.7. Debugging with the External Memory Interface Debug Toolkit 6.8. Guidelines for Traffic Generator Status Check 6.9. Hardware Debugging Guidelines 6.10. Categorizing Hardware Issues 6.11. Agilex™ 3 FPGA EMIF IP - Mailbox Support
6.1. Interface Configuration Performance Issues x
6.1.1. Interface Configuration Bottleneck and Efficiency Issues
6.2. Functional Issue Evaluation x
6.2.1. Altera IP Memory Model 6.2.2. Vendor Memory Model 6.2.3. Transcript Window Messages
6.4. Evaluating FPGA Timing Issues x
6.4.1. Evaluating External Memory Interface Timing Issues
6.7. Debugging with the External Memory Interface Debug Toolkit x
6.7.1. Prerequisites for Using the EMIF Debug Toolkit 6.7.2. Configuring a Design to Use the Debug Toolkit 6.7.3. Launching the EMIF Debug Toolkit 6.7.4. Using the EMIF Debug Toolkit
6.7.2. Configuring a Design to Use the Debug Toolkit x
6.7.2.1. Generating a Design Example with the Debug Toolkit
6.7.4. Using the EMIF Debug Toolkit x
6.7.4.1. Running Re-Calibration 6.7.4.2. Running the Test Engine 6.7.4.3. Generating Traffic with the Test Engine IP
6.8. Guidelines for Traffic Generator Status Check x
6.8.1. Status Check Using the Signal Tap Logic Analyzer 6.8.2. Exporting the Status Interface to the Top-Level Design
6.9. Hardware Debugging Guidelines x
6.9.1. Create a Simplified Design that Demonstrates the Same Issue 6.9.2. Measure Power Distribution Network 6.9.3. Measure Signal Integrity and Setup and Hold Margin 6.9.4. Vary Voltage 6.9.5. Operate at a Lower Speed 6.9.6. Determine Whether the Issue Exists in Previous Versions of Software 6.9.7. Determine Whether the Issue Exists in the Current Version of Software 6.9.8. Try A Different PCB 6.9.9. Try Other Configurations 6.9.10. Debugging Checklist
6.10. Categorizing Hardware Issues x
6.10.1. Signal Integrity Issues 6.10.2. Hardware and Calibration Issues
6.10.1. Signal Integrity Issues x
6.10.1.1. Characteristics of Signal Integrity Issues 6.10.1.2. Evaluating Signal Integrity Issues 6.10.1.3. Skew 6.10.1.4. Crosstalk 6.10.1.5. Power System 6.10.1.6. Clock Signals 6.10.1.7. Address and Command Signals 6.10.1.8. Read Data Valid Window and Eye Diagram 6.10.1.9. Write Data Valid Window and Eye Diagram
6.10.2. Hardware and Calibration Issues x
6.10.2.1. Verifying High-Level Configuration 6.10.2.2. Verifying Memory Timing Parameters 6.10.2.3. Verifying the Correct Memory Component Installed 6.10.2.4. Debugging Intermittent Issues
6.11. Agilex™ 3 FPGA EMIF IP - Mailbox Support x
6.11.1. Agilex™ 3 Mailbox Structure and Register Definitions 6.11.2. Accessing Read-Only Registers 6.11.3. Sending a Mailbox Command 6.11.4. IOSSM Mailbox Access Script
6.11.1. Agilex™ 3 Mailbox Structure and Register Definitions x
6.11.1.1. Mailbox Supported Commands 6.11.1.2. Mailbox Command Definitions 6.11.1.3. ECC Syndrome Codes 6.11.1.4. ECC Error Handling
6.11.2. Accessing Read-Only Registers x
6.11.2.1. Example 1: Reading IP_TYPE and IP_INSTANCE_ID of All the Interfaces in the IO96B Through Read-Only Registers 6.11.2.2. Example 2: Reading the Memory Clock Frequency for an Interface
6.11.3. Sending a Mailbox Command x
6.11.3.1. Example 3: Sending Recalibration Request and Reading Calibration Status Using the Mailbox 6.11.3.2. Example 4: Sending ECC_INJECT_ERROR Using the Mailbox and Reading ECC Error Status, ECC Error Buffer Registers
6.11.4. IOSSM Mailbox Access Script x
