Secure chips with serial numbers

Abstract

An electronic device comprising a semiconductor chip which comprises a plurality of structures formed in the semiconductor chip, wherein the semiconductor chip is a member of a set of semiconductor chips, the set of semiconductor chips comprises a plurality of subsets of semiconductor chips, and the semiconductor chip is a member of only one of the subsets. The plurality of structures of the semiconductor chip includes a set of common structures which is the same for all of the semiconductor chips of the set, and a set of non-common structures, wherein the non-common structures of the semiconductor chip of the subset is different from a non-common circuit of the semiconductor chips in every other subset. At least a first portion of the non-common structures and a first portion of the common structures form a first non-common circuit, wherein the first non-common circuit of the semiconductor chips of each subset is different from a non-common circuit of the semiconductor chips in every other subset. At least a second portion of the non-common structures is adapted to store or generate a first predetermined value which uniquely identifies the first non-common circuit, wherein the first predetermined value is readable from outside the semiconductor chip by automated reading means.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.