Integrated circuits with radioactive source material and radiation detection
AssigneeInternational Business Machines Corporation
InventorsMichael S. Gordon, Kenneth P. Rodbell
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Radioactive integrated circuit (IC) devices with radioactive material embedded in the substrate of the IC itself, and including logic for “fingerprinting” (that is, determining characteristics that identify the source of the radioactive source material). Radioactive IC devices with embedded detector hardware that determine aspects of radioactivity such as total dose and/or ambient radiation. Radioactive IC devices that can determine an elapsed time based on radioactive decay rates. Radioactive smoke detector using man-made, relatively short half-life radioactive source material.
Claims17
A method of identifying circuitry, the method comprising:
- providing a device including a circuitry hardware set and a radioactive source, with the radioactive source mechanically connected to the circuitry hardware set and with the radioactive source having a predetermined radioactivity fingerprint having a set of radioactivity fingerprint characteristics including at least a first radioactivity fingerprint characteristic;
- detecting at least some radioactivity fingerprint characteristic(s) based on radiation emitted by the radioactive source;
- and
- identifying at least a first identification characteristic of the circuitry hardware set based, at least in part, upon the detected radioactivity fingerprint characteristic(s).
An integrated circuitry apparatus comprising:
- an integrated circuit chip;
- a radioactive source;
- a connection hardware set;
- and
- a radiation detection module;
- wherein:
- the radioactive source is mechanically connected to the integrated circuit chip by the connection hardware set;
- the radiation detection module is operatively connected to the integrated circuit chip so that the radiation detection module is in radioactive communication with the radioactive source;
- and
- the radiation detection module is structured, located, programmed and/or connected to determine at least one of the following:
- (i) a total dose of radiation taken over time from the radioactive source and external radiation source(s) considered in the aggregate, and/or (ii) a total amount of radiation from the radioactive source and external radiation source(s) considered in the aggregate for a given point in time.
An apparatus for detecting smoke, the apparatus comprising:
- a radioactive source;
- a radiation detector;
- and
- a smoke alarm module;
- wherein:
- the radioactive source is in radioactive communication with the radiation detector;
- the radiation detector sends a detection signal to the smoke detector module, with the detection signal being based, at least in part, upon radiation emitted from the radioactive source;
- the smoke detector module is connected, structured and/or programmed to send out an alarm signal on condition that the detection signal indicates the presence of smoke;
- and
- the radioactive source is an artificially created radioactive isotope having a half-life less than 432 years.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.