6.11.4.1. Mailbox Script Overview 6.11.4.2. Running the Mailbox Script
6.11.4.1. Mailbox Script Overview x
6.11.4.1.1. mb_iossm_command.tcl 6.11.4.1.2. mb_user_input.tcl
A. Agilex™ 3 FPGA EMIF IP – Product Architecture x
A.1. Agilex™ 3 EMIF Architecture: Introduction
A.1. Agilex™ 3 EMIF Architecture: Introduction x
A.1.1. Agilex™ 3 EMIF Architecture: I/O Subsystem A.1.2. Agilex™ 3 EMIF Architecture: I/O SSM A.1.3. Agilex™ 3 EMIF Architecture: HSIO Bank A.1.4. Agilex™ 3 EMIF Architecture: I/O Lane A.1.5. Agilex™ 3 EMIF Architecture: Input DQS Clock Tree A.1.6. Agilex™ 3 EMIF Architecture: PHY Clock Tree A.1.7. Agilex™ 3 EMIF Architecture: PLL Reference Clock Networks A.1.8. Agilex™ 3 EMIF Architecture: Clock Phase Alignment A.1.9. User Clock in Different Core Access Modes A.1.10. Agilex™ 3 EMIF Sequencer A.1.11. Agilex™ 3 EMIF Controller A.1.12. Hard Memory Controller A.1.13. Agilex™ 3 EMIF IP for Hard Processor Subsystem (HPS)
A.1.3. Agilex™ 3 EMIF Architecture: HSIO Bank x
A.1.3.1. Narrow Read Transfer Support A.1.3.2. HSIO Sub-Bank Usage
A.1.12. Hard Memory Controller x
A.1.12.1. Hard Memory Controller Features
A.1.13. Agilex™ 3 EMIF IP for Hard Processor Subsystem (HPS) x
A.1.13.1. Restrictions on I/O Bank Usage for Agilex™ 3 EMIF IP with HPS A.1.13.2. Using the Legacy EMIF Debug Toolkit with Agilex™ 3 HPS Interfaces
B. Agilex™ 3 FPGA EMIF IP – End-User Signals x
B.1. IP Interfaces for External Memory Interfaces (EMIF) IP - LPDDR4 B.2. s0_axi4_clock_in for External Memory Interfaces (EMIF) IP - LPDDR4 B.3. core_init_n for External Memory Interfaces (EMIF) IP - LPDDR4 B.4. s0_axi4_clock_in for External Memory Interfaces (EMIF) IP - LPDDR4 B.5. core_init_n for External Memory Interfaces (EMIF) IP - LPDDR4 B.6. s0_axi4_ctrl_ready for External Memory Interfaces (EMIF) IP - LPDDR4 B.7. s0_axi4_clock_out for External Memory Interfaces (EMIF) IP - LPDDR4 B.8. s1_axi4_ctrl_ready for External Memory Interfaces (EMIF) IP - LPDDR4 B.9. s0_axi4 for External Memory Interfaces (EMIF) IP - LPDDR4 B.10. s1_axi4 for External Memory Interfaces (EMIF) IP - LPDDR4 B.11. io96b0_to_hps for External Memory Interfaces (EMIF) IP - LPDDR4 B.12. io96b1_to_hps for External Memory Interfaces (EMIF) IP - LPDDR4 B.13. s0_axi4lite_clock for External Memory Interfaces (EMIF) IP - LPDDR4 B.14. s0_axi4lite_reset_n for External Memory Interfaces (EMIF) IP - LPDDR4 B.15. s0_axi4lite for External Memory Interfaces (EMIF) IP - LPDDR4 B.16. mem_0 for External Memory Interfaces (EMIF) IP - LPDDR4 B.17. mem_ck_0 for External Memory Interfaces (EMIF) IP - LPDDR4 B.18. mem_1 for External Memory Interfaces (EMIF) IP - LPDDR4 B.19. mem_ck_1 for External Memory Interfaces (EMIF) IP - LPDDR4 B.20. mem_reset_n for External Memory Interfaces (EMIF) IP - LPDDR4 B.21. oct_0 for External Memory Interfaces (EMIF) IP - LPDDR4 B.22. oct_1 for External Memory Interfaces (EMIF) IP - LPDDR4 B.23. ref_clk for External Memory Interfaces (EMIF) IP - LPDDR4
1. About the External Memory Interfaces Agilex™ 3 FPGA IP
2. Agilex™ 3 FPGA EMIF IP – Introduction
3. Agilex™ 3 FPGA EMIF IP - Configuring and Generating the IP
4. Agilex™ 3 FPGA EMIF IP – Simulating Memory IP
5. Agilex™ 3 FPGA EMIF IP - Validating the IP
6. Agilex 3 FPGA EMIF IP Debugging
7. Document Revision History for External Memory Interfaces (EMIF) IP User Guide
A. Agilex™ 3 FPGA EMIF IP – Product Architecture
B. Agilex™ 3 FPGA EMIF IP – End-User Signals

