Semiconductor-Junction-Derived Random Number Generation with Triggering Mechanism
AssigneeThe Government of the United States, as represented by the Secretary of the Army
InventorsJohn Suarez, Moses Mingle
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Various embodiments are described that relate to random number generation. When a desire arises for a random number a circuit can be completed with a reverse biased semiconductor junction element. When the circuit is completed an analog voltage spike can be produced that is random due to properties of the reverse biased semiconductor-junction element. This analog voltage spike can be converted into a digital value that serves as the random number. The digital value can be outputted and used as the random number.
Claims20
A system, comprising:
- an activation component to activate a circuit comprising a reverse biased semiconductor-junction element in response to a request for a randomly-generated number;
- and
- an identification component to identify a voltage for the reverse biased semiconductor junction element, where the randomly-generated number is based, at least in part, on the voltage,
- where the activation component, the identification component, or a combination thereof is implemented, at least in part, but way of non-software.
A system, comprising:
- a measurement component that measures a voltage for a non-diode reverse biased semiconductor-junction element;
- and
- a generation component that generates a number based on the voltage for the non-diode reverse biased semiconductor-junction element,
- where the number is outputted to a computer structure and
- where the measurement component, the generation component, or a combination thereof is implemented, at least in part, by way of hardware.
A system, comprising:
- a trigger component configured to:
- trigger a circuit in a first instance in response to a first request for a first randomly-generated number, the circuit comprising a reverse biased semiconductor-junction element, and
- trigger the circuit in a second instance in response to a second request for a second randomly-generated number;
- a spike component configured to:
- read a first voltage spike for the reverse biased semiconductor-junction element produced from triggering the circuit in the first instance and
- read a second voltage spike for the reverse biased semiconductor-junction element produced from triggering the circuit in the second instance;
- an analog to digital converter configured to:
- convert the first voltage spike from a first analog input to a first floating point number output and
- convert the second voltage spike from a second analog input to a second floating point number output;
- and
- a number component configured to:
- cause an output of the first floating point number output as the first randomly-generated number and
- cause an output of the second floating point number as the second randomly-generated number,
- where the first instance and the second instance are independent instances,
- where the first voltage spike and the second voltage spike have different values,
- where the first floating point number output and the second floating point number output are non-identical, and
- where the first randomly-generated number and the second randomly-generated number are different numbers.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.