Electronic device with self-protection and anti-cloning capabilities and related method
AssigneeeMemory Technology Inc.
InventorsWei-Zhe Wong, Ching-Sung Yang
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Abstract
An electronic device having anti-cloning function includes a first critical integrated circuit, which further includes a first security function block configured to authenticate an identity of a second critical integrated circuit in communication with the first critical integrated circuit, wherein the first security function block authenticates the identity of the second critical integrated circuit according to a chip identity of the second critical integrated circuit created using a non-volatile memory (NVM) physically unclonable function (PUF).
Claims16
An electronic device having anti-cloning function, the electronic device comprising:
- a first critical integrated circuit, comprising:
- a first security function block configured to authenticate an identity of a second critical integrated circuit in communication with the first critical integrated circuit, wherein the first security function block authenticates the identity of the second critical integrated circuit according to a chip identity of the second critical integrated circuit created using a non-volatile memory (NVM) physically unclonable function (PUF);
- wherein the chip identity of the second critical integrated circuit is created using at least one pair of symmetric antifuse structures in the NVM PUF that are electrically connected to each other, to a first word line, to a second word line, and to a same bit line, and the chip identity of the second critical integrated circuit is determined based on which antifuse structures rupture when programming voltage is applied;
- and
- wherein the antifuse structures are ruptured according to intrinsic process variations of the antifuse structures.
A method of performing an anti-cloning function in an electronic device, the electronic device comprising a first critical integrated circuit, the method comprising:
- a first security function block of the first critical integrated circuit obtaining a chip identity of a second critical integrated circuit in communication with the first critical integrated circuit, wherein the chip identity of the second critical integrated circuit is created using a non-volatile memory (NVM) physically unclonable function (PUF);
- the first security function block comparing the obtained chip identity of the second critical integrated circuit with a previously stored value of the chip identity of the second critical integrated circuit;
- and
- the first security function block authenticating an identity of the second critical integrated circuit when the obtained chip identity of the second critical integrated circuit matches the previously stored value of the chip identity of the second critical integrated circuit;
- wherein the chip identity of the second critical integrated circuit is created using at least one pair of symmetric antifuse structures in the NVM PUF that are electrically connected to each other, to a first word line, to a second word line, and to a same bit line, and the chip identity of the second critical integrated circuit is determined based on which antifuse structures rupture when programming voltage is applied;
- and
- wherein the antifuse structures are ruptured according to intrinsic process variations of the antifuse structures.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.