3.6.1.6. Pin Placement for Agilex™ 3 EMIF IP

This topic provides guidelines for pin placement.

Pin Assignments

To determine locations for all EMIF I/O pins you should refer to the pin table for your device. When referring to the pin table, the bank numbers, I/O bank indices, and pin names are provided. It is important to strictly follow the pin placement for a given memory topology when assigning pin locations for your EMIF IP.

You can perform pin assignments in a variety of ways. The recommended approach is to manually constrain some interface signals and let the Quartus® Prime Fitter handle the rest. This method consists of consulting the pin tables to find legal positions for some of the interface pins and assigning them through the .qsf file that is generated with the EMIF design example. For this method of I/O placement, you must constrain the following signals:

  • RZQ pin
  • PLL reference clock
  • Memory reset

If you need to swap the DQ pins within a DQS group or swap the DQS group to simplify board design, enter the swizzling specification when instantiating the EMIF IP. Refer to Configuring DQ Pin Swizzling for more information about swapping the DQ pin and DQS group.

Based on the above constraints, the Quartus® Prime Fitter runs place and route based on these assignments.

To generate a .sof programming file using the Quartus® Prime software version 25.1.1 or later, all the pins used in the design must have both a location assignment and I/O standard assignment. The I/O standard for EMIF pins is automatically constrained by the IP. The reference clock for user pll in the design example is not considered as a EMIF pin, therefore you must provide the I/O standard assignment.

To assign all the EMIF pin locations for the first time, you can do either of the following:
  • Back-annotate all the EMIF pin locations after a successful compilation.
  • Manually assign the pin locations using .qsf file or Pin Planner.

The user pll reference clock pin in the design example is not automatically constrained by the EMIF IP; you must constraint the location and I/O standard for this pin.

For dual-rank component interfaces, you cannot have different swizzling specifications for rank 0 and rank 1.

Note: The DQ/DQS location assignments must match the pin swizzling specifications. You must update the DQ/DQS pin location assignment whenever you update the pin swizzling specification in the EMIF IP, otherwise you will encounter fitter errors.

The following table shows the EMIF LPDDR4 pin placement on the I/O bank.

