# US 12,114,471 B2 · Active shield structure > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,114,471 B2 - Document ID: US12114471B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 16/933,886 - Filed: 2020-07-20 - Published: 2022-01-20 - Granted: 2024-10-08 - Earliest claimed: 2020-07-20 - Assignees: Arm Limited - Applicants: Arm Limited - Inventors: Narayan Prasad Ramachandran; Rainer Herberholz; Peter Andrew Rees Williams; Danny Joseph Traynor - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12114471B2 ## CPC - H04L 63/1441: {Countermeasures against malicious traffic (countermeasures against attacks on cryptographic mechanisms H04L9/002)} - H05K 9/0071: {Active shielding} - G06F 21/72: in cryptographic circuits - G06F 21/86: Secure or tamper-resistant housings - G06F 21/87: by means of encapsulation, e.g. for integrated circuits - H01F 17/0006: {Printed inductances (printed coils for dynamo-electric machines H02K3/26; printed circuits H05K)} - H01F 27/363: {made of electrically conductive material} - H01F 41/041: {Printed circuit coils (apparatus or processes for manufacturing printed circuits in general H05K3/00)} - H10W 42/405: {using active circuits} - H10W 76/157: having interconnections parallel to the insulating or insulated base - H01F 2017/0073: {with a special conductive pattern, e.g. flat spiral} - H01R 13/6397: {with means for preventing unauthorised use} - H04L: TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION (arrangements common to telegraphic and telephonic communication H04M) - H05K: PRINTED CIRCUITS; CASINGS OR CONSTRUCTIONAL DETAILS OF ELECTRIC APPARATUS; MANUFACTURE OF ASSEMBLAGES OF ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS - G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N) - H01F: MAGNETS; INDUCTANCES; TRANSFORMERS; SELECTION OF MATERIALS FOR THEIR MAGNETIC PROPERTIES - H10W: GENERIC PACKAGES, INTERCONNECTIONS, CONNECTORS OR OTHER CONSTRUCTIONAL DETAILS OF DEVICES COVERED BY CLASS H10 - H01R: ELECTRICALLY-CONDUCTIVE CONNECTIONS; STRUCTURAL ASSOCIATIONS OF A PLURALITY OF MUTUALLY-INSULATED ELECTRICAL CONNECTING ELEMENTS; COUPLING DEVICES; CURRENT COLLECTORS ## Abstract Various implementations described herein are related to a device having a first coil-shaped spiral structure for an active shield and a second coil-shaped spiral structure that is wound in-between windings of the first coil-shaped spiral structure. The first coil-shaped spiral structure may provide for a coil-based electro-magnetic (EM) shield as a counter-measure circuit for protecting an underlying circuit. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A device comprising: an array of active shield coil structures, wherein each active shield coil structure comprises: a first coil-shaped spiral structure for an active shield; and a second coil-shaped spiral structure that is wound in-between windings of the first coil-shaped spiral structure, wherein: the first coil-shaped spiral structure provides for a coil-based electro-magnetic (EM) shield as a counter-measure circuit for protecting an underlying circuit, and wherein the array of the active shield coil structures is arranged in a grid pattern. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The device of claim 1, wherein: the array is arranged in the grid pattern across a same layer at least one of covering or overlaying the underlying circuit; and the active shield comprises a conductive interconnect line for transceiving a characteristic code between a transmit node and a receive node, and wherein the active shield is disposed such that a plurality of the conductive interconnect lines covers an area of sensitive circuitry at routing levels and device levels disposed below the active shield. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The device of claim 1, wherein: the first coil-shaped spiral structure is formed of a first conductive wire, and wherein the second coil-shaped spiral structure is formed of a second conductive wire that is separate from the first conductive wire, and wherein the first coil-shaped spiral structure and the second coil-shaped spiral structure are formed in a same layer. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The device of claim 3, wherein a width of the first conductive wire is greater than a width of the second conductive wire. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The device of claim 1, wherein the first coil-shaped spiral structure comprises a first continuous coil-shaped spiral structure. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The device of claim 1, wherein the first coil-shaped spiral structure is coupled to a signal generator that provides a signal for generating an electro-magnetic (EM) field across the active shield. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The device of claim 6, wherein the first coil-shaped spiral structure and the second coil-shaped spiral structure are disposed in a same layer that overlies a cryptographic circuit, and wherein a frequency of the signal is aligned or harmonic with an operating frequency of the cryptographic circuit. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The device of claim 7, wherein the signal transmitted into the first coil-shaped spiral structure has the same frequency and phase as the digital clock driving the underlying circuit. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The device of claim 1, wherein the first coil-shaped spiral structure and the second coil-shaped spiral structure provide for a combined coil-based active tamper protection shield as a counter-measure circuit for protecting an underlying circuit from unauthorized attempts to access signals or physically modify underlying circuitry. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The device of claim 1, wherein the first coil-shaped spiral structure provides the counter-measure circuit for protecting the underlying circuit from unauthorized access via an EM side-channel attack. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The device of claim 1, wherein: the second coil-shaped spiral structure is coupled directly to a single fixed potential, the fixed potential is a ground supply, and wherein the second coil-shaped spiral structure operates as a ground supply line that is coupled directly to the ground supply, and the fixed potential is configured to transfer power to the underlying circuit. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The device of claim 1, wherein: the second coil-shaped spiral structure is coupled directly to a single fixed potential, the fixed potential is a voltage supply, and wherein the second coil-shaped spiral structure operates as a voltage supply line that is coupled directly to the voltage supply, and the fixed potential is configured to transfer power to the underlying circuit. ### Claim 13 (depends on 1) The device of claim 1, wherein: the array of active shield coil structures is arranged in a two-dimensional array, and the two-dimensional array comprises a plurality of columns and a plurality of rows. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The device of claim 13, wherein: each active shield coil structure of the array is configured with a respective transmit line and a respective return line to transmit an electro-magnetic (EM) signal therebetween. ### Claim 15 (depends on 13) The device of claim 13, wherein: adjacent active shield coil structures of the array are configured to be driven with different current directions, and the different current directions minimize a cancelation of one or more electro-magnetic (EM) fields. ### Claim 16 (depends on 1) The device of claim 1, wherein a respective underpass line is configured to couple a respective coil-shaped spiral structure to a respective return line. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The device of claim 16, wherein the respective underpass line is formed on a different metal layer than a metal layer used to form the respective coil-shaped spiral structure. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The device of claim 17, further comprising: one or more vias configured to couple the respective underpass line to the respective coil-shaped spiral structure and the respective return line.