# US 12,225,142 B2 · 3D printed physically unclonable wireless systems (PUWS)

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- Number: US 12,225,142 B2
- Document ID: US12225142B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 17/683,637
- Filed: 2022-03-01
- Published: 2022-09-01
- Granted: 2025-02-11
- Earliest claimed: 2021-03-01
- Assignees: University of South Florida
- Applicants: University of South Florida
- Inventors: Gokhan Mumcu; Huseyin Arslan
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12225142B2

## CPC

- B33Y 10/00: Processes of additive manufacturing
- H04L 9/3278: {using physically unclonable functions [PUF]}
- B33Y 80/00: Products made by additive manufacturing
- G09C 1/00: Apparatus or methods whereby a given sequence of signs, e.g. an intelligible text, is transformed into an unintelligible sequence of signs by transposing the signs or groups of signs or by replacing them by others according to a predetermined system (cryptographic typewriters G09C3/00)
- H01Q 1/36: Structural form of radiating elements, e.g. cone, spiral, umbrella; {Particular materials used therewith}(H01Q1/08, H01Q1/14 take precedence)
- H01Q 3/38: the phase-shifters being digital
- H01Q 9/0407: {Substantially flat resonant element parallel to ground plane, e.g. patch antenna (dipole H01Q9/285; monopole H01Q9/40)}
- H01Q 21/0087: {Apparatus or processes specially adapted for manufacturing antenna arrays (manufacturing waveguides H01P11/00)}
- H01Q 21/065: {Patch antenna array}
- H04L 9/0866: {involving user or device identifiers, e.g. serial number, physical or biometrical information, DNA, hand-signature or measurable physical characteristics}
- B33Y 40/20: Post-treatment, e.g. curing, coating or polishing
- H04L 2209/80: Wireless
- B33Y: ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING, i.e. MANUFACTURING OF THREE-DIMENSIONAL [3D] OBJECTS BY ADDITIVE DEPOSITION, ADDITIVE AGGLOMERATION OR ADDITIVE LAYERING, e.g. BY 3D PRINTING, STEREOLITHOGRAPHY OR SELECTIVE LASER SINTERING
- H04L: TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION (arrangements common to telegraphic and telephonic communication H04M)
- G09C: CIPHERING OR DECIPHERING APPARATUS FOR CRYPTOGRAPHIC OR OTHER PURPOSES INVOLVING THE NEED FOR SECRECY
- H01Q: ANTENNAS, i.e. RADIO AERIALS (radiators or antennas for microwave heating H05B6/72)

## Abstract

Three-dimensional (3D) printing is implemented to introduce randomness into systems and devices that are being manufactured. 3D printed physically unclonable wireless systems (PUWS) provide flexibility in system package complexity, number of physically unclonable function (PUF) based security measures/types, and customization of the PUF parameters. Using flexibility and economics of 3D printing, PUWS can combine multiple PUF measures in a 3D package for cryptographic secret keys and introduce PUFs at the physical layer of the communication system. A 3D printed wireless system packaging concept is described herein where 3D printing parameters are randomized to 1) generate new physically unclonable functions (at the physical layer), 2) generate new physically unclonable functions within the system package (rather than at integrated circuit (IC) level), and 3) combine multiple physically unclonable functions (such as optical and electrical/VIA based ones) within single device structure.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A physically unclonable wireless system (PUWS), comprising:
at least one physically unclonable function (PUF) at a physical layer of the system;
at least one PUF at a software layer of the system; and
a substrate on which the at least one PUF at the physical layer of the system is manufactured on, wherein the at least one PUF at the physical layer of the system is manufactured by 3D printing, wherein the 3D printing is configured to provide randomization for the PUWS, wherein the at least one PUF at the physical layer of the system comprises a chaotic antenna array, wherein the chaotic antenna array comprises a plurality of antennas with a randomized geometry and a plurality of RF routing layers with randomized states, and further wherein the randomized geometry of each antenna of the plurality of antennas is determined during the 3D printing of the at least one PUF by randomizing one or more printing parameters using a cryptographic random number generator.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The PUWS of claim 1, wherein the at least one PUF at the physical layer of the system comprises at least one of a chaotic antenna array, an RF filter, or a passive RF device.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The PUWS of claim 1, wherein the at least one PUF at the software layer of the system is configured to enable at least one of fingerprinting or security.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The PUWS of claim 1, wherein the at least one PUF at the software layer of the system comprises a first PUF with a first operation mechanism and a second PUF with a second operation mechanism.