Table 30.  LPDDR4 Pin Placement
Lane Number Pin Index x32 2 Channel x16
BL7 95 MEM_DQ[31] MEM_1_MEM_DQ[15]
94 MEM_DQ[30] MEM_1_MEM_DQ[14]
93 MEM_DQ[29] MEM_1_MEM_DQ[13]
92 MEM_DQ[28] MEM_1_MEM_DQ[12]
91    
90 MEM_DMI[3] MEM_1_MEM_DMI[1]
89 MEM_DQS_C[3] MEM_1_MEM_DQS_C[1]
88 MEM_DQS_T[3] MEM_1_MEM_DQS_T[1]
87 MEM_DQ[27] MEM_1_MEM_DQ[11]
86 MEM_DQ[26] MEM_1_MEM_DQ[10]
85 MEM_DQ[25] MEM_1_MEM_DQ[9]
84 MEM_DQ[24] MEM_1_MEM_DQ[8]
BL6 83 MEM_DQ[23] MEM_1_MEM_DQ[7]
82 MEM_DQ[22] MEM_1_MEM_DQ[6]
81 MEM_DQ[21] MEM_1_MEM_DQ[5]
80 MEM_DQ[20] MEM_1_MEM_DQ[4]
79    
78 MEM_DMI[2] MEM_1_MEM_DMI[0]
77 MEM_DQS_C[2] MEM_1_MEM_DQS_C[0]
76 MEM_DQS_T[2] MEM_1_MEM_DQS_T[0]
75 MEM_DQ[19] MEM_1_MEM_DQ[3]
74 MEM_DQ[18] MEM_1_MEM_DQ[2]
73 MEM_DQ[17] MEM_1_MEM_DQ[1]
72 MEM_DQ[16] MEM_1_MEM_DQ[0]
BL5 71    
70    
69    
68    
67   MEM_1_MEM_CK_C
66   MEM_1_MEM_CK_T
65    
64    
63   MEM_1_MEM_RESET_N
62   OCT_1_OCT_RZQIN
61    
60    
BL4 59   Differential "N-side" reference clock input site
58   Differential "P-side" reference clock input site
57   MEM_1_MEM_CS[1]
56   MEM_1_MEM_CS[0]
55   MEM_1_MEM_CKE[1]
54   MEM_1_MEM_CKE[0]
53   MEM_1_MEM_CA[5]
52   MEM_1_MEM_CA[4]
51   MEM_1_MEM_CA[3]
50   MEM_1_MEM_CA[2]
49   MEM_1_MEM_CA[1]
48   MEM_1_MEM_CA[0]
BL3 47    
46    
45    
44    
43 MEM_CK_C MEM_0_MEM_CK_C
42 MEM_CK_T MEM_0_MEM_CK_T
41    
40    
39 MEM_RESET_N MEM_0_MEM_RESET_N
38 RZQ Site OCT_0_OCT_RZQIN
37    
36    
BL2 35 Differential "N-side" reference clock input site
34 Differential "P-side" reference clock input site
33 MEM_CS[1] MEM_0_MEM_CS[1]
32 MEM_CS[0] MEM_0_MEM_CS[0]
31 MEM_CKE[1] MEM_0_MEM_CKE[1]
30 MEM_CKE[0] MEM_0_MEM_CKE[0]
29 MEM_CA[5] MEM_0_MEM_CA[5]
28 MEM_CA[4] MEM_0_MEM_CA[4]
27 MEM_CA[3] MEM_0_MEM_CA[3]
26 MEM_CA[2] MEM_0_MEM_CA[2]
25 MEM_CA[1] MEM_0_MEM_CA[1]
24 MEM_CA[0] MEM_0_MEM_CA[0]
BL1 23 MEM_DQ[15] MEM_0_MEM_DQ[15]
22 MEM_DQ[14] MEM_0_MEM_DQ[14]
21 MEM_DQ[13] MEM_0_MEM_DQ[13]
20 MEM_DQ[12] MEM_0_MEM_DQ[12]
19    
18 MEM_DMI[1] MEM_0_MEM_DMI[1]
17 MEM_DQS_C[1] MEM_0_MEM_DQS_C[1]
16 MEM_DQS_T[1] MEM_0_MEM_DQS_T[1]
15 MEM_DQ[11] MEM_0_MEM_DQ[11]
14 MEM_DQ[10] MEM_0_MEM_DQ[10]
13 MEM_DQ[9] MEM_0_MEM_DQ[9]
12 MEM_DQ[8] MEM_0_MEM_DQ[8]
BL0 11 MEM_DQ[7] MEM_0_MEM_DQ[7]
10 MEM_DQ[6] MEM_0_MEM_DQ[6]
9 MEM_DQ[5] MEM_0_MEM_DQ[5]
8 MEM_DQ[4] MEM_0_MEM_DQ[4]
7    
6 MEM_DMI[0] MEM_0_MEM_DMI[0]
5 MEM_DQS_C[0] MEM_0_MEM_DQS_C[0]
4 MEM_DQS_T[0] MEM_0_MEM_DQS_T[0]
3 MEM_DQ[3] MEM_0_MEM_DQ[3]
2 MEM_DQ[2] MEM_0_MEM_DQ[2]
1 MEM_DQ[1] MEM_0_MEM_DQ[1]
0 MEM_DQ[0] MEM_0_MEM_DQ[0]
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