### Claim 5 (depends on 4)

The PUWS of claim 4, wherein the first operation mechanism is utilization of light, and the second operation mechanism is via based.

### Claim 6 (depends on 4)

The PUWS of claim 4, wherein the first PUF is an optical PUF configured with a light to digital converter packed within a transparent layer with randomized transparency in plane and from device to device, and the second PUF is a via PUF configured with each via state randomized during manufacturing for 1 or 0.

### Claim 7 (depends on 4)

The PUWS of claim 4, wherein the first PUF and the second PUF are configured to generate hardware specific secret keys.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The PUWS of claim 1, wherein at least one parameter of the at least one PUF at the physical layer of the system is randomizable.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The PUWS of claim 1, wherein the 3D printing is realized with randomization of a direct digital manufacturing process (DDM), wherein the DDM comprises fused deposition modeling for dielectric material printing, microdispensing for conductive paste layers, laser micromachining as a subtractive process for fine features, and micromilling as a subtractive process for cavities and fine features.

### Claim 10 (depends on 9)

The PUWS of claim 9, wherein the DDM comprises a plurality of manufacturing steps that are randomizable.

### Claim 11 (depends on 1)

The PUWS of claim 1, wherein the geometry of the PUWS is randomizable.

### Claim 12

A method of manufacturing a physically unclonable wireless system (PUWS), the method comprising 3D printing at least one physically unclonable function (PUF) on a substrate for a physical layer of the system and at least one PUF for a software layer of the system, wherein the 3D printing is configured to provide randomization for the PUWS, wherein the 3D printing is realized with randomization of a direct digital manufacturing process (DDM), wherein the DDM comprises a plurality of manufacturing steps that are randomizable, wherein the geometry of the PUWS is randomizable, wherein the at least one PUF comprises a chaotic antenna, wherein the chaotic antenna array comprises a plurality of antennas with a randomized geometry and a plurality of RF routing layers with randomized states, and further wherein the randomized geometry of each antenna of the plurality of antennas is determined during the 3D printing of the at least one PUF by randomizing one or more printing parameters using a cryptographic random number generator.

### Claim 13 (depends on 12)

The method of claim 12, wherein the DDM comprises fused deposition modeling for dielectric material printing, microdispensing for conductive paste layers, laser micromachining as a subtractive process for fine features, and micromilling as a subtractive process for cavities and fine features.

### Claim 14 (depends on 12)

The method of claim 12, wherein the at least one PUF for the physical layer of the system comprises at least one of a chaotic antenna array, an RF filter or a passive RF device.

### Claim 15 (depends on 12)

The method of claim 12, wherein the at least one PUF is configured to enable at least one of fingerprinting or security.

### Claim 16 (depends on 12)

The method of claim 12, wherein the at least one PUF for the software layer of the system is at the software/cryptography layer of a communication system.

### Claim 17 (depends on 12)

The method of claim 12, wherein the at least one PUF for the software layer of the system comprises a first PUF with a first operation mechanism and a second PUF with a second operation mechanism.

### Claim 18 (depends on 17)

The method of claim 17, wherein the first operation mechanism is utilization of light, and the second operation mechanism is via based, wherein the first PUF and the second PUF are configured to generate hardware specific secret keys.

### Claim 19 (depends on 17)

The method of claim 17, wherein the first PUF is an optical PUF configured with a light to digital converter packed within a transparent layer with randomized transparency in plane and from device to device, and the second PUF is a via PUF configured with each via state randomized during manufacturing for 1 or 0.